health care costs and insurance 061020
When A Doctor No Longer Accepts Medicare, Patients Left Holding The Bag
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
As doctors look for alternative ways to charge patients for care, some Medicare enrollees may lose access to their physicians.
Alerta a turistas: los planes de salud para viajeros podrían no cubrir pandemias
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
Muchos planes ofrecen cobertura de atención médica en caso que la persona necesite atención durante un viaje. Pero éstos varían enormemente según la compañía, y pueden no incluir a COVID-19.
In Hard-Hit Areas, COVID’s Ripple Effects Strain Mental Health Care Systems
By Cheryl Platzman Weinstock
In areas hit hard by the coronavirus, such as Detroit, behavioral health care workers have been overburdened and forced to scale back services at the same time people battling mental health disorders became more stressed and anxious.
COVID-19 Overwhelms Border ICUs
By Heidi de Marco
Some California hospitals near the Mexican border have received so many COVID-19 patients the past few weeks that they have had to divert some to other facilities. Hospital officials say most of the infected patients are U.S. citizens or legal residents who live in, or recently traveled to, Mexico and came to the U.S. for care.
Police Using Rubber Bullets On Protesters That Can Kill, Blind Or Maim For Life
By Liz Szabo
Police in multiple cities are using supposedly “nonlethal” crowd-control methods from rubber bullets to tear gas bombs to pepper-spray projectiles.
Judges Try To Balance Legal Rights And Courtroom Health
By Brian Krans
Courtrooms aren’t built for social distancing, and pandemics don’t offer ideal conditions for fulfilling the right to a speedy trial. But, eventually, every court in the nation will have to reckon with a return that may risk safety to some degree.
Newsom Likes To ‘Go Big’ But Doesn’t Always Deliver
By Angela Hart
The COVID-19 pandemic is showcasing California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s leadership style to a national audience. The first-term Democrat doesn’t shy away from making splashy announcements and lofty promises, but his plans often lack detail and, in some cases, follow-through.
COVID-19 abruma a las terapias intensivas en la frontera
By Heidi de Marco
A pesar que la mayoría de los hospitales de California no tuvieron un aumento dramático de pacientes, algunas instalaciones cerca de la frontera con México se han visto desbordadas.
Montana’s Tribal Nations Preserve COVID Restrictions To Preserve Their Cultures
By Kathleen McLaughlin
Some of Montana’s Native American nations are holding firm on coronavirus protections even as the rest of Montana reopens. They’ve got more at stake, they say, in protecting their elders who preserve their endangered culture.
Tear-Gassing Protesters During An Infectious Outbreak ‘A Recipe For Disaster’
By Will Stone
Health researchers are among the voices calling for police to stop using tear gas and pepper spray on protesters, because these chemical irritants can damage the body in ways that can spread the coronavirus and increase the severity of COVID-19. One example: Tear gas and pepper spray can sow confusion and panic in a crowd, causing people to rip off their masks and touch their faces, leading to more contamination.
Tirarle gas lacrimógeno a manifestantes en medio de la pandemia es un “desastre”
By Will Stone
Su uso generalizado, mientras que una enfermedad infecciosa, para la cual no hay vacuna, continúa propagándose en los Estados Unidos, ha sorprendido a expertos y médicos.
Rapid Changes To Health System Spurred By COVID Might Be Here To Stay
By Julie Rovner
The coronavirus pandemic has forced the nation’s doctors and hospitals to reevaluate how they work. At least three major changes may have a lasting impact.
Baltimore’s ‘Squeegee Boys’: ‘If We Don’t Go Out, We Don’t Eat’
By Chaseedaw Giles
The federal government’s relief package left behind many of America’s poorest workers struggling to make ends meet as the coronavirus ravaged and unemployment rose. Baltimore’s “squeegee boys” are among them.
Tourists, Beware: Foreign Visitors’ Travel Health Insurance Might Exclude Pandemics
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
Many travel insurance plans offer health care coverage, but they could limit how much the insurer will pay or exclude coverage for health crises like the coronavirus pandemic. That may leave foreign travelers — unfamiliar with the way the American health system works ― on the hook for major expenses.
How A Company Misappropriated Native American Culture To Sell Health Insurance
By Fred Schulte
Maine investigators find one patient’s saga with O’NA HealthCare offers a cautionary tale for anyone looking for cut-rate coverage online.
Coronavirus Surprise: IRS Allows Midyear Insurance And FSA Changes
By Michelle Andrews
Last month, the Internal Revenue Service announced it would let employees add, drop or change some of their benefits for the remainder of 2020. The catch: Your employer has to allow the changes. KHN explains how it could work.
Por qué los recortes en salud perjudican siempre a los californianos más vulnerables
By Samantha Young
En California, donde casi 2,9 millones de personas han solicitado el desempleo en los últimos dos meses, Newsom describió los recortes propuestos como "prudentes" y "estratégicos".
‘Why Do We Always Get Hit First?’ Proposed Budget Cuts Target Vulnerable Californians
By Samantha Young
Safety-net health care programs that keep low-income Californians out of nursing homes are on the chopping block as Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers attempt to plug a massive budget deficit caused by the COVID-19 emergency.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Health Care Takes A Financial Hit In The Midst Of Pandemic
By Dan Weissmann
In the first quarter of 2020, half the country’s economic devastation happened in the health care sector. Much of the slowdown came after hospitals postponed elective surgeries and as Americans skipped routine doctor’s office visits.
COVID-Like Cough Sent Him To ER — Where He Got A $3,278 Bill
By Phil Galewitz
A dad in Denver tried to do everything right when COVID symptoms surfaced. Still, he ended up with a huge bill from an insurer that had said it waived cost sharing for coronavirus treatment. What gives?
As Lawmakers Reconvene, Not Everyone Agrees On COVID-Only Agenda
By Samantha Young
California legislators resume their work Monday after more than a month off. While the coronavirus pandemic has shifted the state’s priorities, many lawmakers say they still intend to push non-COVID health care bills to tax soda, ban vape flavors and more.
Social Media Fears About Lack Of Coverage For Protest Injuries Are Overblown
By Michelle Andrews
After some protests over the death of George Floyd resulted in violence, online discussions raised concerns that health plans might deny medical coverage. Although plans do sometimes make exclusions for “illegal acts” or riots, experts say concerns by people who are protesting Floyd’s death may be overstated.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Protests And The Pandemic
The outrage over the death of an African American man, George Floyd, after he was restrained and knelt on by Minneapolis police officers has sparked national protests, including in places where the coronavirus is still spreading. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s attempt to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization could have ramifications for Americans. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Mary Agnes Carey of KHN and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews Jonathan Oberlander, a University of North Carolina health policy professor and the editor of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, about articles examining the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of health inequity and structural racism.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: What’s In The Next Round Of COVID-19 Relief?
House Democrats unveiled legislation that would effectively double what the federal government has spent on relief for the COVID-19 pandemic, but Republicans say they want to wait before even talking about another bill. Meanwhile, a key Republican senator called the GOP court case challenging the Affordable Care Act “flimsy.” Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Angst And Advice From A Health Insurance Insider
By Dan Weissmann
A podcast listener who works in the health insurance industry says that when you’re trying to untangle a problem with your health insurance company ask the representative on the phone to slow down. And if need be, don’t hesitate to ask to speak with a supervisor.
Open (Your Wallet) Wide: Dentists Charge Extra For Infection Control
By Phil Galewitz
A growing number of dental offices across the country are now charging patients an “infection control fee” of $10 to $20 to pay for masks, face shields, gowns and air purifiers to help keep the offices free of the coronavirus.
Tennessee’s Secret To Plentiful Coronavirus Testing? Picking Up The Tab
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
Just about anyone who wants a coronavirus test in the state of Tennessee can get one. How? The state got buy-in and lots of participation from private labs by assuring them it will pay them.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Still Seeking A Federal Coronavirus Strategy
Democrats were not impressed with the Trump administration’s COVID-19 national testing strategy document submitted to Congress this week. They say the pandemic requires more direction from the federal government, while the administration wants to give nearly all the responsibility to the states. Meanwhile, in an effort to shore up his base of senior voters, President Donald Trump has unveiled a plan to limit what those on Medicare must pay out-of-pocket for insulin. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Erin Mershon of STAT News and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Phil Galewitz, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment about a patient who thought he might have COVID-19, did everything right and got a big bill, anyway.
Pharma Cash to Congress
By Elizabeth Lucas and KFF Health News Staff
A KFF Health News database tracks campaign donations from drugmakers over the past 10 years.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Tips For Surviving COVID With Your Financial Health Intact
By Dan Weissmann
After being sick with COVID-19, missing weeks of work and pay, this podcast listener has a great story and some advice for us all.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: The $7,000 COVID Test And Other Lessons From SEASON-19
By Dan Weissmann
“An Arm and a Leg” wraps an all-COVID podcast season with three different perspectives on what the pandemic is costing us — and what might come next.