Insurance, Coverage, and Costs: May 23, 2024
He Fell Ill on a Cruise. Before He Boarded the Rescue Boat, They Handed Him the Bill.
Bram Sable-Smith
A man from Michigan was evacuated from a cruise ship after having seizures. First, he drained his bank account to pay his medical bills.
Sign Here? Financial Agreements May Leave Doctors in the Driver’s Seat
Katheryn Houghton
Agreeing to an out-of-network doctor’s own financial policy — which generally protects their ability to get paid and may be littered with confusing insurance and legal jargon — can create a binding contract that leaves a patient owing.
Their First Baby Came With Medical Debt. These Illinois Parents Won’t Have Another.
Noam N. Levey
Millions of new parents in the U.S. are swamped by medical debt during and after pregnancy, forcing many to cut back on food, clothing, and other essentials.
California Pays Meth Users To Get Sober
Angela Hart
California’s Medicaid program is testing a novel approach for people addicted to methamphetamine, cocaine, and other stimulants. For every clean urine test, they can earn money — up to $599 a year.
Exclusive: Senator Urges Biden Administration To Thwart Fraudulent Obamacare Enrollments
Julie Appleby
With tens of thousands of Americans already affected by enrollment scams that leave some without doctors or treatments, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden wants increased enforcement against rogue agents or other perpetrators and legislation to allow for criminal penalties.
Biden Leans Into Health Care, Asking Voters To Trust Him Over Trump
Phil Galewitz
President Joe Biden’s new health care ad draws on the Affordable Care Act’s popularity among independent voters and alludes to his edge over Trump on health issues.
Medicaid Unwinding Deals Blow to Tenuous System of Care for Native Americans
Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
Although Native American and Alaska Native adults are enrolled in Medicaid at higher rates than their white counterparts, many tribal leaders feel they’ve been left in the dark as states roll through the tumultuous Medicaid unwinding that started last year.
California’s $12 Billion Medicaid Makeover Banks on Nonprofits’ Buy-In
Angela Hart
California’s Medicaid program is relying heavily on community groups to deliver new social services to vulnerable patients, such as security deposits for homeless people and air purifiers for asthma patients. But many of these nonprofits face staffing and billing challenges and haven’t been able to deliver services effectively.
Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Decried as Biased Against Disabled People
Daniel Chang
People with disabilities say they are abruptly losing their Medicaid home health benefits and are being advised incorrectly when they call state offices for more information. “Every day the anxiety builds,” one beneficiary told KFF Health News.
Newly Minted Doctors Are Avoiding Abortion Ban States
For the second year in a row, medical school graduates across specialties are shying away from applying for residency training in states with abortion bans or significant restrictions, according to a new study. Meanwhile, Medicare’s trustees report that the program will be able to pay its bills longer than expected — which could discourage Congress from acting to address the program’s long-term financial woes. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University schools of nursing and public health and Politico Magazine, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Biden Team’s Tightrope: Reining In Rogue Obamacare Agents Without Slowing Enrollment
Julie Appleby
Federal regulators face a growing challenge — how to prevent rogue health insurance agents from switching unknowing consumers’ Obamacare coverage without making the enrollment process so cumbersome that enrollment declines.
California Floats Extending Health Insurance Subsidies to All Adult Immigrants
Jasmine Aguilera, El Tímpano
The legislature is considering taking the first steps to make Covered California plans available to immigrants without permanent legal status. The state has already extended Medi-Cal coverage to low-income immigrants.
AC, Power Banks, Mini Fridges: Oregon Equips Medicaid Patients for Climate Change
Samantha Young
Oregon is giving Medicaid patients air conditioners and other equipment to help them cope with soaring heat, smoky skies, and other dangers of climate change. Oregon health officials hope to show other states and the federal government that they can save lives and money.
Millions Were Booted From Medicaid. The Insurers That Run It Gained Medicaid Revenue Anyway.
Phil Galewitz
Big health insurers that have contracts with state Medicaid programs find themselves making more money even as enrollment in Medicaid programs has dropped. Here’s why.
Amgen Plows Ahead With Costly, Highly Toxic Cancer Dosing Despite FDA Challenge
Arthur Allen
The FDA told Amgen to test whether a quarter-dose of its lung cancer drug worked as well as the amount recommended on the product label. It did and with fewer side effects. But Amgen is sticking to the higher dose — which earns it an additional $180,000 a year per patient.
California propone ampliar subsidios de seguros de salud a todos los inmigrantes adultos
Jasmine Aguilera, El Tímpano
California es el primer estado en ampliar Medicaid a todos los adultos que reúnan los requisitos, independientemente de su estatus migratorio, una medida celebrada por los activistas de la salud y por líderes políticos de todo el estado.
High Price of Popular Diabetes Drugs Deprives Low-Income People of Effective Treatment
Renuka Rayasam
The makers of Ozempic and Mounjaro charge list prices of around $1,000 a month for the diabetes and obesity drugs, and insurers are reluctant to pick up the tab. Often, low-income patients have to resort to less effective treatments.
Newsom Boosted California’s Public Health Budget During Covid. Now He Wants To Cut It.
Angela Hart
Two years after increasing state and local public health budgets by $300 million annually, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes to slash the funding in the face of California’s $45 billion deficit.
San Francisco Tries Tough Love by Tying Welfare to Drug Rehab
Ronnie Cohen
Facing an overdose epidemic and public fury over conditions on the streets, famously tolerant San Francisco will start requiring welfare recipients to undergo drug screening, and treatment if necessary, to receive cash public assistance.
Watch: John Oliver Dishes on KFF Health News’ Opioid Settlements Series
A recent broadcast of “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” frequently cited KFF Health News in its examination of how billions of dollars from the opioid settlements are being spent.
Nursing Homes Wield Pandemic Immunity Laws To Duck Wrongful Death Suits
Fred Schulte
More than 172,000 nursing home residents died of covid. In lawsuits, some families who lost loved ones say they were misled about safety measures or told that covid wasn’t a danger in their facilities.
Why One New York Health System Stopped Suing Its Patients
Noam N. Levey
Most U.S. hospitals aggressively pursue patients for unpaid bills. One New York hospital system decided to work with them instead.
Tribal Nations Invest Opioid Settlement Funds in Traditional Healing To Treat Addiction
Aneri Pattani and Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
Hundreds of Native American tribes are getting money from settlements with companies that made or sold prescription painkillers. Some are investing it in sweat lodges, statistical models, and insurance-billing staffers.
Digging Into Facility Fees
Dan Weissmann
“An Arm and a Leg” is looking for listener stories about facility fees for a new project.
Paid Sick Leave Sticks After Many Pandemic Protections Vanish
Zach Dyer
The U.S. is one of nine countries that do not guarantee paid sick leave. Since the covid pandemic, advocates in states including Missouri, Alaska, and Nebraska are organizing to take the issue to voters with ballot initiatives this November.