KFF Health News Weekly Edition: Dec. 1, 2023

Explosive DeSantis-Newsom Debate Reflects Nation’s Culture Wars
By Angela Hart and PolitiFact Staff The two governors exchanged heated verbal barbs when they faced off in a wide-ranging debate that covered various health-related topics, from abortion to gun violence.

Biden’s Got a New Set of Orders for Obamacare. Is It His Last?
By Julie Appleby The Biden administration has issued its latest official wish list for Obamacare insurance plans, potentially one of the last major Affordable Care Act health policy efforts in the president’s first term. Changes on tap for 2025? For one, the administration wants states that run their own ACA marketplaces to crack down on what’s called “network […]

‘Forever Chemicals’ Found in Freshwater Fish, Yet Most States Don’t Warn Residents
By Hannah Norman Graphics by Lydia ZurawIllustration by Oona Zenda At least 17 states have issued PFAS-related fish consumption advisories, KFF Health News found. But with no federal guidance, what is considered safe to eat varies significantly among states, most of which provide no regulation.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: Trump Puts Obamacare Repeal Back on Agenda
Although Republicans have never united behind a replacement for the Affordable Care Act, 2024 GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump said this week he wants to put the issue back on the national agenda. That delights Democrats, who have won at least two elections partly by defending the now-popular health law. Meanwhile, the Texas Supreme Court takes up a case brought by women who say their pregnancy complications further endangered their health due to the vagueness of Texas’ near-total ban on abortions. Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Victoria Knight of Axios News join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Rachana Pradhan, who reported and wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature.

In Congress, Calls Mount for Social Security to Address Clawbacks
By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group In the wake of a KFF Health News-Cox Media Group investigation, U.S. lawmakers are asking what Social Security will do about its demands on their constituents to repay money already distributed — and sometimes in error. Sen. Rick Scott called the agency’s actions “unacceptable.”

DeSantis, Newsom to Tangle Over Hot-Button Health Issues
By Angela Hart and Daniel Chang Florida’s Republican presidential hopeful, Ron DeSantis,and Democratic firebrand Gavin Newsom of California square off today in a contest of governors that can best be described as the debate to determine ¿quién es más macho? — who is more manly — about protecting your freedoms.  Both men have led their respective states since 2019, and they’ve […]

Uncle Sam Wants You … to Help Stop Insurers’ Bogus Medicare Advantage Sales Tactics
By Susan Jaffe The Biden administration wants to crack down on deceptive or misleading Medicare Advantage and drug plan sales tactics. It’s counting on beneficiaries to help catch offenders.

FTC Chief Gears Up for a Showdown With Private Equity
By Harris Meyer Lina Khan, chair of the FTC, says a recent lawsuit is meant to chill the consolidation of medical groups that results in higher prices for consumers. But it may be too late to curb price hikes.

An Arm and a Leg: To Get Health Insurance, This Couple Made a Movie
By Dan Weissmann On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” hear how a couple wrote and directed a short film, starring one of them — just to maintain health insurance through the actors union.

Medicare Advantage Increasingly Popular With Seniors — But Not Hospitals and Doctors
By Julie Appleby Some hospitals and physician groups are rejecting Medicare Advantage plans over payment rates and coverage restrictions, causing turmoil for patients.

Hospitals and Doctors Are Fed up With Medicare Advantage
By Julie Appleby Medicare Advantage plans are pretty popular with both lawmakers and ordinary Americans — they now enroll about 31 million people, representing just over half of everyone in Medicare, by KFF’s count. But among doctors and hospitals, it’s a different story. Across the country, provider grumbling about claim denials and onerous preapproval requirements by Advantage plans […]

GOP Presidential Hopefuls Use Trump’s Covid Record to Court Vaccine Skeptics
By Darius Tahir and Daniel Chang Candidates see former President Donald Trump’s embrace of his administration’s covid-19 vaccine policies as an opportunity to gain ground. So far, their efforts haven’t found traction.

‘Forever Chemicals’ in Thousands of Private Wells Near Military Sites, Study Finds
By Patricia Kime New research finds that private wells near more than 82% of select military sites were contaminated with PFAS chemicals.

Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Makes Other Public Assistance Harder to Get
By Katheryn Houghton and Rachana Pradhan and Samantha Liss The bottleneck caused by states’ reevaluation of Medicaid enrollees has swept up low-income families that rely on other safety-net services.

Medicaid’s ‘Unwinding’ Can Be Especially Perilous for Disabled People
By Rachana Pradhan Earlier this year, Beverly Likens thought she’d done everything she needed to do to keep her Medicaid. Then came an unwelcome surprise: Ahead of surgery to treat chronic bleeding, the hospital said her insurance was inactive, jeopardizing her procedure. Likens had just been diagnosed with severe anemia and given a blood transfusion at the emergency room. “I […]

What Would a DeSantis Presidency Look Like for Health Care?
By Romy Ellenbogen, Tampa Bay Times and Christopher O’Donnell, Tampa Bay Times Ron DeSantis’ record as Florida governor provides some clues to how he would change the health care landscape if elected president. In his five years as governor, DeSantis has promoted stricter abortion rules and emphasized individual freedom over the benefits of public health.

Backlash to Affirmative Action Hits Pioneering Maternal Health Program for Black Women
By Ronnie Cohen A San Francisco program offers a $1,000-a-month stipend for pregnant Black and Pacific Islander women, part of an effort to address severe racial disparities in maternal health. But conservative groups have sued to shut down the Abundant Birth Project, part of a national backlash against affirmative action in health care.

Health Care Is Front and Center as DeSantis and Newsom Go Mano a Mano
By Daniel Chang and Angela Hart Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will square off in a first-of-its-kind debate on Nov. 30. KFF Health News compared the political rivals’ health care positions, showing how their policies have helped — or hindered — the health of their states’ residents.

Many Autoimmune Disease Patients Struggle With Diagnosis, Costs, Inattentive Care
By Andy Miller Illustration by Oona Zenda Despite the prevalence of autoimmune conditions, like the thyroid disease Hashimoto’s, sometimes finding help can prove frustrating as well as expensive. There are often no definitive diagnostic tests, so patients may rack up big bills as they search for confirmation of their condition and for treatment options.

‘Everybody in This Community Has a Gun’: How Oakland Lost Its Grip on Gun Violence
By Samantha Young A few years ago, Oakland won national acclaim for slashing gun-related crimes. Then the covid-19 pandemic tore through poor neighborhoods, and the murder of George Floyd fueled distrust in police. With guns readily available, violent crime has once again skyrocketed, leaving the community struggling to contain it.

How the Thyroid Gland Mystifies Doctors and Patients
By Oona Zenda and Andy Miller This illustrated report has been adapted from a KFF Health News article, “Many Autoimmune Disease Patients Struggle With Diagnosis, Costs, Inattentive Care” by Andy Miller, with artwork by Oona Tempest.

She Once Advised the President on Aging Issues. Now, She’s Battling Serious Disability and Depression.
By Judith Graham Coping with disability — and the cost of coping with disability — is an enormously important issue for older adults. Nora Super, an expert on aging, shares her personal story.

Progressive and Anti-Abortion? New Group Plays Fast and Loose to Make Points
By Darius Tahir Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, which operates mostly in the nation’s capital, is part of a confrontational anti-abortion movement that embraces all types of media — graffiti, social media, and livestreams — to communicate a smashmouth message.

Back Pain? Bum Knee? Be Prepared to Wait for a Physical Therapist
By Mark Kreidler Physical therapists left the field en masse during the covid-19 pandemic, even as demand from aging baby boomers skyrocketed. While universities try to boost their training programs to increase the number of graduates, patients seeking relief from often debilitating pain are left to wait.

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