KFF Health News’ Weekly Edition: Dec. 22, 2023

Inside the Pentagon’s Painfully Slow Effort to Clean Up Decades of PFAS Contamination
By Hannah Norman and Patricia Kime Cost estimates balloon and complications mount as the Defense Department grapples with PFAS pollution at hundreds of its bases and surrounding communities.

‘I Am Just Waiting to Die’: Social Security Clawbacks Drive Some Into Homelessness
By Fred Clasen-Kelly The Social Security Administration is reclaiming billions of dollars in alleged overpayments from some of the nation's poorest and most vulnerable, leaving some people homeless or struggling to stay in housing, beneficiaries and advocates say.

Social Security Chief Apologizes to Congress for Misleading Testimony on Overpayments
By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi sent the letter days after KFF Health News and Cox Media Group reported that the agency has been demanding money back from more than twice as many people as she’d disclosed in October testimony.

Deep Flaws in FDA Oversight of Medical Devices, and Patient Harm, Exposed in Lawsuits and Records
By Fred Schulte and Holly K. Hacker Illustration by Oona Zenda Thousands of medical devices are sold, and even implanted, with no safety tests.

The Year in Opioid Settlements: 5 Things You Need to Know
By Aneri Pattani In the past year, opioid settlement money has gone from an emerging funding stream for which people had lofty but uncertain aspirations to a coveted pot of billions being invested in remediation efforts. Here are some important and evolving factors to watch going forward.

Cancer Patients Face Frightening Delays in Treatment Approvals
By Lauren Sausser Delaying cancer treatment can be deadly — which makes the roadblock-riddled process that health insurers use to approve or deny care particularly daunting for oncology patients.

‘AGGA’ Inventor Testifies His Dental Device Was Not Meant for TMJ or Sleep Apnea
By Brett Kelman and Anna Werner, CBS News The FDA and Department of Justice are investigating the Anterior Growth Guidance Appliance, or “AGGA.” TMJ and sleep apnea patients have filed lawsuits alleging the device harmed them. Its inventor now says the AGGA was never meant for these ailments.

Bold Changes Are in Store for Medi-Cal in 2024, but Will Patients Benefit?
By Bernard J. Wolfson California’s Medicaid program is undergoing major changes that could improve health care for residents with low incomes. But they are happening at the same time as several other initiatives that could compete for staff attention and confuse enrollees.

The Market for Biosimilars Is Funky. The Industry Thinks PBMs Are To Blame
By Arthur Allen Over the past year there’s been movement to rein in the three big PBMs, which face little regulation though they help set drug prices and drug choices for 80 percent of Americans and their doctors. The House voted Dec. 11, 320-71, for legislation that would require the PBMs to change some of the ways they […]

A New Test Could Save Arthritis Patients Time, Money, and Pain. But Will It Be Used?
By Arthur Allen Stories of chronic pain, drug-hopping, and insurance meddling are all too common among patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Precision medicine offers new hope.

When a Quick Telehealth Visit Yields Multiple Surprises Beyond a Big Bill
By Darius Tahir For the patient, it was a quick and inexpensive virtual appointment. Why it cost 10 times what she expected became a mystery.

New Doula Benefit ‘Life-Changing’ for California Mom
By Molly Castle Work Doulas, independent workers who act as advocates for birthing parents, have been shown to help prevent pregnancy complications and improve the health of both mothers and babies. California’s Medicaid program started covering their services this year, but some doulas say bureaucratic obstacles and inadequate pay prevent their effective use.

Patients Facing Death Are Opting for a Lifesaving Heart Device — But at What Risk?
By Daniel Chang and Holly K. Hacker The HeartMate 3 is considered the safest mechanical heart pump of its kind, but a federal database contains more than 4,500 reports in which the medical device may have caused or contributed to a patient’s death.

What a Bison Goring Can Teach Us About Rural Emergency Care
By Arielle Zionts Millions of Americans live in “ambulance deserts” — areas that are more than a 25-minute drive to the nearest emergency medical services (EMS) station. The most rural areas can be more than an hour away from help.   These sparsely populated communities can have trouble sustaining ambulance services, if small patient volumes and low reimbursements […]

‘They See a Cash Cow’: Corporations Could Consume $50 Billion of Opioid Settlements
By Aneri Pattani As opioid settlement dollars land in government coffers, a swarm of businesses are positioning themselves to profit from the windfall. But will their potential gains come at the expense of the settlements’ intended purpose — to remediate the effects of the opioid epidemic?

In New Year, All Immigrants in California May Qualify for Medicaid Regardless of Legal Status
By Bernard J. Wolfson In the new year, California’s Medicaid program will open to otherwise eligible immigrants ages 26 to 49 without legal residency. They will join children, young adults, and adults over 50 enrolled in Medi-Cal through previous expansions to residents lacking authorization. The change is expected to add over 700,000 first-time enrollees.

Mysterious Morel Mushrooms at Center of Food Poisoning Outbreak
By Keely Larson Illustration by Oona Zenda Federal officials issued their first guidelines on preparing morel mushrooms after a deadly food poisoning outbreak in Montana, noting the toxins in the delicacy aren’t fully understood.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': 2023 Is a Wrap
2023 was another busy year in health care. As the covid-19 pandemic waned, policymakers looked anew at long-standing obstacles to obtaining and paying for care in the nation’s health care system. Meanwhile, abortion has continued to be an issue in much of the nation, as states respond to the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning the constitutional right to the procedure. This week, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and wrap up the year in health. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Jordan Rau about his joint KFF Health News-New York Times series “Dying Broke.”

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