KFF Health News Weekly Edition: July 28, 2023

His Anesthesia Provider Billed Medicare Late. He Got Sent to Collections for the $3,000 Tab.
By Phil Galewitz Medicare was supposed to cover the entire cost of his procedure. But after the anesthesia provider failed to file its claims in a timely manner, it billed the patient instead.

Texan Activists Thirst for a National Heat Standard to Protect Outdoor Workers
By Colleen DeGuzman As much of the U.S. faces extremely high summer temperatures, Texas’ Republican governor, Greg Abbott, has taken steps that effectively eliminate mandated water breaks for construction workers. In response, protesters from the Lone Star State came to Washington, D.C., to press for federal protections for such outdoor workers.

In Wisconsin, Women’s Health Care Is Constricted by an 1849 Law. These Doctors Are Aghast.
By Sarah Varney From the front lines of Wisconsin’s abortion battle, obstetricians describe patients who cannot comprehend having to carry nonviable pregnancies. And only one pharmacist in town can be found who will fill prescriptions for abortion pills.

Bankrupt California Hospital Receives Lifeline From Adventist, Report Says
By Jonathan Weber The Fresno Bee reports that Madera Community Hospital has reached an agreement with Adventist Health to take over the bankrupt facility and avoid liquidation.

A Year With 988: What Worked? What Challenges Lie Ahead?
By Colleen DeGuzman The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a national hotline, reached its first-year milestone this month.

Pain Clinic Chain to Pay $11.4M to Settle Medicare and Medicaid Fraud Claims
By Don Thompson The owner of one of California’s largest chains of pain management clinics has agreed to pay California, Oregon, and the federal government to settle Medicare and Medi-Cal fraud allegations.

Home Sweet Parking Lot: Some Hospitals Welcome RV Living for Patients, Families, and Workers
By Christina Saint Louis Medical and RV industry professionals say hospitals that offer RV parking are easing access to health care for some patients who drive long distances for treatment, like many rural residents.

Everything Old Is New Again? The Latest Round of Health Policy Proposals Reprises Existing Ideas
By Julie Appleby House Republican legislation promises more health insurance options but fewer protections, even as the Biden administration seeks to rein in short-term plans, which were expanded in the Trump era.

FDA Head Robert Califf Battles Misinformation — Sometimes With Fuzzy Facts
By Darius Tahir FDA Commissioner Robert Califf has called misinformation one of the deadliest killers in the United States. As the FDA tries to fight that scourge, it sometimes stumbles.

Hospitals Ask Congress to Delay ACA Medicaid Funding Cuts — For the 14th Time
By Phil Galewitz Congress has until October to avert cuts to a Medicaid program intended to support safety-net hospitals that, in practice, improves the bottom lines of other hospitals, too. Hospital leaders say now is not a good time for the cuts — which lawmakers have so far postponed 13 times.

New Weight Loss Drugs Carry High Price Tags and Lots of Questions for Seniors
By Judith Graham Although nearly 40% of Americans 60 and older are obese, Medicare doesn’t cover weight loss medications. Meanwhile, studies haven’t thoroughly examined new drugs’ impact on older adults.

Covered California to Cut Patient Costs After Democratic Lawmakers Win Funding From Gov. Newsom
By Angela Hart California’s health insurance exchange will reduce how much some patients pay for care next year, including hospital deductibles, appointment copays, and prescription drugs. Lawmakers pressed Gov. Gavin Newsom to make good on a four-year-old pledge to use proceeds from a tax penalty on uninsured people to help people pay for treatment.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Another Try for Mental Health ‘Parity’
President Joe Biden is kicking off his reelection campaign in part by trying to finish a decades-long effort to establish parity in insurance benefits between mental and physical health. Meanwhile, House Republicans are working to add abortion and other contentious amendments to must-pass spending bills. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Céline Gounder about her podcast “Epidemic.” The new season focuses on the successful public health effort to eradicate smallpox.

Journalists Discuss Abortion Lawsuits and the Pros and Cons of Health Care Sharing Plans
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

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