KFFHN Weekly Edition: Sept. 29, 2023
She Received Chemo in Two States. Why Did It Cost So Much More in Alaska?
Arielle Zionts
A breast cancer patient who received similar treatments in two states saw significant differences in cost, illuminating how care in remote areas can come with a stiffer price tag.
Officials Agree: Use Settlement Funds to Curb Youth Addiction. But the ‘How’ Gets Hairy.
Aneri Pattani and Emily Featherston, InvestigateTV and Oona Zenda
Parents, educators, and elected officials agree that investing in school-based prevention efforts could help curb the rising rate of youth drug overdoses. The well-known D.A.R.E. program is one likely choice, but its effectiveness is in question.
What Happens to Health Programs if the Federal Government Shuts Down?
Julie Rovner
Medicare and Medicaid shouldn’t be affected, but confusion can be expected.
More Medicaid Messiness
At least 30 states are reinstating coverage for children wrongly removed from the rolls under Medicaid redetermination, the federal government reported. It’s just the latest hiccup in the massive effort to review the eligibility of Medicaid beneficiaries now that the program’s pandemic-era expansion has expired. And federal oversight of the so-called unwinding would be further complicated by an impending government shutdown. Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of 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’ Samantha Liss, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about a hospital bill that followed a deceased patient’s family for more than a year.
As Covid Infections Rise, Nursing Homes Are Still Waiting for Vaccines
Jordan Rau and Tony Leys
“People want covid-19 to be in the rearview mirror,” one nursing home official says. Faced with a slow rollout of the updated covid vaccines, and without state mandates for workers to get vaccinated, most skilled nursing facilities are relying on persuasion to boost vaccination rates among staff and residents.
The Tata Way
Episode 5 of the “Eradicating Smallpox” podcast explores how a partnership between public health institutions and a huge, influential private company was key in the campaign to eliminate smallpox.
Florida Foster Kids Are Given Powerful Medications, but Feds Find State Oversight Lacking
Christopher O’Donnell, Tampa Bay Times and Oona Zenda
A report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services raises troubling questions about the use of powerful medications within Florida’s child welfare system and the risk of overdoses or dangerous side effects if children are given the wrong combination of drugs.
A Decades-Long Drop in Teen Births Is Slowing, and Advocates Worry a Reversal Is Coming
Catherine Sweeney, WPLN
After three decades of declines in teen pregnancies, data shows the rates are starting to plateau. The reversal of "Roe v. Wade," coupled with efforts to suspend sex education in schools and higher rates of youth mental health issues post-pandemic, could culminate in a perfect storm.
Social Security Overpayments Draw Scrutiny and Outrage From Members of Congress
David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group
Lawmakers are faulting the Social Security Administration for issuing billions of dollars of payments that beneficiaries weren’t entitled to receive — and then demanding the money back — in the wake of an investigation by KFF Health News and Cox Media Group.
These Appalachia Hospitals Made Big Promises to Gain a Monopoly. They’re Failing to Deliver.
Brett Kelman and Samantha Liss
Ballad Health, the only hospital system across a large swath of Tennessee and Virginia, has fallen short of quality-of-care and charity care obligations — even as it’s sued thousands of patients for unpaid bills.
Who Polices Hospitals Merging Across Markets? States Give Different Answers
Samantha Liss
Increasingly, hospitals are merging across separate markets within states. It’s a move that health economists and the Federal Trade Commission have been closely watching, as evidence shows such mergers raise prices for patients with no improvement in care.
New Medicare Advantage Plans Tailor Offerings to Asian Americans, Latinos, and LGBTQ+
Stephanie Stephens
As more seniors opt for Medicare Advantage, a few small insurers have begun offering plans that provide culturally targeted benefits for cohorts including Asian Americans, Latinos, and LGBTQ+ people. The approach, policy researchers say, has potential and perils.
Massive Kaiser Permanente Strike Looms as Talks Head to the Wire
Bernard J. Wolfson
Both sides, still at loggerheads over pay and staffing, agreed to keep bargaining after unions announced a possible strike Oct. 4-7. If no deal is reached, a walkout by about 75,000 KP workers in five states could disrupt care.
GOP Presidential Primary Debate No. 2: An Angry Rematch and the Same Notable No-Show
KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs
Though never framed as a marquee issue, the topic of health care crept into the chaotic seven-way faceoff throughout the evening, highlighting Republican culture-war themes.
Pot Boom Wakes Sleepy Dinosaur, Colorado
Markian Hawryluk
A small town close to the Colorado-Utah state line strikes it rich with marijuana sales.
Journalist Assesses Federal Push to Remove Medical Debt From Credit Reports
In two radio appearances this week, KFF Health News senior correspondent Noam N. Levey discussed medical debt in the U.S. and contextualized a new federal push to keep unpaid medical bills from affecting patients' credit scores.
Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week.
Readers Rail at Social Security Overpayments and Insurers’ Prior Authorizations
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.