KHN Weekly Edition: April 7, 2023
No-Cost Preventive Services Are Now in Jeopardy. Here’s What You Need to Know.
By Julie Appleby
A federal judge’s recent ruling on the Affordable Care Act is by no means the final word. Even parsing its impact is complicated. Here are key issues to watch as the case works its way through the legal system.
The ‘Unwinding’ of Medicaid
As of April 1, states were allowed to begin reevaluating Medicaid eligibility for millions of Americans who qualified for the program during the covid-19 pandemic but may no longer meet the income or other requirements. As many as 15 million people could lose health coverage as a result. Meanwhile, the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is projected to stay solvent until 2031, its trustees reported, taking some pressure off of lawmakers to finally fix that program’s underlying financial weaknesses. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Daniel Chang, who reported the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a child not yet old enough for kindergarten whose medical bill landed him in collections.
A Doctor’s Love Letter to ‘The People’s Hospital’
By Dan Weissmann
Could a charity hospital founded by a crusading Dutch playwright, a group of Quakers, and a judge working undercover become a model for the U.S. health care system? In this episode of the podcast “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann speaks with Dr. Ricardo Nuila to find out.
Minnesota Overhauled Substance Use Treatment. Rural Residents Still Face Barriers.
By Christina Saint Louis
A recent policy change in Minnesota promotes quick evaluations and care for people with substance use disorders. But because of gaps riddling rural treatment systems nationwide, the promise of swift care isn’t reaching rural Minnesotans.
States Step In as Telehealth and Clinic Patients Get Blindsided by Hospital Fees
By Markian Hawryluk
At least eight states have implemented or are considering limits on what patients can be billed for the use of a hospital’s facilities even without having stepped foot in the building.
Raincoats, Undies, School Uniforms: Are Your Clothes Dripping in ‘Forever Chemicals’?
By Hannah Norman
The full health risks of wearing apparel made with PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” are still unknown. But states are taking action so clothing makers will remove them.
Fatigue Is Common Among Older Adults, and It Has Many Possible Causes
By Judith Graham
Persistent fatigue — the feeling of having no energy — can contribute to frailty and affects 40% to 74% of older patients with chronic illness. Yet its causes can be elusive.
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‘Hard to Get Sober Young’: Inside One of the Country’s Few Recovery High Schools
By Stephanie Daniel, KUNC
A few dozen high schools across the U.S. combine education with recovery treatment for substance use disorders to keep kids sober and in school.
The Big Squeeze: More Enrollees and Smaller Networks Plague Some ACA Plans
By Julie Appleby
Despite record enrollment in health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act, some consumers who bought coverage and agents who helped them do so have had a tough start to the new year: Many say it’s hard to find an in-network doctor or hospital.
Gov. Newsom Wanted California to Cut Ties With Walgreens. Then Federal Law Got in the Way.
By Samantha Young
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that California would cut ties with Walgreens after the company said it would not distribute abortion pills in some states. But federal rules make it difficult for the state to unwind its Medicaid prescription drug agreement, which paid Walgreens $1.5 billion last year.
Montana May Require Insurers to Cover Monitoring Devices for Diabetes
By Keely Larson
Montana is one of several states considering expanding coverage of continuous glucose monitors, but insurance companies and some providers argue that not all people with diabetes need them.
High Inflation and Housing Costs Force Many Americans to Delay Needed Care
By Stephanie Colombini, WUSF
A recent Gallup Poll suggests that Americans are putting off medical care because of costs. Inflation and rising rents make it harder for people to make ends meet.