KHN Weekly Edition: Aug. 27, 2021

Jaw Surgery Takes a $27,119 Bite out of One Man’s Budget
By Phil Galewitz A Seattle patient discovers the hard way that you can still hit a lifetime limit for certain types of care. And health plans can vary a lot from one job to the next, even if the insurer is the same.

States Pull Back on Covid Data Even Amid Delta Surge
By Andy Miller As covid case numbers rise nationwide, Georgia and some other states have restricted the case count data they share publicly.

Pandemic Unveils Growing Suicide Crisis for Communities of Color
By Aneri Pattani Suicides have risen among Black, Hispanic and other communities of color during covid. But the rates were already escalating before the pandemic struck.

What Missouri Learned the Hard Way About Rapid Covid Testing in Schools
By Rachana Pradhan Missouri’s ambitious school testing plan landed with a thud. What it can teach us now about keeping the delta variant out of classrooms.

These Governors Push Experimental Antibody Therapy — But Shun Vaccine and Mask Mandates
By JoNel Aleccia Governors in Southern states, amid a surge of delta-variant infections, are rushing to provide an experimental antibody cocktail therapy, even as they oppose measures like mask mandates and vaccine passports that health officials say can prevent infection in the first place.

Headed Away to School? Here’s What Students With Health Issues Need to Know
By Sandy West College and grad students with chronic health conditions as common as asthma and diabetes may need to clear hurdles to make sure their health needs are covered by insurance if they go to school far from home.

New Montana Law Sows Confusion, Defiance Over School Quarantines
By Aaron Bolton, MTPR Some counties are changing their covid quarantine policies in line with a law that bans discrimination based on a person’s vaccine status. But one county has decided to defy the rule.

Medicaid Vaccination Rates Founder as States Struggle to Immunize Their Poorest Residents
By Phil Galewitz Efforts by states and the private health plans that many states pay to cover low-income Americans has been scattershot and hampered by a lack of data.

From Uber Rides to Patient Advocates: What It Takes to Increase ER Addiction Treatment
By Aneri Pattani Despite widespread consensus on the importance of addiction treatment in the ER, many hospitals fail to screen for substance use, offer medications to treat opioid use disorder or connect patients to follow-up care. But some are working to change that.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Vaccine Approval Moves the Needle on Covid
The FDA’s formal approval of the first vaccine to prevent covid-19 may or may not prompt doubters to go out and get shots, but it has clearly prompted employers to make vaccination a work requirement. Meanwhile, moderates and liberals in the U.S. House put aside their differences long enough to keep a giant social-spending bill on track, at least for now. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Democrats Say Abortion Is on the Line in Recall Election. But Rolling Back Rights Wouldn’t Be Easy.
By Rachel Bluth Reproductive rights groups and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom argue that Californians’ access to abortion would be threatened if he is recalled. But a replacement governor’s power to restrict access to the procedure would be limited.

As Temperatures Rise, So Do the Health Risks for California’s Farmworkers
By Miranda Green and Heidi de Marco Workers who harvest crops ranging from grapes to cauliflower in the Coachella Valley are accustomed to temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This summer the thermometer has already hit 122, and heatstroke is becoming more common.

Mission and Money Clash in Nonprofit Hospitals’ Venture Capital Ambitions
By Jordan Rau Nonprofit hospitals of all sizes have been trying their luck as venture capitalists, saying their investments improve care through the creation of new medical devices, health software and other innovations. But the gamble at times has been harder to pull off than expected.

Microbiome Startups Promise to Improve Your Gut Health, but Is the Science Solid?
By Hannah Norman A raft of startups are charging consumers hundreds of dollars to analyze the microbes in their gut and offer dietary advice based on the results. But scientists say scant research has been done, and as customers of one company have learned the hard way, the experience isn’t always smooth.

Apple, Bose and Others Pump Up the Volume on Hearing Aid Options, Filling Void Left by FDA
By Phil Galewitz A 2017 law designed to help lower the cost of hearing aids mandated that federal officials set rules for a new class of devices consumers could buy without needing to see an audiologist. But those regulations are still on hold.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: Meet the Mississippi Lawyer Who Helped Start the Fight for Charity Care
By Dan Weissmann The man famous for taking on Big Tobacco in the '90s, and winning, launched a series of ill-fated national lawsuits against nonprofit hospitals. This episode is the first in a series looking at the origins of charity care.

Readers and Tweeters Ponder Vaccines and Points of Fairness
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Journalists Investigate Vaccine Mandates and Health Worker Burnout
KHN 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.