KHN Weekly Edition: June 3, 2022

Her First Colonoscopy Cost Her $0. Her Second Cost $2,185. Why?
By Michelle Andrews Preventive care, like screening colonoscopies, is supposed to be free of charge to patients under the Affordable Care Act. But some hospitals haven’t gotten the memo.

Black Women Have Much at Stake in States Where Abortion Access May Vanish
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio For many women, abortion access has also meant better economic opportunities. But that could change in states that plan to ban most abortion access if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. And those constraints could have a big impact on Black women. In Tennessee, Black women have abortions at more than four times the rate of white women.

Skirmishes Over Medication Abortion Renews Debate on State vs. Federal Powers
By Victoria Knight The Biden administration may have authority to allow the use of abortion pills even in states where the practice could be outlawed, say legal experts.

Abortion Opponents Take Political Risks by Dropping Exceptions for Rape, Incest, and the Mother’s Life
By Julie Rovner Conservative states are moving to severely restrict abortions, and many are pressing for bans that provide no exception for cases of rape or incest or even to save the life of the mother. But public opinion polls suggest those limits could cause blowback.

Readers and Tweeters Go to the Mat on Abortion Rights and Perceived Wrongs
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Got Long Covid? Medical Expertise Is Vital, and Seniors Should Prepare to Go Slow
By Judith Graham Although identifying long covid in older adults can be tricky, experts say there are good strategies for getting medical advice and fighting the impact of the virus.

Politics and Pandemic Fatigue Doom California’s Covid Vaccine Mandates
By Rachel Bluth Even in deep-blue California, Democratic lawmakers pulled their proposed covid vaccine requirements before they had a vote. The lawmakers blamed the ebbs and flows of the coronavirus, the public’s short attention span, and opposition from public safety unions.

For Many Low-Income Families, Getting Formula Has Always Been a Strain
By Christina Szalinski Finding formula for children with allergies and other dietary restrictions was challenging even before the current shortage for families who rely on the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food assistance program.

Computer Glitches and Human Error Still Causing Insurance Headaches for Californians
By Bernard J. Wolfson Covered California and Medi-Cal share a computer system for eligibility and enrollment. Nearly a decade since the Affordable Care Act expanded coverage options in the state, enrollees can be diverted to the wrong program — or dropped altogether — if erroneous information gets into the system.

Taco Bowls and Chicken Curry: Medi-Cal Delivers Ready Meals in Grand Health Care Experiment
By Heidi de Marco and Angela Hart California has embarked on an ambitious five-year initiative to improve the health of its sickest Medicaid patients by introducing nontraditional services. In the Inland Empire, where many residents have diabetes, one health plan is diving into the experiment by delivering healthy, prepared meals to those lucky enough to get them.

Montana Hires a Medicaid Director With a Managed-Care Past
By Katheryn Houghton and Tony Leys Montana, one of about a dozen states still managing its own Medicaid programs, has a new Medicaid director who championed handing the management of the program to private companies in Iowa and Kansas.

‘Desperate Situation’: States Are Housing High-Needs Foster Kids in Offices and Hotels
By Sam Whitehead Some foster children with complex mental, behavioral, and physical health needs without a foster placement are having to stay in hotel rooms and even office buildings, a practice called “hoteling.”

Despite a First-Ever ‘Right-to-Repair’ Law, There’s No Easy Fix for Wheelchair Users
By Markian Hawryluk Colorado lawmakers approved a measure that will make it easier for people to fix their power wheelchairs when they wear out or break down, but arcane regulations and manufacturers create high hurdles for nationwide reform.

Why the War in Ukraine Might Make Root Canals More Difficult
By Darius Tahir Russia’s attacks on Ukraine are making it harder for the health care system to secure important supplies, including gases used in imaging and by dentists.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Washington’s Slow Churn
Stemming gun violence is back on the legislative agenda following three mass shootings in less than a month, but it’s hard to predict success when so many previous efforts have failed. Meanwhile, lawmakers must soon decide if they will extend current premium subsidies for those buying health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and the Biden administration acts, belatedly, on Medicare premiums. Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Michelle Andrews, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a too-common problem: denial of no-cost preventive care for a colonoscopy under the Affordable Care Act.