KHN Weekly Edition: Oct. 14, 2022
Lawsuit by KHN Prompts Government to Release Medicare Advantage Audits
Fred Schulte
The lawsuit was filed three years ago to learn about vast overcharges by the popular health plans that are detailed in audits the government refused to release to the public.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Finally Fixing the ‘Family Glitch’
The Biden administration has decided to try to fix the so-called “family glitch” in the Affordable Care Act without an act of Congress. The provision has prevented workers’ families from getting subsidized coverage if an employer offer is unaffordable. Meanwhile, Medicare’s open enrollment period begins Oct. 15, and private Medicare Advantage plans are poised to cover more than half of Medicare’s 65 million enrollees. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read.
Abortion Bans Are Motivating Midterm Voters, Poll Shows
Emmarie Huetteman
A new KFF poll shows Democrats and those living in states where abortion is illegal say the issue has made them more motivated to vote. It also shows that 70% of Republicans oppose total abortion bans.
BMI: The Mismeasure of Weight and the Mistreatment of Obesity
Julie Appleby
The human body mass index — a simple mathematical equation — is tied to a measure of obesity invented almost 200 years ago. On the downside, it can stand between patients and treatment for weight issues. It particularly mismeasures Black women and Asians.
Weight Loss Gadgets: They Provide Data to Help Consumers Achieve Diet Goals, but It Still Won’t Be Easy
Hannah Norman
You may have seen the ads that promise weight loss and better health — phone apps, rings, and other devices — by giving you data on how your body reacts to food, exercise, and sleep. Is this information enough to help consumers achieve their goals?
New Generation of Weight Loss Medications Offer Promise — But at a Price
Julie Appleby
People now have at their disposal more medicines that are effective at reducing weight, but none can counter obesity alone. One big problem: Insurance coverage remains spotty, and the costly drugs may be needed long term.
Will Covid Spike Again This Fall? 6 Tips to Help You Stay Safe
Céline Gounder
Recent research suggests that the covid virus is mutating to better dodge people’s immune defenses. It could soon evade monoclonal antibodies used to treat covid. KHN examines what public health officials believe is on the horizon and how best to fight the disease.
Watch: What Experts Advise for Seniors Living Under the Long Shadow of Covid
For older people, the pandemic is as taxing and worrisome as ever. Experts in geriatric care, mental health, social services, and infectious disease joined a KHN-Hartford Foundation panel to talk about a third covid winter and its outsize toll on seniors.
Baby, That Bill Is High: Private Equity ‘Gambit’ Squeezes Excessive ER Charges From Routine Births
Rae Ellen Bichell
Hospitals, boosted by private equity-backed staffing companies, have embraced a new idea: the obstetrics emergency department. Often, it is just a triage room in the labor-and-delivery area, but it bills like the main emergency department.
As Giant Hospitals Get Bigger, an Independent Doctor Feels the Pinch
Fred Clasen-Kelly
Independent medical practices keep closing as doctors join behemoth hospital groups or leave the field. Research suggests that’s bad news for patients. Studies repeatedly conclude that consolidation in the health care industry is driving up costs while showing no clear evidence of improved care.
Hospitals Have Been Slow to Bring On Addiction Specialists
Martha Bebinger, WBUR
Hospitals have specialists ready to offer consult and care for concerns from cancer to childbirth but often no one with expertise in addiction medicine. Patients with a history of substance use — who are discharged without care — are at risk for overdose.
If You’re Worried About the Environment, Consider Being Composted When You Die
Bernard J. Wolfson
The idea of human composting — to help restore a forest or grow flowers — may be a little off-putting to some, but it has many advantages over traditional-but-toxic methods of burial and cremation.
Miami’s Little Haiti Joins Global Effort to End Cervical Cancer
Verónica Zaragovia, WLRN
Creole-speaking public health workers teach women how to test themselves for HPV, the virus that causes some cervical cancers.
‘Separate and Unequal’: Critics Say Newsom’s Pricey Medicaid Reforms Leave Most Patients Behind
Angela Hart
MLK Community Hospital in South Los Angeles is surrounded by poverty, homeless encampments, and food deserts. Even though California Gov. Gavin Newsom is funneling billions of taxpayer money into an ambitious initiative to provide some low-income patients with social services, hospital executives and other critics say it won’t improve access to basic care.
Climate Change Magnifies Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke in Care Deserts
Julie Appleby and Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
Smoke- and ash-filled air can trigger or exacerbate severe respiratory conditions. But the medical specialists who treat these illnesses are often scarce where they are most in need.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: Checking Up on California’s DIY Insulin Project
Dan Weissmann
California put up $100 million to produce its own insulin. How did this plan come to be, and what might stand in the state’s way?
5 Things to Know About Colorado’s Psychedelics Ballot Initiative
Markian Hawryluk and Matt Volz
The good, the bad, and the unknown about the Centennial State’s proposal to decriminalize and regulate magic mushrooms and plant-based psychedelics.
Reporter Follows Up on ‘Cancer Moonshot’ Progress and the Bias in Digital Health Records
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.