Weekly Edition: August 16, 2019
Watch: Defining The Debate On Health Care Coverage Options
By Julie Rovner and Caitlin Hillyard and Lydia Zuraw
Politicians are throwing around a lot of terms when they talk about their health care plans: universal care, “Medicare for All,” “Medicare Buy-In.” KHN helps explain what they are talking about.
Going Down Fighting: Dying Activist Champions ‘Medicare For All’
By Anna Almendrala
Presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren tried to tell the story of Ady Barkan in the latest Democratic debate. He’s one of the most prominent advocates for “Medicare for All” and is spending his remaining time alive doing everything he can to make the case that all Americans need affordable health coverage.
Health Plan’s ‘Cadillac Tax’ May Finally Be Running Out Of Gas
By Julie Rovner
The tax on generous health plans — originally envisioned as a way to help pay for the ACA and change consumers’ behavior — has never been implemented, and Congress is considering repeal.
As States Strive To Stabilize Insurance Marketplaces, Insurers Return
By Steven Findlay
States increasingly expect to see insurers enter or re-enter ACA marketplaces next year. That’s a critical sign that these exchanges are growing less risky for insurers despite ongoing political and legal battles over the ACA.
Trump Administration Hits Brakes On Law To Curb Unneeded Medicare CT Scans, MRIs
By Phil Galewitz
Critics worry the delays come at a steep cost: Medicare paying for millions of unnecessary exams and patients subject to radiation for no medical benefit.
Charity Care Spending By Hospitals Plunges
By Harriet Blair Rowan
The proportion of money that California hospitals spent on free and discounted care for low-income people dropped by more than half from 2013 to 2017 — even for nonprofit hospitals. Hospitals say there’s less demand for charity care because more people now have health insurance, but consumer advocates counter that people still need help.
To Save Money, American Patients And Surgeons Meet In Cancun
By Phil Galewitz
The patient is from Mississippi. The surgeon is from Wisconsin. They meet in a Mexican resort for knee replacement surgery. Because the care costs so much less than in the U.S, the patient’s health plan pays her $5,000.
Class-Action Lawsuit Seeks To Let Medicare Patients Appeal Gap in Nursing Home Coverage
By Susan Jaffe
Medicare beneficiaries under observation care in the hospital can face higher costs for treatment and are not covered for nursing home care when discharged. A federal trial in Hartford, Conn., will determine whether the government’s ban on appeals involving observation care coverage is fair.
At This Summer Camp, Struggling With A Disability Is The Point
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
At a camp for kids in Nashville, physical therapists use “constraint-induced movement therapy.” It makes life tougher, temporarily, in hopes of strengthening the campers’ ability to navigate the world.
How #MeToo Is Changing Sex Ed Policies — Even In Red States
By Keren Landman
Liberalized sex education policies are being considered in more states, even traditionally conservative ones, as more female lawmakers take office and legislators react to the #MeToo movement.
Hepatitis A Races Across The Country
By Laura Ungar
In the wake of the opioid crisis, the highly communicable hepatitis A virus is spreading in more than half the states and making its way into the general public. Underfunded health officials are valiantly trying to fight it with vaccines.
Doctors Can Change Opioid Prescribing Habits, But Progress Comes In Small Doses
By Julie Appleby and Elizabeth Lucas
Research out Wednesday indicates that guidelines are making strides in cutting back the number of pain pills doctors offer after specific types of surgeries.
Among Hurdles For Those With Opioid Addictions: Getting The Drug To Treat It
By Nina Feldman, WHYY
It can be difficult to get a prescription for buprenorphine, one of the gold standards for treating opioid use disorder. And not all pharmacies stock the drug.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: We Answer Your Questions
You asked about drug prices, the “Cadillac tax” on generous insurance plans and why Americans don’t know that most other countries also have combination public-private insurance systems. This week, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Caitlin Owens of Axios join KHN’s Julie Rovner to answer those questions.
What The Trump Home Dialysis Plan Would Really Look Like
By Judith Graham
It takes more than an executive order to shift kidney disease patients from dialysis centers to home care. These patients show it takes discipline, skill, will and support.
Despite Failed Promises, Stem Cell Advocates Again Want Taxpayers To Pony Up Billions
By Ana B. Ibarra
California’s stem cell agency, created by a $3 billion bond measure 15 years ago, is almost out of money. Its supporters plan to ask voters for even more funding next year, even though no agency-funded treatments have been approved for widespread use.