Weekly Edition: January 12, 2018
Trump Administration Clears Way To Force Some Medicaid Enrollees To Work
By Phil Galewitz
Allowing states to mandate that non-disabled Medicaid enrollees work as a condition for coverage would mark one of the biggest changes to the program since it began more than 50 years ago. A decision on the first of the state requests could come within days.
With CHIP Funds Running Low, Doctors And Parents Scramble To Cover Kids’ Needs
By Phil Galewitz and Emmarie Huetteman
Doctors are advising patients to be sure to fill medication orders now or are giving away drugs to make sure children have enough if their insurance disappears.
Despite Prod By ACA, Tax-Exempt Hospitals Slow To Expand Community Benefits
By Vickie Connor
The Affordable Care Act mandated that hospitals exempt from taxes work to provide health benefits to the community. But a study finds that has been slow to get off the ground.
Giving Medicaid Enrollees Something To Smile About
By Emily Bazar
More than 7 million California adults enrolled in Medi-Cal regained coverage for critical dental care, including crowns and partial dentures, this month.
HHS Nominee Vows To Tackle High Drug Costs, Despite His Ties To Industry
By Emmarie Huetteman
Alex M. Azar II, the former president of the U.S. division of Eli Lilly, says the U.S. drug system encourages price increases — but he intends to work on that problem.
Facebook Live: It’s 2018, Can Big Pharma Hold The Line Against Pricing Controls?
In this chat, KHN senior correspondent Jay Hancock discusses how drug-pricing battles could play out this year in D.C., state legislatures and beyond. What do we know about the drug industry’s agenda to quiet the drumbeat of cost control and transparency proposals? How will they officials target their efforts? Will the battles take place at the state level? Senior editor Stephanie Stapleton moderates.
Public Health
Hospital Honchos Hone New Message In Wake Of Opioid Epidemic: Expect Pain
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
"We really do have a lot of responsibility and culpability," says one hospital official who is part of a working group trying to address the opioid epidemic. Patients have to expect more pain after surgery and understand the risk of addiction, says another doctor.
An Opioid Remedy That Works: Treat Pain And Addiction At The Same Time
By John Daley, Colorado Public Radio
Studies show promising results for a treatment approach that tackles chronic pain and addiction together, but obstacles stand in the way of this integrated care.
Drug Overdose Deaths Soar Nationally But Plateau In Some Western States
By Pauline Bartolone
Fatalities are climbing in states that have been flooded by the deadly opioid fentanyl, but are remaining flat — or even falling — in many Western states, where the drug has not yet been as common as other parts of the country.
J.P. Morgan Health Conference All About The Deals Amid Uncertainty For Millions
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
The lofty ideas floated and billion-dollar deals sealed at J.P. Morgan’s elite annual conference stand in stark contrast to the uncertainty that clouds health care outside its confines.
For Elder Health, Trips To The ER Are Often A Tipping Point
By Judith Graham
Experts provide tips for older patients and their caregivers to cope with the physical and mental declines associated with emergency room visits.
Her Sister’s Keeper: Caring For A Sibling With Mental Illness
By Jenny Gold
Few bonds are as tight as those between sisters. But when one has paranoid schizophrenia, the relationship grows complicated.
Defending Against This Season’s Deadly Flu: 5 Things To Know Now
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
A particularly nasty flu is widespread in 46 states. Nationally, at least 106 people have died from the infectious disease.
Fallout From ‘Nuclear Button’ Tweets: Sales Of Anti-Radiation Drug Skyrocket
By JoNel Aleccia
Orders for potassium iodide reportedly jumped after a Jan. 2 war of words between Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.
A Poor Neighborhood In Chicago Looks To Cuba To Fight Infant Mortality
By Miles Bryan, WBEZ
Infant mortality in some of the poorest ZIP codes in the United States rivals that of countries like war-torn Syria. Cuba, meanwhile, does a good job of keeping babies healthy on a tight budget. A team of Cuban health professionals recently spent time in Chicago helping peers there tackle the daunting problem.
Listen: How A ‘Hippie Clinic’ In San Francisco Inspired A Medical Philosophy
By Carrie Feibel, KQED
The Haight Ashbury Free Clinic still serves people living on the fringes in San Francisco. This radio story recounts its 51-year history.
VA Clears The Air On Talking To Patients About Marijuana Use
By Michelle Andrews
Officials want clinicians to discuss how use of medical marijuana could interact with other parts of their care.