Weekly Edition: January 18, 2019

Furloughed Feds’ Health Coverage Intact, But Shutdown Still Complicates Things

Julie Appleby

Some federal employees face insurance paperwork glitches that affect their health coverage and add pressure to the stress of going without pay.

Pain From The Government Shutdown Spreads. This Time It’s Food Stamps

Anna Gorman

Food stamps for February are being distributed about two weeks early because officials say the federal money to pay for them won’t be available later due to the government shutdown. State and local officials are scratching their heads about what might happen in March if the impasse continues.

Secretive ‘Rebate Trap’ Keeps Generic Drugs For Diabetes And Other Ills Out Of Reach

Jay Hancock and Sydney Lupkin

Patients are often forced into using brand names because drug formularies favor them over cheaper competitors.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Drug Prices Are Rising Again. Is Someone Going To Do Something About It?

As drugmakers hike prices, interest to rein them in grows on Capitol Hill. Next week marks the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court’s abortion decision, and both the House, whose leaders back abortion rights, and the Senate, controlled by abortion foes, are holding statement votes. And the government shutdown is still affecting health programs. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Alice Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues.

County By County, Researchers Link Opioid Deaths To Drugmakers’ Marketing

Victoria Knight

A JAMA study looking at county-specific federal data finds that the more opioid-related marketing dollars spent in a county, the higher rates of doctors who prescribed those drugs, and ultimately, more overdose deaths.

Meth’s Resurgence Spotlights Lack Of Meds To Combat The Addiction

Carmen Heredia Rodriguez

While headlines continue to focus on the nation’s opioid crisis, a growing toll of overdoses and deaths related to methamphetamine use suggests this drug is making an under-the-radar comeback.

GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ In Health System Showing Up In Crowdfunding

Rachel Bluth

Fundraising for medical expenses leads this crowdfunding website and, according to its chief executive, highlights a deep national need to address the high costs of health care.

Patients Turn To GoFundMe When Money And Hope Run Out

Mark Zdechlik, Minnesota Public Radio

Medical fundraisers account for 1 in 3 of the website's campaigns and bring in more money than any other GoFundMe category. Americans' confidence they can afford health care is slipping, some say.

Listen: Do Consumers Benefit When Hospitals Post Sticker Prices Online?

As of Jan. 1, hospitals must post price lists — known as chargemasters — online. These massive compendiums include the costs set by each hospital for every service or drug a patient might encounter.

Why Older Adults Should Eat More Protein (And Not Overdo Protein Shakes)

Judith Graham

Whether because of illness or inactivity, many seniors need to up their protein game to maintain strength and mobility.

The Electronics Industry Sees Money In Your Health

Eric Taub

Although many device makers at the annual Consumer Electronics Show targeted real health issues, some are looking to solve problems that people didn’t realize needed solving.

Call The Midwife! (If The Doctor Doesn’t Object)

Anna Gorman

Hospitals and medical practices are battling outdated stereotypes and sometimes their own doctors to hire certified nurse midwives. Research shows that women cared for by certified nurse midwives have fewer cesarean sections, which can produce significant cost savings for hospitals.

California’s Top Lawyer Cements His Role As Health Care Defender-In-Chief

Samantha Young

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra scores a win for California and other states in his effort to block Trump administration birth control rules. It is one of many suits he has filed to defend the Affordable Care Act from efforts to erode it.

Providers Walk ‘Fine Line’ Between Informing And Scaring Immigrant Patients

Ana B. Ibarra

Some doctors and clinics are proactively informing patients about a proposed policy that could jeopardize the legal status of immigrants who use public benefit programs such as Medicaid. Others argue that because this “public charge” proposal isn’t final — and may never be adopted — disseminating too much information could create unnecessary alarm and cause some patients to drop benefits.