Weekly Edition March 1, 2019
Medicare Trims Payments To 800 Hospitals, Citing Patient Safety Incidents
By Jordan Rau
The penalties are part of a program set up by the Affordable Care Act to prompt hospitals to pay more attention to safety issues that can lead to injuries, such as falls or hospital-acquired infections.
Look Up Your Hospital: Is It Being Penalized by Medicare?
By Jordan Rau
Each year, Medicare punishes hospitals that have high rates of readmissions and high rates of infections and patient injuries. Check out which hospitals have been penalized.
Congress Squares Off With Pharma CEOs In Showdown Over High Drug Prices
By Emmarie Huetteman and Jay Hancock
Tuesday’s Senate Finance Committee hearing could produce fireworks over prices, R&D costs and executive compensation.
Talk About Déjà Vu: Senators Set To Re-Enact Drug Price Hearing Of 60 Years Ago
By Jay Hancock
Tuesday’s Senate hearing with pharma CEOs will tackle the same issues as the famous Kefauver hearings in 1960.
Today’s Concerns About Drug Prices Echo The Past
Confrontational hearings 60 years ago sparked remarkably similar quotes about drug prices and health care policy.
Video: High Drama No Stranger At Congressional Health Care Hearings
By Julie Rovner and Mary Agnes Carey
Most hearings before the U.S. House and Senate are routine affairs. But a few tense moments featuring everyone from Hillary Clinton to tobacco CEOs drew the attention of millions of Americans.
Pharma Execs Dig In For A Fight Against Outraged Senators
By Emmarie Huetteman and Jay Hancock
The Senate Finance Committee grilled executives from seven major drugmakers on Tuesday.
In Florida, Drug Importation From Canada Finds New Champions, Old Snags
By Shefali Luthra and Phil Galewitz
The state’s governor said the plan has the full support of the White House. But the Trump administration was noncommittal about whether allowing states to buy and import cheaper drugs from up north could be the answer to the nation’s drug-pricing problem.
Americans Ready To Crack Down On Drug Prices That Force Some To Skip Doses
By Jay Hancock
In a new poll, consumers give thumbs up to ads that display drug prices and the removal of barriers to generics, among other cost-cutting measures.
There’s A New ‘Medicare-For-All’ Bill In The House. Why Does It Matter?
By Shefali Luthra
The progressive proposal adds details to the discussion of this controversial approach to overhauling the nation’s health system, and Democratic primary candidates will have to be prepared to get more specific.
Progressives Tout ‘Medicare-For-All’ But States Eye ‘Medicaid Buy-In’
By Michelle Andrews
New Mexico is one of several states looking at offering consumers a government-sponsored plan. The proposals would typically have benefits similar to what is available in Medicaid, the state-federal health plan for low-income people.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ ‘Medicare-For-All’ Debate: Who’s Going To Pay
Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the new “Medicare-for-all” bill introduced by House Democrats, the grilling of pharmaceutical company CEOs by a Senate committee and new Trump administration rules that take aim at Planned Parenthood. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Julie Appleby about the latest “Bill of the Month” installment.
Meow-ch! The $48,512 Cat Bite
By Julie Appleby
An animal lover stopped to feed a hungry-looking stray cat outside Everglades National Park in Florida. First, the cat bit her finger — then the hospital billed her close to $50,000 for a treatment that typically costs about $3,000.
Cancer’s Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls
By Anna Gorman
Carol Marley has pancreatic cancer — and dealing with its financial toll has become her full-time job.
Readers And Tweeters Give Free Consultation On Health Care System’s Ills
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Despite 1991 Ruling, Foes Of New Family Planning Rules See Law On Their Side
By Julie Rovner
Lawyers seeking to block the Trump administration’s decision to alter rules for the Title X family planning program say their efforts will not be stymied by the Supreme Court’s approval of similar rules 28 years ago. They point to new protections enacted in the Affordable Care Act and language in funding bills that shifts the legal calculus.
Lonely? Anxious? Depressed? Maybe Your Dentist Can Help
By Ana B. Ibarra
An Oakland dental clinic has started screening its patients for depression, and referring them to a mental health counselor down the hall for immediate care if necessary. The program at Asian Health Services could be replicated elsewhere, and make help for mental health problems more accessible to hard-to-reach populations.
A Parent-To-Parent Campaign To Get Vaccine Rates Up
By Alex Olgin, WFAE
Kim Nelson started the group South Carolina Parents for Vaccines after learning that religious exemptions from vaccine requirements were way up in her community.
Detention Centers In California Lack Oversight And Proper Care, Reports Find
By Anna Gorman and Ana B. Ibarra
Health and safety problems at immigration detention facilities throughout California pose a serious risk to detainees, according to two reports released Tuesday. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra and California State Auditor Elaine Howle concluded that federal and local governments are failing to adequately oversee the facilities, allowing the problems to persist.
Listening To Older Patients Who Want To Stop Dialysis
By Judith Graham
Older adults with advanced kidney disease sometimes want to stop dialysis but often meet resistance from doctors, new research shows. We explore options available to these patients, including conservative care.