Weekly Edition: March 2, 2018
As Surgery Centers Boom, Patients Are Paying With Their Lives
By Christina Jewett and Mark Alesia, USA Today Network
An investigation by Kaiser Health News and the USA TODAY Network discovers that more than 260 patients have died since 2013 after in-and-out procedures at surgery centers across the country. More than a dozen — some as young as 2 — have perished after routine operations, such as colonoscopies and tonsillectomies.
Congress Races The Clock In Quest To Bring Stability To Individual Insurance Market
By Julie Rovner
Bipartisan efforts on Capitol Hill seek to help keep premium prices from rising out of control and undermining the policies available to people who don’t get insurance through work.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ The ACA Heads Back To Court. Again.
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Sarah Kliff of Vox discuss the latest lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. They also explore how your health care system increasingly depends on the state you live in. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists offer their favorite health policy stories of the week.
Tens Of Thousands Of Medicaid Recipients Skip Paying New Premiums
By Phil Galewitz
Five states demand small payments from those who gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, but enrollees often face few consequences if they don’t make their remittances.
Refusing To Work For Medicaid May Not Translate To Subsidies For ACA Plan
By Michelle Andrews
In states that are instituting work requirements for Medicaid coverage, refusing to get a job will not likely make you eligible for subsidies to buy a marketplace plan.
ACA’s Popularity Grows, Even As GOP Lauds Change To Requirement To Have Coverage
By Phil Galewitz
Forty percent of people are unaware that Congress repealed the penalty for most people who don’t have insurance coverage starting in 2019.
Ding Dong! The Obamacare Tax Penalty Is(n’t) Dead
By Emily Bazar
When President Donald Trump signed the nation’s new tax law, he also killed the Affordable Care Act’s tax penalty — but not until 2019. Despite widespread confusion, experts caution that consumers still need to pay the tax penalty if they were uninsured last year or will be this year.
Evaluations Of Medicaid Experiments By States, CMS Are Weak, GAO Says
By Phil Galewitz
States often get federal approval to test new approaches to improve Medicaid services or expand coverage. But the GAO study found that too often these efforts are not adequately evaluated or the results are not available in a timely manner.
Buried In The Budget Bill Are Belated Gifts For Some Health Care Providers
By Shefali Luthra
How physical and occupational therapists triumphed in a two-decade-long quest to overturn limits on their compensation.
Never Too Late To Operate? Surgery Near End Of Life Is Common, Costly
By Liz Szabo
Nearly 1 in 3 Medicare patients undergo an operation in their final year of life.
A Tale of Love, Family Conflict And Battles Over Care For An Aging Mother
By Judith Graham
“Edith + Eddie,” a documentary shortlisted for an Academy Award, is a gripping look at a couple in their 90s caught up in an intense family conflict. But more facts about the disputes involving a parent with dementia help to paint a complicated story about aging in America.
Cartoon Mascot Masks Nasty Health Care Feud
By Pauline Bartolone
California’s health insurers trotted out a heart-healthy character with an ulterior motive — taking a dig at drugmakers.
Following The Fire: Montana Scientists Seize Chance To Scrutinize Smoke Exposure
By Nora Saks, Montana Public Radio
The health effects of extended smoke exposure are largely unknown because it's difficult to conduct studies. But last summer's wildfire season has handed scientists a unique opportunity for research.
Trump’s Perfect Score On Brain Test Spawns DIY Cognitive Exam
By JoNel Aleccia
The makers of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or MoCA, say the test wasn’t meant for the masses. Now they’re working on a “mini-MoCA” that people who are worried about possible dementia can take online.
At Some California Hospitals, Fewer Than Half Of Workers Get The Flu Shot
By Jocelyn Wiener
Vaccinations rates have climbed significantly among hospital workers in recent years, to 83 percent. But that rate masks wide variation among facilities and types of workers. Nationally, the rules are far from uniform or ironclad.