Weekly Edition: May 1, 2020
COVID Tests Are Free, Except When They’re Not
Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
Her doctor worried she had COVID-19 but couldn’t test her for it until she ruled out other things. That test cost a bundle.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: If Insurer Bills You For COVID Testing, Talk — And Maybe Tweet — It Out
Dan Weissmann
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires private insurers to pay for certain services related to coronavirus testing at no cost to the patient. But gaps in the protections expose patients to unexpected medical bills.
Amid Coronavirus Distress, Wealthy Hospitals Hoard Millions
Jordan Rau
As the coronavirus threatens the finances of thousands of hospitals, wealthy ones that can draw on millions — and even billions — of dollars in savings are in competition with near-insolvent hospitals for limited pots of financial relief.
As Coronavirus Strikes, Crucial Data In Electronic Health Records Hard To Harvest
Fred Schulte
The U.S. government spent $36 billion computerizing health records, yet they’re of limited help in the COVID-19 crisis.
Health Insurers Prosper As COVID-19 Deflates Demand For Elective Treatments
Julie Appleby and Steven Findlay
With most nonemergency procedures shelved for now, many health insurers are expected to see profits in the near term, but the longer view of how the coronavirus will affect them is far more complicated and could well impact what people pay for coverage next year.
Telehealth Will Be Free, No Copays, They Said. But Angry Patients Are Getting Billed.
Jay Hancock
Politicians pledged to stop providers from charging for video appointments or telephone calls, but some patients are being charged $70 or $80 per virtual visit.
Free Clinics Try To Fill Gaps As COVID Sweeps Away Job-Based Insurance
Michaela Gibson Morris
The volunteer medical providers at the Tree of Life Free Clinic in Tupelo, Mississippi, give crucial health care to the uninsured in the best of times, drawing crowds who line up for hours. Amid the current COVID pandemic, clinic staffers were advised to close. Instead, they chose to adapt — even without critical N95 masks to protect themselves — as the economic crisis intensifies the need for free care.
Trump Says N95 Masks Can Be Sterilized For Reuse. Only In A Pinch, Experts Warn.
Shefali Luthra
Repurposing one N95 mask 20 times is not the same as having 20 new ones.
Widely Used Surgical Masks Are Putting Health Care Workers At Serious Risk
Shefali Luthra and Christina Jewett
Because high-end N95 masks are scarce, medical centers are using surgical masks that have been linked to considerably higher infection rates.
Trump’s Claim That U.S. Tested More Than All Countries Combined Is ‘Pants On Fire’ Wrong
Shefali Luthra
When you factor in population size, the U.S. is still behind.
Do-It-Yourself Cheek Swab Tested As Next Best Thing To Detect Coronavirus
David Tuller
Los Angeles County is providing thousands of coronavirus self-testing kits to its citizens, but public health officials are leery of the shortage of data on whether this easier method ― in which an individual swabs his or her own cheek ― is as reliable as a less comfortable but well-established technique.
Consumer Beware: Coronavirus Antibody Tests Are Still A Work In Progress
JoNel Aleccia
Public officials are putting high hopes on new blood tests as a means of determining who has developed antibodies to COVID-19, and with those antibodies, presumed immunity. But experts caution the tests are largely unreliable and the science is still catching up.
The Challenges Of Keeping Young Adults Safe During The Pandemic
Bernard J. Wolfson
Even while playing the role of quarantine enforcer for your teens and 20-somethings, recognize that they are as anxious and worried as you are — and with good reason.
Fear Of Coronavirus Propels Some Smokers To Quit
April Dembosky, KQED
Increasing evidence suggests people who smoke are more likely to become severely ill and die from COVID-19 than nonsmokers. Some people are using that as inspiration to quit.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: What A Fleet Of Firetrucks Can Teach About Public Health
Dan Weissmann
This week on “An Arm and a Leg,” a front-line physician wonders if the health care industry’s drive for “efficiency” has robbed the system of surge capacity, leaving the nation underprepared to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: SCOTUS Decides An ACA Case. No, Not THAT Case.
The Supreme Court this week, in an 8-1 decision, ruled that insurers are due the roughly $12 billion that Congress several years ago tried to cut off in payments under the Affordable Care Act’s “risk corridors” provision. And while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage in many places around the country, states are starting to reopen their economies at the urging of President Donald Trump and over objections of public health officials. Caitlin Owens of Axios and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment about COVID testing that should have been free but was not.
California To Widen Pipeline Of Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners
Lori Basheda
The nursing schools at UCLA, UCSF and UC-Davis have joined hands in a new one-year online training program for mental health care as a surge of patients is expected due to the social isolation and economic impact of COVID-19.
Lawmaker Pushing Mental Health Reform: It’s ‘More Needed Than Ever’
Samantha Young
Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked lawmakers to pare down their legislative wish lists and focus on the state’s coronavirus response. But state Sen. Jim Beall plans to forge ahead with his mental health care proposals, including a measure to create a state mental health parity requirement.