Weekly Edition May 10, 2019
Surprise! Fixing Out-Of-Network Bills Means Someone Must Pay
Julie Rovner
Despite the broad agreement on the need to address surprise bills, insurers and health care providers oppose the other side’s preferred solutions.
Market Muscle: Study Uncovers Differences Between Medicare And Private Insurers
Shefali Luthra
Findings released Thursday by the Rand Corp. highlight how reimbursement rates vary nationally and the impact the charges have on the nation’s high cost of health care.
Listen: Trump’s Plan To End ‘Unpleasant Surprise’ Bills
President Donald Trump called for an end to the "unpleasant surprise" of certain medical bills on Thursday. NPR reporter Selena Simmons-Duffin covered the White House announcement, which featured two patients from the KHN-NPR "Bill of the Month" series.
Feds Want To Show Health Care Costs On Your Phone, But That Could Take Years
Fred Schulte
Giving consumers more knowledge about the costs of care has long been desired, but administration officials cautioned it could take two years or more for useful data to appear in a phone app.
Putting A Face To Surprise Bills: Among Specialists, Plastic Surgeons Most Often Out-Of-Network
Michelle Andrews
Many plastic surgeons don’t participate in health plans, even when providing emergency care at a hospital. Too often that catches patients off guard.
Price Check On Drug Ads: Would Revealing Costs Help Patients Control Spending?
Julie Appleby and Sydney Lupkin
As part of his plan to tamp down drug pricing, President Donald Trump wants pharmaceutical companies to provide cost information in drug ads — just like side effects.
The Money And Politics Of Prescription Drugs: What You Need To Know
Jon Greenberg, PolitiFact
America spends about as much on prescription drugs as all the revenues of the three big car makers combined. Tracking where the money goes is hard. PolitiFact has some charts to help.
Drug Industry Patents Go Under Senate Judiciary Committee’s Microscope
Rachel Bluth
During a hearing Tuesday, panel members focused on how drug companies have used patents to allegedly protect their competitive edge and profits.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ ‘Conscience’ Rules, Rx Prices and Still More Medicare
Joanne Kenen of Politico, Jen Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the latest news about the Trump administration’s effort to allow health care practitioners and organizations to refuse to provide care or refer patients for services that violate their conscience or religion. Also this week, the administration orders TV ads for prescription drugs to include list prices. And Tennessee wants free rein from the federal government to run its Medicaid program. Plus, Rovner interviews Joan Biskupic, author of a new book on Chief Justice John Roberts, about the behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to the 2012 ruling upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.
Needle Exchanges Find New Champions Among Republicans
Victoria Knight
More Republicans, at the statehouse level, are saying research and results support their endorsement of a once-controversial plan to limit disease among drug users.
Addiction Medicine Mostly Prescribed To Whites, Even As Opioid Deaths Rose Among Blacks
Martha Bebinger
A study looked at who gets Suboxone prescriptions and found that whites are almost 35 times more likely to get the addiction treatment than African Americans.
Meth Vs. Opioids: America Has Two Drug Epidemics, But Focuses On One
April Dembosky, KQED
In the West and Midwest, 70% of local law enforcement says meth is the bigger threat. It's also a more difficult addiction to treat.
Is It A Feminist Right To Want More Sex? One Company Thinks A Pill Is The Answer
Rachel Bluth
The savvy “Right to Desire” campaign relies on feminist messages and social media to raise patient awareness about low libido. Addyi, the only drug currently approved to treat it, has shown limited effectiveness.
State Bans Pesticide Linked To Developmental Problems
Ana B. Ibarra
California officials announced a ban on chlorpyrifos, a widely used pesticide that has been linked to lower IQs, lower birth weights and other developmental issues in children, even as the federal government fights to protect it.
Effects Of Surgery On A Warming Planet: Can Anesthesia Go Green?
Kristian Foden-Vencil, Oregon Public Broadcasting
Two of the most commonly used anesthesia gases are similar medically but worlds apart when it comes to their impact on the planet.
A Plan To Cover Immigrants Would Divert Public Health Dollars
Samantha Young
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to provide health coverage to unauthorized immigrants ages 19 to 25 would siphon money that four counties currently use for public health efforts such as battling contagious diseases.
The Long And Winding Road To Mental Health Care For Your Kid
Bernard J. Wolfson
A growing mental health crisis among children is exacerbated by a national shortage of child psychiatrists and therapists. It’s either difficult to get, or to afford, an appointment for your child. Here’s some advice that might help.
Readers And Tweeters Parse Ideas — From Snakebites To Senior Suicide
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.