Weekly Edition: May 11, 2018
Consumers Brace For Premium Hikes While Lawmakers Grasp At Remedies
By Julie Rovner
Health insurers’ initial premium requests indicate stiff price hikes for consumers, just as bipartisan talks in Congress fall flat.
Federal Officials Say No-Go To Lifetime Limits On Medicaid
By Phil Galewitz
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rejects a plan by Kansas to cap benefits at three years.
4 Takeaways From Trump’s Plan To Rescind CHIP Funding
By Phil Galewitz
President Donald Trump is recommending that Congress approve his plan to take back about $7 billion in funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Plan. Experts are divided about whether it would have any effect.
How The Farm Bill Could Erode Part Of The ACA
By Julie Appleby
A provision of this massive legislation would provide funding to help agricultural groups set up association health plans — a longtime GOP-favored mechanism to reduce health insurance costs for small groups.
Today’s Special: Obamacare Menu Labeling Rules Ushered In
By Phil Galewitz
Restaurants, convenience stores, vending machines and pizza delivery services are among the businesses that will have to provide calories counts to consumers.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ The Politics Of Rising Premiums And Menu Labeling
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News discuss the latest on the politics of rising premiums, GOP efforts to take back money from the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the controversy over new rules requiring calorie information on menus. Plus for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.
Under Trump Proposal, Lawful Immigrants Might Be Inclined To Shun Health Benefits
By Christina Jewett and Melissa Bailey and Paula Andalo
A proposed change in immigration policy from the Trump administration could make it more difficult for immigrants to obtain a green card if family members use Medicaid or other government benefits for medical care.
Living Apart Together: A New Option for Older Adults
By Judith Graham
Why older couples in supportive, loving, long-term relationships decide to live apart and not get married.
When Credit Scores Become Casualties Of Health Care
By Shefali Luthra
The complexity of health insurance coverage rules, along with market trends that leave consumers open to more out-of-pocket costs, lead to mounting medical debt for consumers.
Medicare Beneficiaries Feel The Pinch When They Can’t Use Drug Coupons
By Michelle Andrews
Federal law prohibits them from using the coupons drugmakers offer to help patients cover their share of a medicine’s cost.
For The Babies Of The Opioid Crisis, The Best Care May Be Mom’s Recovery
By Sarah Jane Tribble
Research is just beginning on infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, and doctors are optimistic that normal development is possible. Monitoring the families and making sure parents are treated for addiction is key.
Midterm Elections Are Shaping Up To Be A Referendum On Trumpism
By Rachel Bluth
Even voters who say they are more enthusiastic about voting in this congressional election than in past ones are not motivated by any specific issue. But, according to a poll out Thursday, health care policies rank high among topics voters want candidates to address.
Listless And Lonely In Puerto Rico, Some Older Storm Survivors Consider Suicide
By Sarah Varney
More than six months ago, Hurricane Maria upended routines and shuttered services on the island leading to a sense of despair and isolation, especially among older people.
Hoping To See Your Doctor Via Telemedicine? Here’s A Quick Guide.
By Steven Findlay
All private health plans, Medicare, state Medicaid programs and the VA now cover some e-visits — albeit with restrictions.
Use Of Psychiatric Drugs Soars In California Jails
By Anna Gorman
A combination of factors has led to an “astronomical” increase in mentally ill inmates, followed by increased efforts to identify those who need prescriptions. Some say the meds are underprescribed; others, that they are given inappropriately, without the benefit of comprehensive treatment.
Alarming Suicide Rate Jolts Texas Community Into Action
By Charlotte Huff
Tyler, Texas, and the surrounding county has the highest suicide rate among the state’s 25 most populous counties, and community leaders are determined to change that.