Weekly Edition: November 10, 2017
Obamacare Shopping Is Trickier Than Ever. Here’s A Cheat Sheet.
By Jay Hancock
This year, more than ever, it is important to know your options.
Maine Voters Greenlight Medicaid Expansion, But Governor Says Whoa
By Patty Wight, Maine Public Radio
A battle brews as Republican Gov. Paul LePage says he won't implement the Medicaid expansion unless the Legislature funds Maine's share. Other states, such as Idaho and Utah, are keenly watching.
Election Night Surprise: Health Care Galvanizes Voters
By Julie Rovner
In Maine and Virginia, health care issues played on voters’ minds.
Medicaid Chief Says Feds Are Willing To Approve Work Requirements
By Phil Galewitz
Seema Verma, the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services tells state officials that she envisions changes that could include work requirements for Medicaid enrollees.
Insurer Tries A Soft Touch — Puppies! — For This Year’s Hard Sell Of Obamacare Plans
By Gisele Grayson, NPR
Open enrollment for health insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchanges started last week. Across the country, municipalities, insurers and grass-roots groups are working hard to help folks navigate the hoops.
Liquid Gold: Pain Doctors Soak Up Profits By Screening Urine For Drugs
By Fred Schulte and Elizabeth Lucas and Heidi de Marco
With the nation's opioid crisis, urine testing has become a booming business and is especially lucrative for doctors who operate their own labs, a Kaiser Health News investigation finds. And dozens of practitioners have earned "the lion’s share" of their Medicare income exclusively from urine drug screens.
Breathing Fire: Health Is A Casualty Of Climate-Fueled Blazes
By John Upton, Climate Central and Barbara Feder Ostrov and Heidi de Marco
As the planet warms, wildfires such as the latest disastrous blazes in Northern California have increased in frequency and scope. Beyond the environmental effects, people suffer health repercussions that can be disabling and even deadly.
Enriched By The Poor: California Health Insurers Make Billions Through Medicaid
By Chad Terhune and Anna Gorman
Medicaid is rarely associated with getting rich. But some insurance companies are reaping spectacular profits off the taxpayer-funded program in California, even when the state finds their patient care is subpar.
Sickle Cell Patients Suffer Discrimination, Poor Care — And Shorter Lives
By Jenny Gold
People with the genetic blood disorder that mainly afflicts African-Americans can live into their 60s with competent care. So why is life expectancy slipping down to around age 40?
Pressure Builds To Cut Medicare Patients In On Prescription Deals
By Sarah Jane Tribble
Medicare officials have been discussing a rule change that would give beneficiaries a share of the secretive fees and discounts that are negotiated for prescription drugs.
Experts Explain Why Lead Found In Fidget Spinners Is No Idle Threat
By Shefali Luthra
Feeling fidgety about U.S. PIRG’s latest report? KHN gets experts to weigh in with their thoughts about the findings and consumers’ risks.
Study Gives Mixed Reviews On Laws To Equalize Cancer Patients’ Out-Of-Pocket Costs
By Michelle Andrews
Most states have laws that require that cancer patients who get their treatment orally rather than by infusion in a doctor’s office not pay more out-of-pocket. A new study finds that the impact of those laws is mixed.
Grass-Roots Network Of Doctors Delivers Supplies To Puerto Rico
By Amy Martyn
Borrowing a plane is part of these doctors’ duties.
For Active Seniors, Cohousing Offers A Cozier Alternative To Downsizing
By Sharon Jayson and Heidi de Marco
Far from a commune or coop, these planned villages are no less about cooperation and community.
California Cracks Down On Weed Killer As Lawsuits Abound
By Stephanie O'Neill
California has listed the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup as a cancer-causing agent and will require warning labels on it starting next year. The company says that the listing is unjustified and that science is on its side.
Hospice Workers Who Care For The Dying Don’t Plan Ahead Themselves
By JoNel Aleccia
Fewer than half of health care workers at a nonprofit Florida hospice had completed advance directives for end-of-life care.
Beyond Stigma And Bias, Many Transgender People Struggle With Mental Health
By Anna Gorman
New data show transgender people are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and to attempt suicide. Public hostility toward them, including efforts to ban them from public bathrooms and military service, is making things worse, researchers say.