Weekly Edition: November 2, 2018
The Election’s Impact On Health Care: Some Bellwether Races To Watch
By Julie Rovner
A number of health issues — from preexisting conditions to Medicaid expansion to changes to Medicare — could be at stake when voters head to the polls Tuesday.
In Swing Districts, Republicans May Pay For Having Tried To Reverse The Health Law
By Emmarie Huetteman
Though Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) counts himself a moderate, many of his voters heading to the polls are furious about how he aided his party’s efforts to dismantle Obamacare.
GOP’s Latest Campaign Punch On Health Care Relies On Classic Hook: Medicare
By Julie Rovner
Republicans seek to turn the tables on charges that they are undermining preexisting conditions, so they’re hammering the plans championed by some Democrats to expand Medicare.
In California, Novel Initiatives Test Cities’ Power — And Will — To Tame Health Costs
By Rob Waters
Union-backed initiatives in Palo Alto and Livermore, Calif., aim to cap charges by hospitals and doctors, seeking to build on national furor over rising medical bills. The measures arise in health care markets that are among the most expensive in the nation.
That’s A Lot Of Scratch: The $48,329 Allergy Test
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
A California college professor never imagined that trying to figure out what was causing her rash could add up to such a huge bill.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Open Enrollment And A Midterm Preview
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Joanne Kenen of Politico discuss the start of open enrollment for individual health insurance plans for 2019 and preview what next week’s midterm elections might mean for health policy. Plus, Barbara Feder Ostrov of KHN and California Healthline talks to Julie about the latest NPR-KHN “Bill of the Month” feature.
In Search Of Insurance Savings, Consumers Can Get Unwittingly Wedged Into Narrow-Network Plans
By Steven Findlay
Restrictive lists of doctors and hospitals expose people to larger out-of-pocket costs, but trend appears to be slowing.
With One Hand, Administration Boosts ACA Marketplaces, Weakens Them With Another
By Julie Appleby
The Trump administration gives states more flexibility to get around the health law’s requirements for insurance plans. But at the same time it wants employers to move millions of workers to the insurance exchanges.
Trump Rollback Of Disability Rules Can Make Doctor’s Visits Painstaking
By Rachel Bluth
Standards have been proposed to address what are often viewed as disparities in treatment, but the Trump administration has declined to enforce them.
Pricey Precision Medicine Often Financially Toxic For Cancer Patients
By Liz Szabo
Medical treatments targeting the DNA in tumor cells are celebrated, but insurers often won’t cover the skyrocketing cost.
Heart Drug Spotlights Troubling Trends In Drug Marketing
By Shefali Luthra
Critics worry the marketing of Vascepa, a purified fish oil product, could prove a fish story.
Billions In ‘Questionable Payments’ Went To California’s Medicaid Insurers And Providers
By Chad Terhune
The money was paid on behalf of more than 400,000 people who may have been ineligible for the public program, a state audit found. One had been dead for four years before payments stopped.
Dialysis Giant DaVita Defends Itself In Court And At The Polls
By Samantha Young
Although dialysis provider DaVita Inc. has taken major financial hits this year, including a $383.5 million jury award in response to wrongful death lawsuits, it still rakes in profits. The company faces its biggest threat next month, when California voters weigh in on a ballot initiative that could force it to leave the state.
Republicans’ Drive To Tighten Immigration Overlooks Need For Doctors
By Max Blau, Andy Miller and Katja Ridderbusch, Georgia Health News and KFF Health News
Many areas in the U.S. depend on foreign doctors, but bitter political arguments over immigration have sown concerns about limited opportunities for these physicians.