Weekly Edition: November 8, 2019

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Elections Matter
Key Democratic wins in 2019 state elections in Virginia and (probably) Kentucky could have big implications for health care in general and Medicaid in particular. And in the Democratic presidential primary, Elizabeth Warren is catching flak from all sides over her “Medicare For All” plan. This week, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Caitlin Owens of Axios and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Laura Ungar, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month.” For “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.

Return To Sender: A Single Undeliverable Letter Can Mean Losing Medicaid
By Markian Hawryluk Colorado, like a number of states, is struggling to deal with returned mail sent out by its Medicaid, SNAP and other aid programs. Now people could lose benefits after just a single piece of returned mail.

Rural Seasonal Workers Worry About Montana Medicaid’s Work Requirements
By Corin Cates-Carney, Montana Public Radio Montana is one of several states that want Medicaid recipients to prove they work a steady, minimum number of hours monthly. Will federal courts allow the Montana rule change to stand?

Bruising Labor Battles Put Kaiser Permanente’s Reputation On The Line
By Anna Almendrala Kaiser Permanente just avoided a nationwide strike by thousands of workers, but now faces a new strike threat Monday. The labor battles are exposing the health care giant to scrutiny from lawmakers, health care advocates and others who accuse it of no longer living up to its nonprofit ideals.

FDA Keeps Brand-Name Drugs On A Fast Path To Market ― Despite Manufacturing Concerns
By Sydney Lupkin The agency approved Gilead’s “game changer” hepatitis C cure, bypassing concerns raised by its own federal inspectors.

As UVA Scales Back Lawsuits, Pain For Past Patients Persists
By Jay Hancock Patients were thrilled last month when UVA announced it would scale back lawsuits and provide more financial assistance, but the excitement has waned.

Listen: HHS Files Challenge Over Rights To Gilead’s HIV-Prevention Drug
KHN's Shefali Luthra discusses the recent Trump administration lawsuit regarding the HIV-prevention drug Truvada.

The Air Ambulance Billed More Than His Surgeon Did For A Lung Transplant
By Anna Almendrala After Tom Saputo underwent double lung transplant surgery in 2018, he was stunned by a surprise bill of more than $11,000 for the 27-mile air ambulance ride to the hospital. State and federal proposals would crack down on extreme air ambulance charges, including a new California law that will limit how much some patients pay for air ambulance rides.

As Congress Works To Curb Surprise Medical Bills, N.Y.’s Fix Gets Examined
By Rachel Bluth A USC-Brookings analysis finds that the New York plan to resolve disputes between providers and insurers without leaving patients on the hook might actually be driving up costs in the system.

Watch: When Insurance Doesn’t Cover A Mental Health Crisis
CBS This Morning reports on the latest KHN-NPR Bill of the Month.

Listen: How Skimpy Insurance Led To A $21,634 Hospital Bill
KHN editor and correspondent Laura Ungar appeared on Illinois Public Media’s “The 21st” to discuss her reporting for the latest KHN-NPR Bill of the Month installment.

Flavor Bans Multiply, But Menthol Continues to Divide
By Ana B. Ibarra As states and communities ban the sale of flavored tobacco products linked to vaping, anti-smoking activists are piggybacking on the momentum to target menthol cigarettes. But some African Americans say menthol cigarette bans will lead to discrimination.

Record Number Of Legionnaires’ Cases In 2018 Risk Lives, Cause Cleanup Headaches
By Lauren Weber Legionnaires’ disease cases hit an all-time high in 2018, with eight times more cases than 20 years ago. Even though many facilities in Missouri and elsewhere have water management plans in place to deal with the potentially deadly disease, they are still finding the underlying bacteria that causes it in their water.

California Air Quality: Mapping The Progress
By Harriet Blair Rowan The Trump administration has revoked California’s unique authority to set its own standards for vehicle tailpipe emissions, a move the state is fighting in court. A historical analysis of air quality data shows that the state’s strict standards have made a difference for counties across California.

As States With Legal Weed Embrace Vaping Bans, Black-Market Risks Linger
By Will Stone Many cases of vaping-related injury seem to involve THC, health officials say. That's led some states to take another look at the safety of the regulated cannabis market, as well as the black market.

Cigarettes Vs. Vaping: That’s The ‘Wrong Comparison,’ Says Inhalation Researcher
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez Ilona Jaspers, an inhalation toxicologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, believes the common notion of comparing e-cigarettes with traditional, combustible cigarettes is the wrong analogy because the vaping products expose consumers to chemicals in a fundamentally different way.

When Caring For A Sick Spouse Shakes A Marriage To The Core
By Judith Graham A long illness creates a real risk: that the relationship will be undermined and essential emotional connections lost.

For Young People With Psychosis, Early Intervention Is Crucial
By Brian Rinker California budget provides $20 million to expand early psychosis treatment around the state.

Warren’s Plan On ‘Medicare For All’ Could Raise Concerns Among Health Providers
KHN’s Julie Rovner was featured on NPR’s "Weekend Edition" and MSNBC’s "Kasie DC" show over the weekend to talk about Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s plan to fund “Medicare for All.”

Analysis: Elizabeth Warren Throws Down The Gauntlet
By Elisabeth Rosenthal She has led the way, but all the candidates need to come clean about their health care proposals.