Weekly Edition: October 11, 2019
As Medicare Enrollment Nears, Popular Price Comparison Tool Is Missing
Susan Jaffe
For more than a decade, customers used the online plan finder to compare dozens of policies. Yet after a redesign of the website, the search results no longer list which plan offers a customer the best value. Federal officials say it will be fixed before enrollment begins next week.
Trump’s New Order For Medicare Packs Potential Rise In Patients’ Costs
Julie Appleby
The president’s directive, which he said is designed to give beneficiaries more choices in their health care, could lead to higher costs for seniors. Final rules are to be written by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Medicare Fraudsters Now Tap Telemedicine In Medical Equipment Scams
Victoria Knight
Scammers bent on defrauding Medicare are embracing the new technologies of remote diagnosis. Federal law enforcement is cracking down.
‘We Vape, We Vote’: How Vaping Crackdowns Are Politicizing Vapers
Rachel Bluth and Lauren Weber
In response to the crackdowns on vaping, those who use or sell the e-cigarette products are mobilizing. Touting the “We Vape, We Vote” slogan, this burgeoning movement is positioning itself to be a factor in 2020 elections.
Vapers Accuse Officials Of Overreach As Investigation Into Deadly Lung Illness Lags
Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Jenny Gold
With federal authorities offering few details about what is causing the deadly outbreak of vaping-related lung illnesses, vaping advocates are crafting an alternative narrative reverberating through online communities.
As Vaping Illnesses Rise, So Do Pleas To Quit-Smoking Help Lines
Anna Almendrala
Tobacco-cessation help lines — traditionally aimed at cigarette smokers — are receiving a surge in calls from people who use vapes and want to quit.
Federally Funded Obria Prescribes Abstinence To Stop The Spread Of STDs
Sarah Varney
Obria, a Christian medical chain, was awarded federal family planning funds for its California clinics for the first time this year. Clinics receiving Title X funds are expected to treat and prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Obria’s prohibition against condoms means its prevention efforts rest on abstinence, even as STD rates surge.
Congenital Syphilis Continues to Rise at an Alarming Rate
Anna Maria Barry-Jester
The number of U.S. infants who acquired syphilis from their mothers during pregnancy rose 40% last year. Just five states, including California, accounted for nearly two-thirds of the cases.
Taking The Cops Out Of Mental Health-Related 911 Rescues
LJ Dawson
Denver is considering adopting a new 911 alternative used in Eugene, Ore., that allows mental health and medical professionals, not police officers, to respond to some emergency calls, saving money and de-escalating situations with mentally ill people.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Trump Merges Health And Immigration
President Donald Trump has ordered that legal immigrants obtain health insurance within 30 days of arriving or prove they can pay for any possible medical need ― another policy certain to be challenged in court. Meanwhile, health issues continue to play a major role in campaign 2020. This week, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Julie Appleby of Kaiser Health News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Drumbeat Builds For A Peace Corps Of Caregivers
Judith Graham
The notion of a national program to tend to the day-to-day needs of a booming older population has circulated for years. Now, there are grants ― and grit ― behind it.
VCU Health Will Halt Patient Lawsuits, Boost Aid In Wake Of KHN Investigation
Jay Hancock and Elizabeth Lucas
Patients at VCU Health will no longer be taken to court and can more easily get financial assistance to pay their bills.
They Enrolled In Medical School To Practice Rural Medicine. What Happened?
Lauren Weber
Eight years ago, a new medical program opened in Salina, Kan., as an experimental way to promote rural medicine. Hailed as a solution to the rural doctor shortage, only three of its eight newly minted doctors are now working in the most rural communities.
Extent Of Health Coverage Gains From California Gig Worker Law Uncertain
Steven Findlay
The new law reclassifies many independent contractors as employees, requiring they be offered a range of benefits. But that could have unintended consequences, experts warn.