Weekly Edition: October 12, 2018
Obamacare Premiums Dip For First Time. Some Call It A Correction.
Phil Galewitz and Julie Appleby
The Trump administration announces that the average price for insurance offered to people buying their own coverage on federal exchanges is going down.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Falling Premiums And Rising Political Tensions
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Julie Appleby of Kaiser Health News discuss the Trump administration’s announcement that average premium prices are falling on the Obamacare marketplaces, the effort by Senate Democrats to reverse rules on short-term health insurance and the focus on protections for people with preexisting conditions in the run-up to midterm elections.
Fact Check: Who’s Right On Protections For Preexisting Conditions? It’s Complicated
Julie Rovner
Consumers favor ACA’s safeguards on the promise that patients who have health problems can get insurance. In the heat of the midterm campaigns, politicians in both parties agree, but their arguments don’t always add up.
No More Secrets: Congress Bans Pharmacist ‘Gag Orders’ On Drug Prices
Susan Jaffe
Congress approved two bills last month that prohibit provisions keeping pharmacists from telling patients when they can save money by paying the cash price instead of the price negotiated by their insurance plan.
Doctors Give Medicare’s Proposal To Pay For Telemedicine Poor Prognosis
Phil Galewitz
Federal officials are proposing that Medicare pay doctors for a 10-minute “check-in” call with beneficiaries. But many doctors already do this for free, and the plan would require a cost-sharing charge of many patients.
Medicare Advantage Plans Shift Their Financial Risk To Doctors
Phil Galewitz
Some private Medicare Advantage plans are offering large physician-management companies more money upfront and control of their patients’ care, but the doctors are responsible for staying within the budget.
Dementia And Guns: When Should Doctors Broach The Topic?
Melissa Bailey
As the number of Americans with dementia rises, health professionals grapple with how to talk to patients about gun safety at home.
‘Grossly Unfair’? Widower Takes Ban On Military Injury Claims To Supreme Court
JoNel Aleccia and Heidi de Marco
When a young Navy lieutenant died following low-risk childbirth, her husband claimed military doctors botched her care. But his wrongful death claim was dismissed because of a 1950 ruling that bars active-duty service members from suing the U.S. government — for any reason.
Hidden Drugs And Danger Lurk In Over-The-Counter Supplements, Study Finds
Rachel Bluth
Dieters and gym rats, beware. Some dietary supplements promising weight loss or more muscle may contain active ingredients not listed on the label that fly under the radar of the Food and Drug Administration. The California Department of Public Health analyzed public data maintained by the FDA to suss out trends among tainted products, raising red flags.
Will Maine Voters Decide To Make Aging In Place Affordable?
Judith Graham
A ballot initiative in Maine proposes that free home care services be available to all residents who need help with at least “one daily activity.”
Spurred By Convenience, Millennials Often Spurn The ‘Family Doctor’ Model
Sandra G. Boodman
These young adults are looking for medical care that is convenient, fast and offers cost transparency. They frequently seek treatment at retail clinics, urgent care centers or other options.
Black Market For Suboxone Gives Some A Glimpse Of Recovery
Jake Harper, Side Effects Public Media
Addiction experts argue that buprenorphine, which drug users buy on the street, actually saves lives because it is used in place of more dangerous substances, like heroin and fentanyl.
The Feds’ Termination Of A Tiny Contract Inflames Bitter Fight Over Fetal Tissue
Emmarie Huetteman
Just weeks before midterm elections, a move by federal health officials spotlights a contentious issue: the use of human fetal tissue in research. Here’s what you need to know to understand the debate.