Weekly Edition: October 27, 2017

Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Open Enrollment is Nigh
In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com and Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo discuss this year’s open enrollment for individual health insurance that starts Nov. 1. And Rovner interviews Lori Lodes, a former Obama administration health official and founder of the new group “Get Covered America.” Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.

Federal Judge Denies Bid To Force Feds To Resume ACA Subsidies
By Ngoc Nguyen
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria said the vast majority of states have already prepared for the termination of the payments and already devised responses that give consumers better coverage.

Enrollment News To Bank On: Obamacare Is Still Here So It’s Time For Coverage Checkup
By Michelle Andrews
Open enrollment for the federal health law’s marketplace plans begin Nov. 1. In most states, the sign-up period ends Dec. 15, about six weeks sooner than past years.

‘No One Is Coming’: Hospice Patients Abandoned At Death’s Door
By JoNel Aleccia and Melissa Bailey and Heidi de Marco
U.S. hospice agencies promise to be available around-the-clock to help patients dying in their homes. But a Kaiser Health News investigation shows that in an alarming number of cases, that promise is broken.

Seeking A Peaceful Death Amid The Flames
By April Dembosky, KQED
During Northern California’s recent wildfires, dozens of hospice patients who had hoped to spend their last days in the comfort of their homes had to be relocated to evacuation shelters, assisted living facilities and relatives’ homes instead.

Beyond The Shattered Lives And Bodies, Money Worries Weigh On Las Vegas Victims
By Anna Gorman
Many of the gunshot survivors who suffered serious injuries face not only high deductibles and out-of-network charges but also lost wages.

Millennials Embrace Nursing Profession — Just In Time To Replace Baby Boomers
By Michelle Andrews
Nursing generally offers stable earnings and low unemployment, which likely sounds good to young adults who came of age during the Great Recession.

The Painful Side Of Positive Health Care Marketing
By Sam Harnett, KQED
Advertising for hospitals, unlike pharmaceutical companies, doesn't have to be backed up by data or facts. Cheerful messages of hope can feel like a slap in the face to a dying patient.

One Nurse Per 4,000 Pupils = Not The Healthiest Arrangement
By Ana B. Ibarra and Heidi de Marco
School districts in California and around the country face a long-standing shortage of nurses, mostly because of tight budgets. But some districts are finding creative ways to reduce the problem.

So Much Care It Hurts: Unneeded Scans, Therapy, Surgery Only Add To Patients’ Ills
By Liz Szabo
Overtreatment of breast cancer and other diseases is pervasive, burdening patients and the health care system with enormous costs and needless suffering.