Weekly Edition
Taken For A Ride: After ATV Crash, Doctor Gets $56,603 Bill For Air Ambulance Trip
Alison Kodjak, NPR News
After an accident in an all-terrain vehicle crushed a doctor’s left arm, he was whisked by air ambulance to the closest trauma center for specialized care. Soon he was fighting over the $56,603 bill.
Will Congress Bring Sky-High Air Ambulance Bills Down To Earth?
Jackie Fortiér, StateImpact Oklahoma
Medevac helicopter companies are on the radar of an FAA funding bill likely to pass the House and Senate this week.
Putting Oversized Health Care Costs Upfront — On T-Shirts
Jay Hancock
The Maryland Health Care Commission has created a consumer education campaign that puts the costs of common health care procedures on a place where people might see them – T-shirts.
Threat To The ACA Turns Up The Heat On Attorney General Races
Emmarie Huetteman
As Republican and Democratic attorneys general square off on a Texas case that threatens to dismantle consumer protections in the federal health law, campaigns across the country for states’ highest legal officer get hotter.
‘Contraception Deserts’ Likely To Widen Under New Trump Administration Policy
Sarah Varney
Federal family planning funds, known as Title X, will soon fund for-profit women’s clinics that bar condoms, hormonal birth control and IUDs and offer only “natural family planning.”
5 Things To Know About Trump’s New ‘Public Charge’ Immigration Proposal
Shefali Luthra
Trump administration officials say the policy would promote “immigrant self-sufficiency and protect finite resources.” Critics say it could have serious public health consequences.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ (Almost) Live from Austin!
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Alice Ollstein of Politico talk about how health issues will play in midterm elections, the Trump administration’s move that could penalize legal immigrants who use government aid programs, and other topics. Due to technical difficulties, the original discussion taped Sept. 27 at the 2018 Texas Tribune Festival could not be broadcast, so the panelists reconvened from Austin and Washington on Sept. 28.
Buried In Congress’ Opioid Bill Is Protection For Personal Drug Imports
Michael McAuliff
The protection is a win for people who get their needed, legitimate drugs from overseas.
Workers Overdose On The Job, And Employers Struggle To Respond
Jenny Gold and Heidi de Marco
Despite the growing epidemic of Americans misusing opioids and overdosing on the job, many employers turn a blind eye to addiction within their workforce — ill-equipped or unwilling to confront an issue they are at a loss to handle.
Medicare Eases Readmission Penalties Against Safety-Net Hospitals
Jordan Rau
Penalties will total $566 million for all hospitals. But many that serve a large share of low-income patients will lose less money than they did in previous years.
Blood, Sweat And Workplace Wellness: Where To Draw The Line On Incentives
Julie Appleby
Uncertainty over federal standards for these cost-saving programs could trigger different perks for employees and change what they must do to qualify.
Eat, Toke Or Vape: Teens Not Too Picky When It Comes To Pot’s Potpourri
Rachel Bluth
State legalization efforts, as well as the introduction of edible or vaporized cannabis- infused products, may be contributing to experimentation by teens.
‘Physicians Of The Mouth’? Dentists Absorb The Medical Billing Drill
David Tuller
Health insurance generally pays more than dental insurance, and newly minted experts say it’s legitimate to bill medical plans for services extending beyond tooth care. Medical insurers caution against inappropriate billing and fraud.
Parents Are Leery Of Schools Requiring ‘Mental Health’ Disclosures By Students
Julio Ochoa, WUSF
Florida school districts now have to ask if a new student has ever been referred for mental health services. It's a legislative attempt to help troubled kids. Will it work, or increase stigma instead?
KHN Conversation On Overtreatment
Physicians estimate that 21 percent of medical care is unnecessary — a problem that costs the health care system at least $210 billion a year. KHN hosted a forum on how too much medicine can cause harm.
Readers And Tweeters Slice And Dice Precision Medicine, Step Therapy
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.