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A Health-Heavy State of the Union

Episode 284

Feb. 9, 2023

President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address leaned heavily on health care issues. Biden took a victory lap for recent accomplishments like capping prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare. He also urged Congress to make permanent the boosted premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, and he sparred with Republicans on threats to cut Social Security and Medicare. Also this week, both sides in the abortion debate are bracing for a court decision out of Texas that could, at least temporarily, make the abortion pill mifepristone illegal nationwide. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kate Baicker of the University of Chicago about a possible middle ground in the effort to get universal health insurance coverage.

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A photo shows Daisy Gonzalez posing for a portrait outside near the encampment where she lives.

‘The Country Is Watching’: California Homeless Crisis Looms as Gov. Newsom Eyes Political Future

As Gov. Gavin Newsom enters his second term, his legacy as governor and path forward in the Democratic Party hinge on his making visible headway on California’s homeless crisis. We lay out the possibilities — and challenges — as he unleashes an $18 billion battle plan.

By Angela Hart

Feb. 9, 2023

An illustration shows two diagrams of green dots connected by lines, suggesting connected data networks. Floating between those networks are 3D models of viruses.

Congress Told HHS to Set Up a Health Data Network in 2006. The Agency Still Hasn’t.

Since 2006, federal officials have been charged with setting up a network to let various parts of the U.S. health system share information during emergencies. It still hasn’t been built or even planned, even after the communication and data-sharing failures put on display during the pandemic.

By Sam Whitehead

Feb. 9, 2023

A photo shows a mother's hands holding a newborn baby.

Community Resurrects Colorado Birth Center Closed by Private Equity Firm

A private equity firm bought a birth center and then shut it down. The community brought it back as a nonprofit.

By Claire Cleveland

Feb. 9, 2023

Centene Agrees to $215 Million Settlement With California for Alleged Medicaid Overbilling

The nation’s largest Medicaid insurer denies wrongdoing after the California attorney general’s office investigated it for inflating prescription drug costs.

By Samantha Young

Feb. 8, 2023

A photo shows President Biden speaking during the State of the Union address.

Health Policies Were a Prominent Theme in Biden’s State of the Union Speech

Our partners at PolitiFact fact-checked a range of President Joe Biden’s statements, including key health-related comments.

By KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs

Feb. 8, 2023

A photo shows Senator Bernie Sanders speaking into a microphone in front of the U.S. Capitol.

‘We Ain’t Gonna Get It’: Why Bernie Sanders Says His ‘Medicare for All’ Dream Must Wait

As he takes the reins of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, the independent from Vermont and implacable champion of “Medicare for All” maps out his strategy for negotiating with Republicans — and Big Pharma.

By Arthur Allen

Feb. 8, 2023

Stack of edible cannabis gummies in rainbow light

More Young Colorado Children Are Consuming Marijuana Despite Efforts to Stop Them

Lawmakers say they don’t plan to revise state regulations on the sale of edibles despite more kids 5 and under ingesting them.

By Helen Santoro

Feb. 8, 2023

U.S. 100 bills strewn across a table with a gavel positioned downward to signify a court case

The Pill Club Reaches $18.3 Million Medicaid Fraud Settlement With California

The online women’s pharmacy agreed to pay $15 million to the state Department of Justice and $3.3 million to the Department of Insurance over claims it overbilled Medi-Cal.

By Don Thompson

Feb. 7, 2023

A digital illustration in watercolor and pencil shows a Jamaican fruit bat flying in the center of the image. It holds a fig in its mouth, and is moving between two clusters of dying leaves, representing the habitat and food loss the bats are experiencing. In the background, highlighting the bat, is a large interpretation of the covid-19 virus, which also looks like the moon.

A Secret Weapon in Preventing the Next Pandemic: Fruit Bats

New research links habitat destruction with the spillover of viruses from animals to humans.

By Jim Robbins

Feb. 7, 2023

A photo shows Elizabeth Fisher Smith at home with her husband.

Decisions by CVS and Optum Panicked Thousands of Their Sickest Patients

Pharmacy closures by two of the biggest home infusion companies point to grave shortages and dangers for patients who require IV nutrition to survive.

By Arthur Allen

Feb. 7, 2023

An illustration shows 3D models of the RSV virus.

A Technicality Could Keep RSV Shots From Kids in Need

The Vaccines for Children program, which buys more than half the pediatric vaccines in the U.S., may not cover the RSV shot for babies because it’s not technically a vaccine.

By Arthur Allen

Feb. 6, 2023

A photo shows a woman in the driver's seat of a car using her phone while driving.

Why Two States Remain Holdouts on Distracted Driving Laws

Missouri and Montana are the only states without distracted driving laws for all drivers. With traffic fatalities rising significantly nationwide, some Missouri lawmakers and advocates for roadway safety are eyeing bills in the new legislative session that would crack down on texting while driving in the Show Me State.

By Eric Berger

Feb. 6, 2023

KHN On Air

Journalists Probe Problems in Providing Care for Foster Kids and Propping Up Addiction Treatment

KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Feb. 4, 2023

A photo shows a medical professional helping a senior woman with her pills.

As Long-Term Care Staffing Crisis Worsens, Immigrants Can Bridge the Gaps

The industry has long relied on immigrants to bolster its ranks, and they’ll be critical to meeting future staffing needs, experts say. But as the baby boom generation fills beds, policymakers are slow to open new pathways for foreign workers.

By Michelle Andrews

Feb. 3, 2023

A photo shows the exterior of Montana's Capitol.

Montana Lawmakers Seek More Information About Governor’s HEART Fund

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s Healing and Ending Addiction Through Recovery and Treatment fund has spent $5.2 million since 2021. With a proposed increase, providers and lawmakers alike want to tap into the money.

By Keely Larson

Feb. 3, 2023

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Au Revoir, Public Health Emergency

Episode 283

Feb. 2, 2023

The Biden administration this week announced it would let the covid-19 public health emergency lapse on May 11, even as the Republican-led House was voting to immediately eliminate the special authorities of the so-called PHE. Meanwhile, anti-abortion forces are pressuring legislators to both tighten abortion restrictions and pay for every birth in the nation. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KHN’s chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Hannah Wesolowski of the National Alliance on Mental Illness about the rollout of the national 988 suicide prevention hotline.

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A stack of wooden blocks is seen surrounded by a medical cross. One of the wooden blocks in the center of the stack is painted red, indicating the tower may fall.

As Pandemic-Era Medicaid Provisions Lapse, Millions Approach a Coverage Cliff

States are trying to reach millions of Medicaid enrollees to make sure those still eligible remain covered and help others find new health insurance.

By Phil Galewitz

Feb. 2, 2023

A photo shows a senior woman sitting in a wheelchair in a nursing home corridor.

Nursing Home Owners Drained Cash During Pandemic While Residents Deteriorated

As the federal government debates whether to require higher staffing levels at nursing homes, financial records show owners routinely push profits to sister companies while residents are neglected. “A dog would get better care than he did,” one resident’s wife said.

By Jordan Rau

Feb. 1, 2023