KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Washington’s Slow Churn
June 2, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Stemming gun violence is back on the legislative agenda following three mass shootings in less than a month, but it’s hard to predict success when so many previous efforts have failed. Meanwhile, lawmakers must soon decide if they will extend current premium subsidies for those buying health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and the Biden administration acts, belatedly, on Medicare premiums. Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Michelle Andrews, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a too-common problem: denial of no-cost preventive care for a colonoscopy under the Affordable Care Act.
¿Por qué Medicare no paga por las pruebas caseras para covid?
By Michelle Andrews
January 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Las mismas leyes del programa para los adultos mayores previenen que puedan comprar medicamentos de venta libre y obtener este tipo de pruebas sin una orden médica.
Why Medicare Doesn’t Pay for Rapid At-Home Covid Tests
By Michelle Andrews
January 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The laws governing Medicare don’t provide coverage for self-administered diagnostic tests, which is precisely what the rapid antigen tests are and why they are an important tool for containing the pandemic.
Officials Struggle to Regulate Pop-Up Covid Testing Sites — And Warn Patients to Beware
By Michelle Andrews
January 18, 2022
KFF Health News Original
High demand for covid screening and scarce supply have opened the door to bad actors, and officials in some states are sounding the alarm about dubious street testing operators that could put people’s personal data, their health or wallets at risk.
Funcionarios advierten sobre sitios de pruebas para covid de dudosa calidad
By Michelle Andrews
January 18, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Lo sitios de pruebas de covid han proliferado en casi todas las grandes ciudades. Pero no todos ofrecen un servicio de calidad. Cómo detectarlos.
‘The Charges Seem Crazy’: Hospitals Impose a ‘Facility Fee’ — For a Video Visit
By Michelle Andrews
December 17, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Facility fees, designed to help hospitals cover the high cost of staying open 24/7, have long rankled consumers. Now, some patients are assessed the fees while sitting at home for a telehealth appointment.
Empleadores amplían beneficios de salud mental, mientras trabajadores luchan con el impacto de la pandemia
By Michelle Andrews
November 10, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Muchos empleadores informaron que desde que comenzó la pandemia han realizado cambios en sus beneficios de salud mental y adicciones. La principal forma fue extender el uso de la telemedicina.
As Workers Struggle With Pandemic’s Impact, Employers Expand Mental Health Benefits
By Michelle Andrews
November 10, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Many job-based health plans broadened their mental health and substance use coverage to make sure workers had the support they needed this year as pandemic stress lingered, the annual KFF survey finds. Also, the proportion of employers offering health insurance to their workers remained steady, and increases for premiums and out-of-pocket health expenses were moderate.
¿No estás vacunado? Si falleces por covid tu familia puede quedarse sin beneficios
By Michelle Andrews
November 3, 2021
KFF Health News Original
La Autoridad de Transporte Metropolitano de Nueva York (MTA) ya no paga un beneficio por muerte de $500,000 a las familias de los trabajadores del metro, autobús y trenes suburbanos que mueren de covid, si los trabajadores no estaban vacunados al momento de la muerte.
Unvaccinated? Don’t Count on Leaving Your Family Death Benefits
By Michelle Andrews
November 3, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Some front-line workers who die of covid-19 have been considered eligible for accidental death benefits because it is presumed their infection was contracted on the job. But some employers now suggest that if the workers didn’t follow established safety protocols, such as getting vaccinated, those benefits may be denied.
Democrats’ Plans to Expand Medicare Benefits May Pinch Advantage Plans’ Funding
By Michelle Andrews
October 28, 2021
KFF Health News Original
As lawmakers weigh new spending provisions to cover dental, hearing and vision services for Medicare beneficiaries, a group supporting Medicare Advantage plans is airing commercials that raise concerns about the funding for those private plans.
Student Nurses Who Refuse Vaccination Struggle to Complete Degrees
By Michelle Andrews
October 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The Biden administration is requiring workers at health care facilities that accept Medicare and Medicaid payments to be vaccinated. For the minority of nursing students who have refused a shot, the new policy could mean they can’t get the training they need in a hospital or other health care venue.
Biosimilar Drugs Are Cheaper Than Biologics. Are They Similar Enough to Switch?
By Michelle Andrews
September 23, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Biologic drugs, made from living organisms, and the cheaper biosimilar drugs that mimic them are more complex than chemical drugs and their generic counterparts. The Food and Drug Administration says biosimilars are as safe and effective as the biologics, and doctors agree — but they are cautious about changing the treatment regimen of patients doing well.
Even in Red States, Colleges Gravitate to Requiring Vaccines and Masks
By Michelle Andrews
September 9, 2021
KFF Health News Original
As students return to campus, schools across the country are taking steps to enforce public health advice to keep people safe from covid. In deeply conservative South Carolina when elected officials tried to stop that, a professor took on the establishment and won.
Reading, ’Rithmetic and Resisting Covid: The New 3 R’s as Kids Head Back to School
By Michelle Andrews
August 12, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Children under 12 can’t get a vaccine, so parents are concerned about how to keep them safe as classes resume — especially as the delta variant spreads.
Sign-Up Window for Free COBRA Coverage for Many Laid-Off Workers Closes This Week
By Michelle Andrews
July 28, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The most recent covid relief law offered federal funding to pay insurance premiums for workers who lost their jobs and opted to keep their workplace insurance through COBRA. But the window to take advantage of the subsidized coverage is closing: Many workers would need to enroll in the program by July 31.
Contraception Is Free to Women, Except When It’s Not
By Michelle Andrews
July 23, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The landmark federal health law required most commercial health plans to cover a comprehensive list of birth control methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration free of charge to female patients. But health plans don’t have to cover every option, and newer methods are not included in the federal list of covered services.
Adolescentes voluntarios se abren paso como futuros profesionales en hogares de adultos mayores
By Michelle Andrews
July 13, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Desde que se puso en marcha en 2006, el programa de desarrollo para la carrera en geriatría ha ayudado a más de 700 estudiantes de secundaria de 10 escuelas de bajos recursos, en la ciudad de Nueva York, a adquirir experiencia práctica en cuidados geriátricos.
Teen Volunteers Get a Foot in the Door for Nursing Home Careers
By Michelle Andrews
July 13, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A group of New York senior living facilities offer teens from 10 underserved schools the chance to volunteer and get free training for entry-level health jobs, career coaching and assistance on college prep.
Covid’s Lingering Effects Can Put the Brakes on Elective Surgeries
By Michelle Andrews
June 28, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Even after recovering from covid, many patients experience respiratory or other problems and, since this effect of the virus is so unpredictable, medical experts aren’t sure when it is safe to undergo elective surgery. But medical experts are setting up guidelines.