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‘An Arm and a Leg’: How to Fight Bogus Medical Bills Like a Bulldog

By Dan Weissmann August 24, 2020 KFF Health News Original

When a colleague brings a medical billing problem to human resources director Steve Benasso — he goes to battle. “I am a bulldog on this stuff,” he said. In this episode, Benasso tells how he does it.

Despite Losing Federal Money, California Is Still Testing Uninsured Residents for Covid — For Now

By Rachel Bluth April 25, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Federal funding that paid for covid testing, treatment, and vaccines for uninsured people has run out. While some states struggle to make up the difference, California is relying on other state and local programs to continue free testing.

‘So Rudderless’: A Couple’s Quest for Autism Treatment for Their Son Hits Repeated Obstacles

By Michelle Andrews July 21, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Amparo and Victor Rios began searching for answers about their son’s development when he didn’t hit some milestones after turning 2. Three years later, they are still trying to get their insurance to pay for expensive therapy to help him.

With Sexually Transmitted Infections Off the Charts, California Pushes At-Home Tests

By Rachel Bluth January 5, 2022 KFF Health News Original

A new law makes California the first state to require that health insurance plans, including Medicaid, cover home STI tests. But some details still need to be worked out.

Feds Want a Policy That Advocates Say Would Let Hospitals Off the Hook for Covid-Era Lapses

By Lauren Weber July 7, 2022 KFF Health News Original

The pandemic disrupted all sense of normalcy for U.S. hospitals, so federal officials are proposing to pause financial penalties against the facilities and to block public access to key hospital safety data — such as the frequency of falls and sepsis — because of concerns that the data isn’t accurate enough. But consumer advocates are furious about the proposal.

‘Separate and Unequal’: Critics Say Newsom’s Pricey Medicaid Reforms Leave Most Patients Behind

By Angela Hart October 12, 2022 KFF Health News Original

MLK Community Hospital in South Los Angeles is surrounded by poverty, homeless encampments, and food deserts. Even though California Gov. Gavin Newsom is funneling billions of taxpayer money into an ambitious initiative to provide some low-income patients with social services, hospital executives and other critics say it won’t improve access to basic care.

Crowdsourced Data on Overdoses Pinpoints Where to Help

By Renuka Rayasam July 5, 2022 KFF Health News Original

University of Texas researchers are testing a program that would allow harm reduction groups to crowdsource data on fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses statewide. While the data relies on word of mouth, they say, it is more comprehensive than anything that exists now and can be used immediately to prevent overdoses.

Critics Worry Government Surveillance of HIV May Hurt More Than It Helps

By Sam Whitehead July 20, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Some people living with HIV and some state health officials are raising concerns about part of the federal effort to end the HIV epidemic: a new technology that analyzes blood samples to find emerging outbreaks. The critics say it’s too invasive and stigmatizing and might not be more effective than older public health approaches.

The New MADD Movement: Parents Rise Up Against Drug Deaths

By Rachel Scheier May 23, 2022 KFF Health News Original

People who have lost children to pills laced with fentanyl are demanding that lawmakers adopt stricter penalties and are pressuring Silicon Valley for social media protections. The movement harks back to the 1980s, when Mothers Against Drunk Driving activated a generation of parents.

California Law Aims to Strengthen Access to Mental Health Services

By Bernard J. Wolfson November 1, 2021 KFF Health News Original

The law doesn’t take effect until July, but its passage should force insurers to expand their rosters of therapists. Here’s how you can challenge your health plan’s mental health services until then.

Seniors With Prediabetes Should Eat Better, Get Moving, but Not Fret Too Much About Diabetes

By Judith Graham June 24, 2022 KFF Health News Original

About half of adults 65 and older have above-normal blood sugar levels that put them in the prediabetes category. Although that is a signal to improve your eating habits and get more exercise, researchers say only a small percentage of the group will develop diabetes.

For Her Head Cold, Insurer Coughed Up $25,865

By Richard Harris, NPR News December 23, 2019 KFF Health News Original

A New York City woman, worried that her sore throat might be strep, got swabbed at her doctor’s office. The sample was sent to an out-of-network lab for sophisticated DNA tests ― with a price tag similar to a new SUV.

Trauma Surgeons Detail the Horror of Mass Shootings in the Wake of Uvalde and Call for Reforms

By Andy Miller and Lauren Sausser June 10, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Trauma surgeons say that the weapons used in mass shootings are not new but that more of these especially deadly guns are on the street, causing injuries that are difficult to survive.

Digital Mental Health Companies Draw Scrutiny and Growing Concerns

By Harris Meyer July 8, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Consumers who have trouble getting in to see a therapist are turning to online behavioral health providers that offer quick access. But there’s limited research on their effectiveness.

Medicare’s Open Enrollment Is Open Season for Scammers

By Susan Jaffe November 11, 2021 KFF Health News Original

Medicare officials say complaints are rising from seniors lured into private plans with misleading information or enrolled without their consent. In response, officials have threatened to penalize the private companies selling Medicare Advantage and drug plans if they or agents working on their behalf mislead consumers.

How a Former Catholic Priest Is Navigating a California Medicaid Plan Through Big Changes

By Bernard J. Wolfson April 14, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Michael Hunn left the clergy and became a hospital and health system executive. He’s been named CEO of CalOptima, Orange County’s Medi-Cal health insurance plan for low-income residents, and his spiritual background is helping him guide the publicly run plan into the future.

California Plans for a Post-Roe World as Abortion Access Shrinks Elsewhere

By Rachel Bluth November 17, 2021 KFF Health News Original

While other states dramatically restrict abortion and the conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court weighs Roe v. Wade, California is preparing to absorb the country’s abortion patients.

Abortion Politics Lead to Power Struggles Over Family Planning Grants

By Katheryn Houghton May 3, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Conservative-leaning states and nonprofit reproductive health care providers are competing over control of states’ Title X funding for family planning programs.

Long Wait for Justice: People in Jail Face Delays for Mental Health Care Before They Can Stand Trial

By Andy Miller and Rebecca Grapevine June 10, 2022 KFF Health News Original

People in jail who have serious mental illness and cannot stand trial because of their condition are waiting months, or even more than a year, to get into their state psychiatric hospitals.

Tech Glitches at One VA Site Raise Concerns About a Nationwide Rollout

By Darius Tahir April 5, 2022 KFF Health News Original

The more than $16 billion, decade-long effort by the Department of Veterans Affairs was designed to provide seamless electronic health records for patients from enlistment in the military past discharge.

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