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Pandemic-Fueled Shortages of Home Health Workers Strand Patients Without Necessary Care

By Judith Graham February 3, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Home health and hospice agencies are experiencing extreme worker shortages, which means they can’t provide services to all the patients seeking care.

‘Injections, Injections, Injections’: Troubling Questions Follow Closure of Sprawling Pain Clinic Chain

By Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Jenny Gold February 22, 2022 KFF Health News Original

In May 2021, Lags Medical Centers, one of California’s largest chains of pain clinics, abruptly closed its doors amid a cloaked state investigation. Nine months later, patients are still in the dark about what happened with their care and to their bodies.

UVA Health Still Squeezing Money From Patients — By Seizing Their Home Equity

By Jay Hancock October 19, 2020 KFF Health News Original

The University of Virginia promised reforms but has stopped short of announcing them, while hospital giant VCU Health has freed tens of thousands from property liens.

ERs Are Swamped With Seriously Ill Patients, Although Many Don’t Have Covid

By Kate Wells, Michigan Public October 29, 2021 KFF Health News Original

Certain patients who couldn’t get in to see a doctor earlier in the pandemic, or were avoiding the covid risks inside hospitals, have become too sick to stay away. Many ERs now struggle to cope with an onslaught of demand.

Jaw Surgery Takes a $27,119 Bite out of One Man’s Budget

By Phil Galewitz August 27, 2021 KFF Health News Original

A Seattle patient discovers the hard way that you can still hit a lifetime limit for certain types of care. And health plans can vary a lot from one job to the next, even if the insurer is the same.

Your Out-of-Pocket Health Care Costs Need Not Be a Mystery

By Bernard J. Wolfson November 15, 2021 KFF Health News Original

A new California law requires health insurance companies to notify consumers how much remains on their deductibles and how close they are to their annual out-of-pocket spending limits.

North Carolina Treasurer Took On the Hospitals. Now He’s Paying Political Price.

By Jordan Rau October 26, 2020 KFF Health News Original

The state hospital association has endorsed Dale Folwell’s opponent after the treasurer sought to force them to accept lower reimbursements from the state employees’ health plan.

Restoring a Sense of Belonging: The Unsung Importance of Casual Relationships for Older Adults

By Judith Graham August 2, 2021 KFF Health News Original

Relationships with people you know only superficially can help develop a sense of belonging and provide motivation to engage in activities. Research has found that older adults who have a broad array of “weak” as well as “close” ties enjoy better physical and psychological well-being and live longer than people with less diverse social networks.

As Big Pharma and Hospitals Battle Over Drug Discounts, Patients Miss Out on Millions in Benefits

By Sarah Jane Tribble and Emily Featherston, InvestigateTV November 16, 2021 KFF Health News Original

The number of pharmacies dispensing 340B discounted drugs soared to more than 31,000 this year. Drugmakers struck back by halting some discounts. Hospitals say they are losing millions of dollars — and cutting back services to patients — as a result.

Pharmacies Face Extra Audit Burdens That Threaten Their Existence

By Markian Hawryluk August 6, 2021 KFF Health News Original

Pharmacy benefit managers have curtailed in-person audits of pharmacy claims during the pandemic, switching to virtual audits done by computer. That has markedly increased the number of claims they can review — and the chances for payment denials — squeezing pharmacies and bringing in more cash for the benefit companies.

Telemedicine Abortions Offer Cheaper Options but May Also Undermine Critical Clinics

By Amy Littlefield September 3, 2021 KFF Health News Original

A change in FDA rules during the pandemic has let women receive the drugs needed for a medical abortion by mail after a telemedicine appointment. While some abortion rights advocates hail the move, others note that these services, which are often cheaper than going to a clinic, could siphon away patients needed to keep those brick-and-mortar facilities operating.

Major Insurers Running Billions of Dollars Behind on Payments to Hospitals and Doctors

By Jay Hancock October 6, 2021 KFF Health News Original

Patients are caught in the middle as insurers clamp down on paying for treatments or force prior authorizations for care.

One Defensive Strategy Against Surprise Medical Bills: Set Your Own Terms

By Julie Appleby February 11, 2020 KFF Health News Original

By writing in payment limits when signing hospital forms, patients might have leverage in negotiations over disputes that arise from surprise medical bills.

When the Surges Just Keep Coming: A View From the Covid Vortex

By Jenny Gold December 7, 2021 KFF Health News Original

Fresno County, one of California’s persistent covid-19 hot spots, is experiencing an autumn surge that once again has overwhelmed area hospitals. KHN spoke with Interim Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra about leading the charge in a region where many people remain anti-mask and vaccine-wary.

California Ballot Will Be Heavy on Health Care

By Samantha Young January 7, 2022 KFF Health News Original

In the Nov. 8 general election, California voters will consider overturning the state’s flavored tobacco ban and hiking medical malpractice awards. Other proposals to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms, target dialysis clinics and boost public health funding could also be on the ballot, along with a plan to limit business and school closures during public health emergencies.

This Doctor Thought She Could Navigate US Health Care. Then Her Autistic Son Needed Help.

By Noam N. Levey February 15, 2022 KFF Health News Original

Dr. Mai Pham left her corporate career to spark change in a system that is failing millions of Americans with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The War on Cancer at 50: The Origin Story Begins With a Socialite Citizen-Lobbyist

By Gabrielle Emanuel, WBUR January 6, 2022 KFF Health News Original

After the National Cancer Act became law 50 years ago, cancer went from shameful taboo to one of the best-funded areas of medicine. Much of the credit for this transformation goes to one woman, Mary Lasker.

Deep Roots Help This Chicago Pharmacist Avoid Creating Another Drugstore Desert

By Markian Hawryluk December 23, 2021 KFF Health News Original

Predominantly Black and Hispanic urban areas are more likely than white neighborhoods to see local pharmacies close and are more likely to be pharmacy deserts. In Chicago, one pharmacist is bucking the trend, operating the drugstore his father opened in the 1960s in a Black neighborhood.

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.

Analysis: A Procedure That Cost $1,775 in New York Was $350 in Maryland. Here’s Why.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal October 26, 2021 KFF Health News Original

The state’s unique health system controls what hospitals can charge for services.

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