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Doctors prescribed powerful opioids for a patient after back surgery but gave her little guidance on how to take them safely. Then, she says, they misdiagnosed her withdrawal symptoms. Some experts say this situation is akin to a hospital-acquired condition.
In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Stephanie Armour of the Wall Street Journal, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Margot Sanger Katz of The New York Times discuss new health spending numbers from the federal government, as well as how the year-end legislating in Congress is being complicated by health issues.
Medicines are up to 80 percent cheaper north of the border and overseas, so U.S. localities are greasing a pharmaceutical pipeline that the feds warn is illegal and possibly unsafe.
People who have a plan from the health law’s marketplace and who don’t actively shop for a new one will be auto-enrolled on Dec. 16. But unlike past years, most people won’t be able to change those plans if they don’t like them.
Insurance has often been a tough-sell among these young people because they are often healthy and choosing a plan is complicated. A shorter enrollment and less outreach could dampen enthusiasm.
But buyer, beware. Cobbling together “packages” designed to cover gaps in high-deductible health plans could shortchange consumers, warn advocates.
Harvesting U.S. crops has been left to an aging population of farmworkers whose health has suffered from decades of hard labor. Older workers have a greater chance of getting injured and of developing chronic illnesses.
The Affordable Care Act has increased the number of people with insurance, but shopping around for plans puts a burden on patients, especially this year.
One Northern California physician is a foot soldier in the fight against a surge of hepatitis C, mainly among young drug users who share infected needles.
Dramatic increases in spending that came with the influx of newly insured consumers in 2014 and 2015 appear to be moderating.
Based on research conducted at the University of Michigan’s medical center, a group of surgeons developed a strategy to help post-surgical patients from misusing or abusing their prescription painkillers.
Months of reporting and rich hospital data portray life in the worst asthma hot spot in one of the worst asthma cities: Baltimore. The medical system knows how to help. But there’s no money in it.
A pilot program to asthma-proof homes in Baltimore shows that even without intensive professional cleaning services, families can learn to substantially reduce home allergens on their own.
Even though consumers don’t expect to pay for faulty service or goods, they are often forced to pay for bad health care. But a small number of hospitals and doctors are seeking to change that practice.
In this chat, KHN’s Julie Appleby offers a progress report on the 2018 sign up season.
With less federal funding and marketing, local groups are feeling the pressure to keep up enrollment in the plans offered through the federal health law’s marketplace.
Many medical groups and state Medicaid programs are offering gift cards, cash and other rewards to low-income patients if they agree to get preventive screenings and make healthier lifestyle choices.
In Texas, the uninsured rate among Vietnamese immigrants is nearly double the national rate. Navigators there are working to reverse that.
What will the mega-merger mean for consumers and the health care industry? Senior correspondent Chad Terhune offers insight.
Ineligible for subsidies, a Tennessee woman quit her job to get an affordable health care premium. Conventional steps — such as maxing out your 401(k) contribution each year — may also do the job, financial planners say.
