Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Senators Unveil Legislation To Protect Patients Against Surprise Medical Bills
The measure is designed to help people getting emergency care from hospitals or doctors that are not part of their insurance network.
Paper Jam: California’s Medicaid Program Hits ‘Print’ When The Feds Need Info
Amid the buzz over apps and electronic medical records rescuing modern medicine, California’s Medicaid program still clings to 1970s-era technology. A reboot may cost half a billion dollars.
New Medicare Advantage Tool To Lower Drug Prices Puts Crimp In Patients’ Choices
Federal officials are allowing the private insurance plans to use “step therapy” for drugs administered by doctors. In step therapy, patients must first use cheaper drugs to see if they work before receiving more expensive options.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
La “medicina de precisión” para combatir el cáncer no siempre logra su objetivo
Estas terapias focalizadas, que ajustan la medicina a la genética de la enfermedad, no tienen el éxito que los médicos, y el público en general, esperan.
Much Touted For Cancer, ‘Precision Medicine’ Often Misses The Target
Doctors and hospitals love to talk about the patients they’ve saved with precision medicine, and reporters love to write about them. But the people who die still vastly outnumber the rare successes.
El alto precio de la insulina lleva a que pacientes la racionen, a riesgo de muerte
El precio de la insulina en los Estados Unidos aumentó más del doble desde 2012. Eso pone a la hormona que salva vidas fuera del alcance de algunas personas con diabetes.
Insulin’s Steep Price Leads To Deadly Rationing
Alec Raeshawn Smith was 23 when diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and 26 when he died. He couldn’t afford $1,300 per month for his insulin and other diabetes supplies. So he tried to stretch the doses.
The High Cost Of Hope: When The Parallel Interests Of Pharma And Families Collide
Desperate for help in finding a lifesaving drug for a fatal genetic disease, families banded together to fund early research and then worked with drug companies on clinical trials and marketing. Yet, this small patient advocacy group is stunned by pharma’s pricing.
As California Hospitals Sweep Up Physician Practices, Patients See Higher Bills
A Health Affairs study quantifies the financial effects of such mergers on consumers and their insurers. The hospital industry and doctor practices say the consolidation leads to better coordination of care.
The $109K Heart Attack Bill Is Down To $332. What About Other Surprise Bills?
“I don’t feel any consumer should have to go through this,” says Drew Calver, who faced a life-changing surprise bill from an Austin hospital after a heart attack last year. After attention as a “Bill of the Month” patient, he paid the hospital $332. But he worries about other patients with surprise bills.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Ask Us Anything!
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Joanne Kenen of Politico answer listeners’ questions about health policy and politics.
Watch: What Happened To That $109,000 Heart Attack
The story of a Texas teacher who faced a surprise “balance bill” of almost twice his annual salary gets a surprise happy ending.
Más que nada, la cera en los oídos genera riesgos para adultos mayores en hogares
La cera excesiva en los oídos de los adultos mayores puede causar sordera, vértigo y otros problemas en el conducto auditivo.
For Nursing Home Patients, Breast Cancer Surgery May Do More Harm Than Good
A new study of 6,000 older patients shows little gain from surgeries for breast cancer.
Earwax, Of All Things, Poses Unrecognized Risk In Long-Term Care
Up to two-thirds of residents in nursing homes may have impacted earwax, which can worsen hearing loss, falls and cognitive decline.
¡Puñalada! Tienes seguro, pero igual debes pagar $109 mil por un ataque al corazón
Un maestro de Austin, Texas, quien sufrió un ataque cardíaco, tuvo que vivir una odisea cuando recibió una cuenta astronómica.
A Jolt To The Jugular! You’re Insured But Still Owe $109K For Your Heart Attack
A Texas teacher, 44, faces a “balance bill” of almost twice his annual salary for a heart attack he never expected to have.
Escuela de medicina gratuita genera debate de millones de dólares
La Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Nueva York anunció que buscará donaciones para hacer la carrera totalmente gratuita.
Readers And Tweeters Revisit Surgery Centers, Think Twice About Single-Payer
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
