Efforts To Move The Needle On Flu Shot Rates Get Stuck
In the past decade, federal and state governments have removed cost and access obstacles, but immunization rates remained flat. That worries public health officials.
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In the past decade, federal and state governments have removed cost and access obstacles, but immunization rates remained flat. That worries public health officials.
When passing the Affordable Care Act, Democrats touted the fact that they had included many measures to pay for the bill’s expanded coverage. But nearly 10 years later, many of the “pay-fors” have been eliminated.
Legislation that takes effect next July will let people buy the medications without a prescription for a limited period. Medical professionals say it’s a step in the right direction but will not significantly increase the use of the medicine without additional efforts.
Most infants in the United States have a hearing screening in their first few days of life. Twenty years ago, before universal newborn screening, many kids missed out on early intervention services that help children with hearing loss access sound and develop spoken language.
Although many consumers pay nothing out of pocket for flu shots, insurers foot the bill. And those prices vary dramatically.
Despite laws requiring that health care providers hand over copies of patient records in a timely fashion, many people have trouble getting theirs. Ciitizen, a Palo Alto, Calif., company that helps cancer patients with the task, recently published a scorecard that rates hospitals, doctors and clinics on their compliance with records requests.
The final directive drew swift responses from the hospital and insurance industries. The Trump administration also released a proposed rule that would require health insurers to spell out for all services beforehand just how much patients may owe for their out-of-pocket costs.
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
It’s November, do you know where your HHS spending bill is? Still stuck in Congress. Meanwhile, lawmakers move ahead on restricting tobacco products for youth while the administration’s proposal is MIA. Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more health news from the week. Also, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann, host of the podcast “An Arm and a Leg.”
Although service dogs are commonly seen at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a retriever mix is a clinical instructor in the Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology.
Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable, but the odds look grim for Congress to pass significant pricing legislation this year.
Doctors are less likely to prescribe opioids in Germany and quicker to notice if a patient is at risk of abuse. And, for those who do experience addiction, treatment is easier to come by.
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Kaiser Permanente just avoided a nationwide strike by thousands of workers, but now faces a new strike threat Monday. The labor battles are exposing the health care giant to scrutiny from lawmakers, health care advocates and others who accuse it of no longer living up to its nonprofit ideals.
KHN's Shefali Luthra discusses the recent Trump administration lawsuit regarding the HIV-prevention drug Truvada.
Key Democratic wins in 2019 state elections in Virginia and (probably) Kentucky could have big implications for health care in general and Medicaid in particular. And in the Democratic presidential primary, Elizabeth Warren is catching flak from all sides over her “Medicare For All” plan. This week, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Caitlin Owens of Axios and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Laura Ungar, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month.” For “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.
CBS This Morning reports on the latest KHN-NPR Bill of the Month.
Patients were thrilled last month when UVA announced it would scale back lawsuits and provide more financial assistance, but the excitement has waned.
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
A few hundred hospitals have banded together to sue drugmakers in state courts, but far more are staying on the sidelines to avoid 'unflattering attention' about their role in the opioid crisis.
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