Latest Morning Briefing Stories
GOP Senators Distance Themselves From Grassley And Trump’s Efforts To Cut Drug Prices
Even some Republicans who supported a sweeping bipartisan bill to rein in drug costs may not back it in the Senate vote.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Cue The Drug Price Debate
Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee unveiled their long-awaited proposal to try to rein in prescription drug costs, even as bipartisan leaders of the other Senate committee that oversees health announced it would not bring its drug price bill to the Senate floor until fall. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this, plus court actions on health issues.
¿Quieres retirarte y vivir en el exterior? Medicare no viaja muy bien
De 2012 a 2017, el número de trabajadores jubilados que vivían en países extranjeros y que recibían beneficios del Seguro Social creció casi un 15%, a más de 413,000, según la Administración del Seguro Social.
Dream Of Retiring Abroad? The Reality: Medicare Doesn’t Travel Well
More than 400,000 U.S. workers have retired in foreign countries and their ranks are rising. But Medicare doesn’t cover most expenses overseas, so these expats will need to confront the cost of finding alternative insurance.
Biden’s ‘Incremental’ Health Plan Still Would Be A Heavy Lift
The proposal is far from minimal and includes several provisions that Congress has failed repeatedly to enact, including some that were part of the original Affordable Care Act debate.
A ‘No-Brainer’? Calls Grow For Medicare To Cover Anti-Rejection Drugs After Kidney Transplant
Banking on new cost estimates, a bipartisan coalition in Congress is poised to try — once again — to end a three-year limit on coverage for lifesaving medication required to keep the organs functioning.
Insurers Running Medicare Advantage Plans Overbill Taxpayers By Billions As Feds Struggle To Stop It
An enhanced government effort to catch insurers that overcharge Medicare faces resistance from the insurance industry.
Listen: Young Undocumented Californians Cheer Promise Of Health Benefits
California is the first in the nation to expand Medicaid to young adults living there without legal permission.
Cómo tener una receta más barata antes de salir del consultorio
Una herramienta permite que los médicos informen a sus pacientes sobre los costos de los medicamentos, en base a sus planes de salud. E incluso pueden ofrecerles opciones más baratas.
How To Get A Cheaper Prescription Before Leaving The Doctor’s Office
A pricing tool embedded in their electronic health record and prescribing system lets doctors see how much patients will pay out-of-pocket based on their insurance and the pharmacy. But doctors have been slow to adopt the technology, which has limitations.
Medi-Cal Enrollment Among Immigrant Kids Stalls, Then Falls. Is Fear To Blame?
Enrollment among undocumented immigrant children in California’s Medicaid program started strong before stagnating and then falling. Although this decline is similar to an enrollment decline among all children in Medicaid nationwide, experts believe there are different reasons behind it.
Newly Blue Maine Expands Access To Abortion
After a wave of Democratic women were elected in 2018, Maine joins the handful of states that are shoring up the right to an abortion ahead of expected Supreme Court challenges.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: All About ‘Medicare for All’
Need to know more about “Medicare for All?” It’s a top issue in the Democratic presidential primary campaign. This holiday week, we are rerunning our explainer on the subject. But first, KHN’s “What the Health?” host Julie Rovner talks to KHN’s Shefali Luthra about how health played out in the first Democratic candidate debates last week.
State Lawmakers Eye Federal Dollars To Boost Mental Health Counseling By Peers
Medicaid pays for mentoring of mental health patients by “peer supporters,” but only if they are state-certified. California is one of two states with no certification program. Legislation pending in Sacramento would change that — if the governor backs it.
New Budget Boosts Health Coverage For Low-Income Californians
California lawmakers spent big on Medi-Cal in the 2019-20 state budget, voting to cover more older residents and people with disabilities, restore benefits cut during the recession and open the program to eligible young adults who are in the country illegally.
Study: Arkansas Medicaid Work Requirement Hits Those Already Employed
More than 95% of the Arkansas residents targeted by the state’s Medicaid work requirement were already working or met the criteria to be exempted from the mandate, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Why Some CEOs Figure ‘Medicare For All’ Is Good For Business
While national business groups fight the single-payer concept, the founder and CEO of a large Pennsylvania picture frame manufacturer tries to convince other employers that it’s the only way to control costs and fix the U.S. health system.
Payroll Tax Is One State’s Bold Solution To Help Seniors Age At Home
Under a program enacted in Washington state this spring, workers can get up to $36,500 to help pay for long-term health care and services such as installing grab bars in the shower or respite care for family caregivers.
Mired In Medical Debt? Federal Plan Would Update Overdue-Bill Collection Methods
More than half of Americans contacted about an overdue bill said it related to medical debt. A federal agency has proposed new guidance for what debt collectors are allowed to do when pursuing many types of overdue consumer bills, including medical debt. But some consumer advocates have panned the effort.
