Latest Morning Briefing Stories
To Grow Market Share, A Drugmaker Pitches Its Product To Judges
Some drug courts offer participants a full range of evidence-based treatment, including medication-assisted treatment. Others don’t allow addiction medications at all. And some permit just one: Vivitrol.
Rural Californians Want Price Relief From GOP Health Bill, But Unlikely To Get It
In far northern Lassen and Modoc counties, residents say Obamacare premiums are unaffordable. But under the proposed Senate bill, insurance premiums would increase even more.
Opioid Treatment Funds In Senate Bill Would Fall Far Short Of Needs
The $45 billion for opioid treatment in the Senate bill sounds like a lot of money, but an advocate estimates it would provide $1,000 to $2,000 per year for each person in Pennsylvania who might need treatment. Meanwhile, one year of methadone treatment for opioid addiction costs about $4,700 per year,
Health Insurers Try Paying More Upfront To Pay Less Later
Some health plans are beginning to offer free maintenance care for people with chronic health problems, hoping that spending a little more early on will save a lot of money in the long run.
In Texas, People With Mental Illness Find Work Helping Peers
Peer support, well-known in addiction treatment, is gaining ground for people with serious mental illness. Texas and 35 other states are training and paying peer support specialists to help bridge a gap in mental health treatment.
Medicaid Cuts Will Drive Up Cost Of Private Coverage, Montana Insurers Say
Insurance executives in Montana are worried that GOP efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act could destabilize a market that is working well.
Trump’s Surgeon General Pick Built Name Fighting HIV And Opioids In Indiana
Dr. Jerome Adams is the health commissioner in Indiana, the home state of Vice President Mike Pence.
Do-It-Yourself Detox Can Be ‘Freddy Krueger’ Scary — And Usually Fails
Treatment for opioid addiction can be expensive and difficult to coordinate. That might make some people tempted to think they can overcome the addiction on their own. This rarely works.
Obamacare Inspires Unlikely Political Action In California’s Red Region
In a county where cows outnumber people and most voters supported Donald Trump, a coalition of health clinics is driven to defend the health law.
Parents Of Ill Children Worry About Return Of ‘Lifetime Limits’ In GOP Health Bill
Current law requires all health insurance sold on the exchanges to cover 10 essential benefits — with no annual or lifetime limits to reimbursement. But the GOP plan might let states reinstate limits.
The Call-In: Answers To Questions About Our Business-Driven Health System
On NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday, KHN’s Elisabeth Rosenthal answers questions about the high cost of U.S. health care, while NPR’s Gisele Grayson addresses how the Senate bill to replace the Affordable Care Act would change the system.
Health Care Battle On Hill Has Veterans Defending Obamacare Benefits
It’s too early to know just how many veterans might lose coverage as a result of the Medicaid reductions wrapped into the Republicans’ repeal effort. But many already feel boxed in.
Deep Cuts To Medicaid Put Rural Hospitals In The Crosshairs
Since 2010, at least 79 rural hospitals have closed across the country, and nearly 700 more are at risk of closing. The Republican repeal of the health law could hasten their demise.
Survivors Of Childhood Diseases Struggle To Find Care As Adults
Once-fatal childhood diseases, like cystic fibrosis, congenital heart disease and sickle cell anemia, now can be survived into adulthood. But when those patients become too old to see pediatricians, it can be difficult for them to find physicians familiar with their conditions.
Long Waits And Long Odds For Those Who Need Social Security Disability
The U.S. government has been struggling to balance a surge in applicants for disability benefits with shrinking funds. An updated application process could make getting benefits even harder.
People In Recovery Worry GOP Medicaid Cuts Would Put Treatment Out Of Reach
In Pennsylvania alone, 124,000 people received drug or alcohol addiction treatment through Medicaid. Republicans in Congress want to cut Medicaid by as much as $800 billion over the next decade, leaving people in recovery wondering what will happen to their treatment.
In Texas, Abstinence-Only Programs May Contribute To Teen Pregnancies
Across the U.S., the number of teenagers having babies has hit a record low — it’s down to about 1 out of every 45 young women. That trend hasn’t extended to certain parts of Texas, however, where the teen birth rate is still nearly twice the national average.
California’s Aid-In-Dying Law Turns 1, But Not All Doctors Have Adopted It
At least 500 terminally ill Californians have asked for the medicine that allows them to end their lives, and nearly 500 health organizations have signed on to help.
Protected But Priced Out: Patients Worry About Health Law’s Future In Arizona
Corinne Bobbie has a love-hate relationship with the Affordable Care Act. As the GOP tries to repeal the law, the experiences and fears of voters like Bobbie could determine a politician’s fate.
‘My Life Is Very Full’: People With Disabilities Worry About GOP Medicaid Cuts
The Obamacare replacement bill passed by House Republicans would cut Medicaid by $834 billion over a decade. That has people with disabilities scared that services that allow them to live independently, such as job training and transportation, will disappear.
