Pharma Campaign Cash Delivered to Key Lawmakers With Surgical Precision
With an eye to shutting down Medicare drug price negotiations, drug companies and their lobbying groups gave roughly $1.6 million in the first six months of 2021, with Democrats edging closer than they have in a decade to Republicans’ total haul.
At Texas Border, Pandemic’s High Toll Lays Bare Gaps in Health and Insurance
In Texas’ border communities, which are overwhelmingly Hispanic, covid-19 death rates for people under age 65 were double those in the rest of the state and three times the national average. They were also significantly higher than rates in New Mexico border areas.
Device Makers Have Funneled Billions to Orthopedic Surgeons Who Use Their Products
Federal officials say that some of the money changing hands has corrupted doctors and endangered patients.
A Senator From Arizona Emerges As A Pharma Favorite
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has received almost $100,000 from drug companies in the current election cycle, a KHN analysis shows, one of the largest cash hauls in Congress. And it’s only her first term.
Millions Stuck At Home With No Plumbing, Kitchen Or Space To Stay Safe
In 470,000 American homes spread across every state, washing hands to prevent COVID-19 may not be as easy as turning on a faucet. They don’t have showers or toilets or, in some cases, even water piped into their homes. Nearly a million U.S. homes don’t have complete kitchens and millions more are overcrowded, making it much tougher for people to shelter in place and avoid infection.
Furor Erupts: Billions Going To Hospitals Based On Medicare Billings, Not COVID-19
In the first round of emergency relief, some states will get more than $300,000 per COVID-19 patient, while hard-hit New York gets just $12,000 per patient.
Millions Of Older Americans Live In Counties With No ICU Beds Amid Pandemic
A Kaiser Health News analysis shows that counties with ICUs average one ICU bed for every 1,300 older residents, those most at risk for needing hospitalization.
How Well Does Your Nursing Home Fight Infections? Look It Up Here
More nursing homes have been faulted for failing to follow practices designed to prevent and control infections than for any other type of error. Such lapses have become matters of heightened concern with the spread of the coronavirus this spring, especially as the virus is a bigger threat to the elderly.
VCU Health Halts 30-Year Campaign That Seized Patients’ Wages, Put Liens On Homes
The bold move by the giant hospital system will help thousands of patients in the wake of a Kaiser Health News investigation last year.
Sen. Grassley Questions UVA Health On Findings From Kaiser Health News Investigation
A letter from the Senate Finance Committee chairman questions the University of Virginia Health System about its financial assistance policies, billing practices and prices.