Latest California Healthline Stories
Appendicitis Is Painful — Add A $41,212 Surgery Bill To The Misery
A young man averted medical disaster after a friend took him to the nearest hospital just before his appendix burst. But more than a year later, he’s still facing a $28,000 balance bill for his out-of-network surgery.
Le cobran $41,212 por sacarle el apéndice
Nadie le dijo que el hospital estaba fuera de la red del plan médico que tenía a través de su trabajo. En cualquier caso, no hubiera podido irse a otro lugar. Su apéndice estaba a punto de reventar.
Listen: Colorado Ski Area Opts For Novel Effort To Stop Avalanche Of Health Costs
KHN’s Julie Rovner joins WAMU’s “1A” on Wednesday to discuss an innovative plan by Summit County, Colorado, to directly negotiate with doctors and hospitals to lower health costs.
Response To Nation’s 1st Coronavirus Case Draws On Lessons From Measles Outbreak
When the first confirmed U.S. patient was pinpointed in Washington state, health clinic workers there weren’t rattled. They were prepped by new statewide protocols on contagion containment, in the wake of last year’s measles scare.
Conceived Through ‘Fertility Fraud,’ She Now Needs Fertility Treatment
Years ago, doctors sometimes lied about whose sperm they used for artificial inseminations. Could it happen now? Some argue regulation is weak in the multibillion-dollar fertility treatment industry.
Patients Want A ‘Good Death’ At Home, But Hospice Care Can Badly Strain Families
Fewer Americans are dying in a hospital, under the close supervision of doctors and nurses. That trend has been boosted by an expanded Medicare benefit that helps people live out their final days at home in hospice care. But as home hospice grows, so has the burden on families left to provide much of the care.
Listen: How Vaping Regulations Are Playing Out In The States
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber joined Wisconsin Public Radio’s Rob Ferrett on “Central Time” to discuss the latest on vaping bans and what they mean for vaping trends among youth.
Smokers Need Not Apply: Fairness Of No-Nicotine Hiring Policies Questioned
U-Haul will not hire nicotine users in 21 states where it is legal to do so. Ethicists say such policies disproportionately affect the poor and are a sign of employers becoming overly involved in workers’ lifestyle choices.
Listen: A Renewed Focus On Health Care In 2020
KHN’s Julie Rovner joins Stephen Henderson of “Detroit Today” on WDET, an NPR station, to talk about the pivotal role of health care issues in the 2020 presidential campaign.
Effort To Control Opioids In An ER Leaves Some Sickle Cell Patients In Pain
People with sickle cell disease aren’t fueling the opioid crisis, research shows. Yet some ER doctors still treat patients seeking relief for agonizing sickle cell crises as potential addicts.