Latest California Healthline Stories
Uninsured in South Would Win Big in Democrats’ Plan, but Hospitals Fear Funding Loss
The latest iteration of President Joe Biden’s social-spending package would close the health insurance gap for at least 2.2 million people, making a huge difference especially in the South, where political opposition has blocked Medicaid expansion.
About 21% of patients in the U.S. diagnosed with covid during a hospital stay died, according to data analyzed for KHN. In-hospital rates of spread varied widely in California and across the country — and patients had no way of checking them.
Fueron al hospital para recibir atención. Allí, contrajeron covid… y algunos nunca salieron
En promedio, alrededor del 1,7% de los pacientes con covid internados en hospitales de los Estados Unidos fueron diagnosticados con el virus en estas instalaciones, según un análisis de los registros de Medicare del 1 de abril al 30 de septiembre de 2020.
Journalists Explore Shadow Pandemics of Hospital Violence and Grieving Children
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
ERs Are Swamped With Seriously Ill Patients, Although Many Don’t Have Covid
Certain patients who couldn’t get in to see a doctor earlier in the pandemic, or were avoiding the covid risks inside hospitals, have become too sick to stay away. Many ERs now struggle to cope with an onslaught of demand.
Pacientes graves abarrotan las salas de emergencias, pero muchos no tienen covid
Los meses de retraso en el tratamiento han exacerbado las enfermedades crónicas y empeorado los síntomas. Los médicos y las enfermeras afirman que la gravedad de las enfermedades es muy variada e incluye dolor abdominal, problemas respiratorios, coágulos de sangre, enfermedades cardíacas e intentos de suicidio, entre otras afecciones.
Medicare Punishes 2,499 Hospitals for High Readmissions
The federal government’s hospital penalty program finishes its first decade by lowering payments to nearly half the nation’s hospitals for readmitting too many Medicare patients within a month. Penalties, though often small, are credited with helping reduce the number of patients returning for another Medicare stay within 30 days.
How Billing Turns a Routine Birth Into a High-Cost Emergency
“Obstetrical emergency departments” are a new feature in some hospitals that can inflate medical bills for even the easiest, healthiest births. Just ask the parents of Baby Gus.
Understaffed State Psychiatric Facilities Leave Mental Health Patients in Limbo
The pandemic has so seriously strained already tight state psychiatric hospitals in Georgia, Virginia, Texas and elsewhere that these facilities for the poorest and most vulnerable people with mental illness struggle to admit new patients.
Analysis: A Procedure That Cost $1,775 in New York Was $350 in Maryland. Here’s Why.
The state’s unique health system controls what hospitals can charge for services.