Latest California Healthline Stories
Head-Scratching Over Newsom’s Choice of Blue Shield to Lead Vaccination Push
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s surprising choice of Blue Shield to lead the state’s covid vaccination effort raised questions about the role politics played in the decision — and whether the insurer is up to the task.
Surprise Federal Drug Rule Directs Insurers to Reveal What They Pay for Prescription Drugs
A provision the Trump administration tucked into its final rule on health plan price transparency requires telling consumers what they will pay out-of-pocket for drugs and showing them what the plan paid.
Heartbreaking Bills, Lawsuit and Bankruptcy — Even With Insurance
With health insurance that can leave him on the hook for more than a quarter of his salary every year, a Kentucky essential worker who has heart disease is one of millions of Americans who are functionally uninsured. At only 31, he has already been through bankruptcy and being sued by his hospital. This year, he faced a bill for more than $10,000.
COVID + Influenza: This Is a Good Year to Get a Flu Shot, Experts Advise
A robust sign-up for flu shots could help head off a nightmare scenario in the coming winter of hospitals stuffed with both COVID-19 patients and those suffering from severe effects of influenza. Plus, no one knows how flu and COVID might interact if a patient got both.
COVID + Influenza: éste es un buen año para vacunarse, aconsejan expertos
Con el país en medio de una pandemia, expertos dicen que nadie sabe qué sucedería si se contrae influenza y COVID simultáneamente porque nunca ocurrió antes.
Don’t Count on Lower Premiums Despite Pandemic-Driven Boon for Insurers
Early in the pandemic, insurers expected the costs of treating COVID-19 would vastly increase medical spending. Instead, non-COVID care has plummeted and insurers have pocketed the result. Still, few industry observers are predicting broad-based premium cuts in 2021, though some health plans have proposed lowering their rates.
For COVID Tests, the Question of Who Pays Comes Down to Interpretation
Additional guidance issued late last month by the Trump administration added to the confusion. Some consumers may find themselves unexpectedly on the hook for the cost of a test.
KHN’s Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber drills through the vital health care policy stories of the week, so you don’t have to.
Trump Administration’s Sudden Shift on COVID Data Leaves States in the Lurch
Missouri Hospital Association says the switch of data collection from the CDC to a new HHS contractor is “a major disruption.” In Kansas, the move likely will delay hospitalization data.
Hospital Executive Charged In $1.4B Rural Hospital Billing Scheme
In an investigation last year, KHN detailed the rise and fall of Miami businessman Jorge A. Perez’s rural hospital empire, which spanned eight states and encompassed half of the rural hospital bankruptcies in 2019.