Listen: Crooked Media and KHN Deliver Diagnosis on Pandemic Relief and ACA
KHN and Crooked Media’s “America Dissected” have teamed up for a recurring conversation about the policies that make health care seem so tangled. Join KHN journalists and podcast host Dr. Abdul El-Sayed for his “DC Diagnosis.”
Betting on ‘Golden Age’ of Colonoscopies, Private Equity Invests in Gastro Docs
By Emily Pisacreta and Emmarie Huetteman
An aging population in need of regular cancer screenings has driven private equity companies, seeking profits, to invest in many gastroenterology practices and set up aggressive billing practices. Steep prices on routine tests are one consequence for patients.
Mental Health Services Wane as Insurers Appear to Skirt Parity Rules During Pandemic
By Emmarie Huetteman
A report from the Government Accountability Office paints a picture of an already strained behavioral health system struggling after the pandemic struck to meet the treatment needs of millions of Americans with conditions like alcohol use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Covid Vaccine Hesitancy Drops Among All Americans, New Survey Shows
By Emmarie Huetteman
A nationwide poll released by KFF also revealed which arguments are most compelling to persuade people to get a shot — and which ones are unlikely to work.
Democrats Eye Medicare Negotiations to Lower Drug Prices
By Emmarie Huetteman
Progressive and conservative Democratic lawmakers, as well as President Joe Biden, are in favor of authorizing federal officials to negotiate with drugmakers over what Medicare pays for at least some of the most expensive brand-name drugs and to base those prices on the drugs’ clinical benefits. Such a measure could put Republicans in the uncomfortable position of opposing an idea that most voters from both parties generally support.
Pandemic Aid Package Includes Relief From High Premiums
By Emmarie Huetteman
Experts say the two-year expansion of subsidies for most people who buy insurance through the government exchanges would be among the most significant changes to the affordability of private insurance since the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
Too Big To Fail? Now It’s ‘Too Big To Hack’
Congress this week had the chance to formally air grievances over the cascading consequences of the Change Healthcare cyberattack, and lawmakers from both major parties agreed on one culprit: consolidation in health care. Plus, about a year after states began stripping people from their Medicaid rolls, a new survey shows nearly a quarter of adults who were disenrolled are now uninsured. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews Caroline Pearson of the Peterson Health Technology Institute.
Hard Bargain: Biden and Congress Agree on Basic Relief, but Chasms Remain on Covid Plan
By Emmarie Huetteman
Agreement between the president and Republican senators on funding for basic public health matters such as vaccine distribution and covid testing was an easy target. That money can’t move out, though, until accord is reached on some of the president’s big-ticket economic plans.
4 Vital Health Issues — Not Tied to Covid — That Congress Addressed in Massive Spending Bill
By Emmarie Huetteman
Lawmakers answered pleas from strained health facilities in rural areas, agreed to cover the cost of training more new doctors, sought to strengthen efforts to equalize mental health coverage with that of physical medicine and instructed the federal government to collect data that could be used to rein in high medical bills.
Evaluating President Joe Biden’s First 100 Days in Office
By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
Presidential historians say that Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office — a somewhat arbitrary but frequently cited milestone — have included an above-average number of major accomplishments.