An Arm and a Leg: When Hospitals Sue Patients (Part 2)
By Dan Weissmann
Why do hospitals sue patients who can’t afford to pay their medical bills? On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann investigates such lawsuits and covers new laws and regulations that may change this practice.
RFK Jr.’s Campaign of Conspiracy Theories Is PolitiFact’s 2023 Lie of the Year
By Madison Czopek, PolitiFact and Katie Sanders, PolitiFact
Debate and speculation are heating up over whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign will factor into the outcome of the 2024 election. But one thing is clear: Kennedy’s political following is built on a movement that seeks to legitimize conspiracy theories.
In Year 6, KFF Health News-NPR’s ‘Bill of the Month’ Helps Patients in a Changing System
In the sixth year of the KFF Health News-NPR’ “Bill of the Month” series, patients shared more than 750 tales of medical billing problems, and reporters analyzed more than $730,000 in charges — including more than $215,000 owed by 12 patients and their families.
Daily Edition for Friday, December 22, 2023
Medi-Cal changes in 2024, gun laws, TB, mental illness, covid vaccines, cancer care, pediatrician training, and more are in the news.
‘AGGA’ Inventor Testifies His Dental Device Was Not Meant for TMJ or Sleep Apnea
By Brett Kelman and Anna Werner, CBS News
The FDA and Department of Justice are investigating the Anterior Growth Guidance Appliance, or “AGGA.” TMJ and sleep apnea patients have filed lawsuits alleging the device harmed them. Its inventor now says the AGGA was never meant for these ailments.
Bold Changes Are in Store for Medi-Cal in 2024, but Will Patients Benefit?
By Bernard J. Wolfson
California’s Medicaid program is undergoing major changes that could improve health care for residents with low incomes. But they are happening at the same time as several other initiatives that could compete for staff attention and confuse enrollees.
Cancer Patients Face Frightening Delays in Treatment Approvals
By Lauren Sausser
Delaying cancer treatment can be deadly — which makes the roadblock-riddled process that health insurers use to approve or deny care particularly daunting for oncology patients.
Se avecinan cambios para Medi-Cal en 2024, pero ¿beneficiarán a los pacientes?
By Bernard J. Wolfson
A partir del próximo año, más de 700,000 inmigrantes sin papeles serán elegibles para una cobertura completa de Medi-Cal.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': 2023 Is a Wrap
2023 was another busy year in health care. As the covid-19 pandemic waned, policymakers looked anew at long-standing obstacles to obtaining and paying for care in the nation’s health care system. Meanwhile, abortion has continued to be an issue in much of the nation, as states respond to the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning the constitutional right to the procedure. This week, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and wrap up the year in health. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Jordan Rau about his joint KFF Health News-New York Times series “Dying Broke.”
Daily Edition for Thursday, December 21, 2023
Environmental health, hospital watch, medical devices safety, homelessness, long covid, Obamacare, smoking, and more are in the news.
