Social Security Overpayments Draw Scrutiny and Outrage From Members of Congress
By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group
Lawmakers are faulting the Social Security Administration for issuing billions of dollars of payments that beneficiaries weren’t entitled to receive — and then demanding the money back — in the wake of an investigation by KFF Health News and Cox Media Group.
She Received Chemo in Two States. Why Did It Cost So Much More in Alaska?
By Arielle Zionts
A breast cancer patient who received similar treatments in two states saw significant differences in cost, illuminating how care in remote areas can come with a stiffer price tag.
GOP Presidential Primary Debate No. 2: An Angry Rematch and the Same Notable No-Show
By KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs
Though never framed as a marquee issue, the topic of health care crept into the chaotic seven-way faceoff throughout the evening, highlighting Republican culture-war themes.
Daily Edition for Thursday, September 28, 2023
New abortion law, housing, prison health, Dianne Feinstein’s medical expenses, Biden’s visit, shutdown watch, and more are in the news.
Readers Rail at Social Security Overpayments and Insurers’ Prior Authorizations
California Healthline gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Who Polices Hospitals Merging Across Markets? States Give Different Answers
By Samantha Liss
Increasingly, hospitals are merging across separate markets within states. It’s a move that health economists and the Federal Trade Commission have been closely watching, as evidence shows such mergers raise prices for patients with no improvement in care.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': More Medicaid Messiness
At least 30 states are reinstating coverage for children wrongly removed from the rolls under Medicaid redetermination, the federal government reported. It’s just the latest hiccup in the massive effort to review the eligibility of Medicaid beneficiaries now that the program’s pandemic-era expansion has expired. And federal oversight of the so-called unwinding would be further complicated by an impending government shutdown. Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Samantha Liss, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about a hospital bill that followed a deceased patient’s family for more than a year.
As Covid Infections Rise, Nursing Homes Are Still Waiting for Vaccines
By Jordan Rau and Tony Leys
“People want covid-19 to be in the rearview mirror,” one nursing home official says. Faced with a slow rollout of the updated covid vaccines, and without state mandates for workers to get vaccinated, most skilled nursing facilities are relying on persuasion to boost vaccination rates among staff and residents.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, September 27, 2023
LAUSD Ends Covid Vaccine Mandate For Staff: The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted 6 to 1 on Tuesday to rescind its two-year-old COVID-19 vaccine mandate for staff, saying it is no longer needed to assure safe in-person learning. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Daily News.
What Happens to Health Programs if the Federal Government Shuts Down?
By Julie Rovner
Medicare and Medicaid shouldn’t be affected, but confusion can be expected.
