Under Fire, Social Security Chief Vows ‘Top-to-Bottom’ Review of Payment Clawbacks
By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group
Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi was pressed by a House Ways and Means subcommittee to explain why so many poor, disabled, or retired people are suddenly hit with demands that can reach tens of thousands of dollars or more.
Suzanne Somers’ Legacy Tainted by Celebrity Medical Misinformation
By Liz Szabo
The popular actress and author, who died this week, also can be remembered as a progenitor of selling dubious medical information to a trusting public.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, October 18, 2023
“Street medicine,” child poverty, drug overdoses, insurance premiums, covid, PFAS, tobacco, and more are in the news.
Abortion Coverage Is Limited or Unavailable at a Quarter of Large Workplaces
By Rachana Pradhan
A KFF survey of employer health benefits shows that 28% of large U.S. companies have limited or no access to abortion under company health insurance.
Covid Relief Payments Triggered Feds to Demand Money Back From Social Security Recipients
By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group
Some Social Security beneficiaries say the government is clawing back benefits after they received covid stimulus payments that were supposed to be exempt from asset limits.
Health Care ‘Game-Changer’? Feds Boost Care for Homeless Americans
By Angela Hart
This month, the federal government started paying for treatments delivered outside hospitals and clinics, expanding funding for “street medicine” teams that treat homeless patients. California led the way on the change, which could help sick and vulnerable patients get healthy, sober, and, in some cases, into housing.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Maternal health, covid, Medicare Advantage, open enrollment, mental health parity, Medi-Cal, health worker wages, and more are in the news.
Michigan Voters Backed Abortion Rights. Now Democrats Want to Go Further.
By Kate Wells, Michigan Public
Michigan is one of the few remaining abortion havens in the Midwest. But getting an abortion in that state is still more difficult than it should be, providers say.
For People With Sickle Cell Disease, ERs Can Mean Life-Threatening Waits
By Sara Hutchinson
When patients with sickle cell disease have a health crisis — crescent-shaped red blood cells blocking blood flow — their condition can quickly lead to a fatal stroke or infection. But, despite efforts to educate doctors, research shows that patients are waiting hours in ERs and are often denied pain medication.
Pregnant and Addicted: Homeless Women See Hope in Street Medicine
By Angela Hart
As homelessness explodes across California, so does the number of expectant mothers on the streets. Street medicine doctors are getting paid more by Medicaid and offering some of those mothers-to-be a chance to overcome addiction and reverse chronic diseases so they can have healthy babies — and perhaps keep them.
