Medical Debt Is Making Americans Angry. Doctors and Hospitals Ignore This at Their Peril.
By Noam N. Levey
Doctors and hospitals hold an exalted position in American life, retaining public confidence even as other institutions such as government, law enforcement, and the media are losing people’s trust. But with health care debt out of hand, medical providers risk their good standing.
Pain Clinic Chain to Pay $11.4M to Settle Medicare and Medi-Cal Fraud Claims
By Don Thompson
The owner of one of California’s largest chains of pain management clinics has agreed to pay California, Oregon, and the federal government to settle Medicare and Medi-Cal fraud allegations.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Let’s Talk About the Weather
2023 will likely be remembered as the summer Arizona sizzled, Vermont got swamped, and nearly the entire Eastern Seaboard, along with huge swaths of the Midwest, choked on wildfire smoke from Canada. Still, none of that has been enough to prompt policymakers in Washington to act on climate issues. Meanwhile, at a public court hearing, […]
Daily Edition for Thursday, July 20, 2023
One Year In, 988 Mental Health Crisis Line Proves It’s Worth: California made it easier to call for help a year ago when it launched a simplified mental health crisis hotline: Dial three digits — 988 — and you can get in touch with a counselor immediately. Since then, crisis centers have received more than 280,000 calls. That’s twice as many as any other state, signaling to mental health advocates that the service was badly needed. Read more from the CalMatters.
Industry Groups Vie for New Medi-Cal Money
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
State officials have promised to boost funding for California’s Medicaid program by $11.1 billion starting next year, with most of that money earmarked for higher payments to doctors, hospitals, and other providers. But the details have yet to be worked out, and powerful health industry groups are jockeying for position.
Congress Considers Easing Regulations on Air Transport of Donated Organs
By Colleen DeGuzman
A little-noticed provision of sweeping legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration would make it easier to fly human organs from donor to recipient.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Dangerous heat, air and water quality, Alzheimer’s, CARE Court, CalPERS insurance premiums, fentanyl, Medi-Cal, and more are in the news.
The Painful Legacy of ‘Law and Order’ Treatment of Addiction in Jail
By Renuka Rayasam
Efforts to improve addiction care in jails and prisons are underway across the country. But a rural Alabama county with one of the nation’s highest overdose rates shows how change is slow, while law enforcement officials continue to treat addiction as a crime rather than a medical condition.
Once the New Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill Is Available, What About Cost and Coverage?
By Michelle Andrews
The Food and Drug Administration’s approval is viewed as groundbreaking, but many details still must be figured out.
¿Cuánto costará la píldora anticonceptiva de venta libre? ¿La cubrirán los seguros?
By Michelle Andrews
Los defensores de la salud reproductiva celebraron esta histórica aprobación como un paso que puede ayudar a millones de personas a evitar embarazos no deseados, que ocurren casi la mitad de las veces en los Estados Unidos.
