Banning Noncompete Contracts for Medical Staff Riles Hospitals
By Harris Meyer
It’s about the money — on both sides — as arguments swirl about patient safety, rising prices, and paying back on-the-job training.
Obamacare at 13: Biden and a KHN Reporter Remember
By Phil Galewitz
The White House gathered the people who helped pass the Affordable Care Act 13 years ago — partly to congratulate themselves but also to emphasize that they still have much work to do to make health care affordable.
Daily Edition for Friday, March 24, 2023
San Diego Hospitals Accused Of ‘Patient Dumping’: Members of a homeless advocate group are accusing hospitals across San Diego of prematurely discharging homeless or indigent patients — a practice known as patient dumping. Read more from Becker’s Hospital Review, NBC7 San Diego, and the San Diego Union Tribune.
When College Athletes Kill Themselves, Healing the Team Becomes the Next Goal
By Debby Waldman
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among college students. Contrary to conventional wisdom, athletes aren’t immune from the risk factors. Players at Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin, and other colleges are learning how to protect their mental health and ask for help after their teammates killed themselves.
Sen. Sanders Shows Fire, but Seeks Modest Goals, in His Debut Drug Hearing as Health Chair
By Arthur Allen
The Vermont independent and former presidential candidate was all fire and brimstone at his first hearing on drug prices as head of the Senate HELP Committee. He also pursued a more modest goal of covid vaccine price reductions. It isn’t clear whether Sanders will succeed in even that, but he has put affordability front and center.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Policy, and Politics, of Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage, the private-sector alternative to original Medicare, now enrolls nearly half of all Medicare beneficiaries. But it remains controversial because — while most of its subscribers like the extra benefits many plans provide — the program frequently costs the federal government more than if those seniors remained in the fully public program. That controversy […]
Daily Edition for Thursday, March 23, 2023
The red food dye debate, a data breach, housing, covid, vaccine costs, birth control, opioids, fungus worries, and more are in the news.
Fresh Produce Is an Increasingly Popular Prescription for Chronically Ill Patients
By Carly Graf
Fresh produce prescription programs are getting a boost in Montana as a way of helping people with chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The approach may be a model for other rural states to promote healthy eating in food deserts.
Being ‘Socially Frail’ Comes With Health Risks for Older Adults
By Judith Graham
Researchers are identifying new ways to assess older adults’ social circumstances and identify risks that can compromise their health. “It’s a more complete picture of older adults’ circumstances than any one factor alone,” one expert said.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, March 22, 2023
A single-payer bill, youth hunger, hospital workers, overdoses, housing, HIV, covid origins, vaccines, and more are in the news.