Daily Edition for Monday, March 13, 2023
Biotech Industry Left In a Lurch After SVB Failure: Silicon Valley Bank, which is headquartered in Santa Clara and does business with roughly half of the nation’s tech and biotech companies, failed on Friday. Now, as federal regulators step in to clean up SVB’s mess, biotech startups are left wondering: What happens to their money, and who’s going to finance the industry? Read more from STAT, Modern Healthcare, and Crunchbase.
Feds Move to Rein In Prior Authorization, a System That Harms and Frustrates Patients
By Lauren Sausser
The federal government wants to change the way health insurers use prior authorization — the requirement that patients get permission before undergoing treatment. Designed to prevent doctors from deploying expensive, ineffectual procedures, prior authorization has become a confusing maze that denies or delays care, burdens physicians with paperwork, and perpetuates racial disparities. New rules may not be enough to solve the problems.
An Arm and a Leg: Wrestling With a Giant: How to Dispute a Hospital Bill
By Dan Weissmann
One listener tried to dispute a $1,300 “facility fee” with the treating hospital, his insurer, a bill-mediation service provided by his employer, and finally a debt collector. He didn’t win, but he learned valuable lessons about advocating for hospital discounts.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Biden Budget Touches All the Bases
Very little in the proposed budget released by the Biden administration is likely to become law, particularly with Republicans in charge of the U.S. House. Still, the document is an important statement of the president’s policy priorities, and it’s clear health programs are among those he feels are important. Meanwhile, five women who were denied abortions when their pregnancies threatened their lives are suing Texas. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Harris Meyer, who reported and wrote the two latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” features. Both were about families facing unexpected bills following childbirth.
Daily Edition for Friday, March 10, 2023
Newsom Requests Federal Help For Snowstorm; Trapped Residents Need Food: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday requested a presidential emergency declaration authorizing aid for 20 counties grappling with the aftermath of the recent blizzard. Meanwhile, in Tahoe, many residents remain trapped, unable to get food or gas. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle and Southern California News Group.
Seniors With Anxiety Frequently Don’t Get Help. Here’s Why.
By Judith Graham
Older people often aren’t being screened for anxiety disorders, even though it is a common affliction — one masked by other problems when growing old.
Por qué los adultos mayores con ansiedad suelen no recibir ayuda
By Judith Graham
La ansiedad es el trastorno psicológico más común que afecta a los adultos en Estados Unidos. En las personas mayores, se asocia a una angustia considerable y a problemas de salud, disminución de la calidad de vida y elevadas tasas de discapacidad.
Daily Edition for Thursday, March 9, 2023
Walgreens contract canceled, covid, racial disparities, guns, air quality, the opioid crisis, housing and more are in today’s news.
Medicaid Health Plans Try to Protect Members — And Profits — During Unwinding
By Phil Galewitz
States are turning to the big health insurance companies to keep Medicaid enrollees insured once pandemic protections end in April. The insurers’ motive: profits.
Why Does Insulin Cost So Much? Big Pharma Isn’t the Only Player Driving Prices
By Arthur Allen
Big Pharma may be moving on from squeezing diabetes patients on insulin prices, but it’s the arbitrators that jack up prices for those who can least afford them.
