California Patients Fear Fallout From Third Dialysis Ballot Measure
By Rachel Bluth
Californians are facing the third statewide dialysis initiative in five years. The dialysis industry is spending tens of millions of dollars to defeat Proposition 29 and is running ads saying the measure would force clinics to close — a message that appears to be resonating with patients.
Despite Katie Couric’s Advice, Doctors Say Ultrasound Breast Exams May Not Be Needed
By Michelle Andrews
When Katie Couric announced she had breast cancer, she urged women to get a mammogram — and, if they have dense breasts, to get supplemental screening by ultrasound. But medical experts point out that ultrasound and other auxiliary screenings haven’t been proven to do more than regular mammography in reducing mortality.
Knoxville’s Black Community Endured Deeply Rooted Racism. Now There Is Medical Debt.
By Noam N. Levey
Despite the end of Jim Crow segregation, its legacy lives on in medical debt that disproportionately burdens Black communities.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Voters Will Get Their Say on Multiple Health Issues
Abortion isn’t the only health issue voters will be asked to decide in state ballot questions next month. Proposals about medical debt, Medicaid expansion, and whether health care should be a right are on ballots in various states. Meanwhile, the latest lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act has expanded to cover all preventive care. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more.
Daily Edition for Thursday, October 27, 2022
Health Care System At Sacramento County Jail Is ‘Broken,’ Report Says: A damning new 101-page report on the state of health care inside Sacramento County’s jail system described it as having a chronic shortage of nurses and doctors, medical treatment areas that are “cluttered, dirty, and in many cases filthy,” and an overcrowding problem so severe that the Main Jail has twice as many inmates as it was originally designed to hold. Read more from The Sacramento Bee.
Employers Are Concerned About Covering Workers’ Mental Health Needs, Survey Finds
By Michelle Andrews
Nearly half of large employers report that increasing numbers of their workers were using mental health services, according to a KFF annual employer survey. Yet almost a third of those employers said their health plan’s network didn’t have enough behavioral health care providers for employees to have timely access to the care they need.
Ambulance Company to Halt Some Rides in Southern Calif., Citing Low Medicaid Rates
By Sarah Kwon
American Medical Response, the largest U.S. ambulance company, is ending nonemergency transportation for 12 hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange counties, saying the state doesn’t pay enough to transport low-income patients. The state is pushing back.
Empleadores se preocupan por la salud mental, pero no hay suficientes proveedores
By Michelle Andrews
Casi la mitad de los grandes empleadores encuestados, con al menos 200 trabajadores, informaron que una proporción cada vez mayor de sus empleados utilizaba servicios de salud mental.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, October 26, 2022
San Diego Greenlights Plan To Fight Opioid Abuse: San Diego County supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved a framework in anticipation of an expected $100 million in settlement money from pharmaceutical companies to address the region’s opioid crisis. Read more from Times of San Diego and the San Diego Union-Tribune.
