‘An Arm and a Leg’: The New Cap on Medicare Drug Costs
By Dan Weissmann
In this episode, Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KHN, guides listeners through decades of dealings between Congress and Big Pharma.
Journalists Delve Into Inflation Policy, Hospital Closures, and Needle Exchanges
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Daily Edition for Friday, September 9, 2022
Friday’s roundup covers dangerous heat, monkeypox, covid boosters, masks, immigrant health, suicide, and more.
Many Preventive Medical Services Cost Patients Nothing. Will a Texas Court Decision Change That?
By Julie Appleby
A federal judge in Texas issued a decision this week that affects the Affordable Care Act. It says one way that preventive services are selected for no-cost coverage is unconstitutional.
Los hospitales derivan pacientes de atención primaria a centros de salud “semejantes” para mejorar las finanzas
By Phil Galewitz
Photos by Heidi de Marco
Pero, a diferencia de los centros de salud comunitarios, los semejantes no reciben una subvención federal anual para cubrir los costos operativos. Tampoco obtienen la cobertura económica del gobierno federal para casos de negligencia médica.
Niños del norte de California aprenden a lidiar con el trauma que dejan los incendios
By Heidi de Marco
A medida que los incendios forestales de California se vuelven más intensos, frecuentes y generalizados, muchos niños que los sobreviven experimentan traumas psicológicos duraderos, como ansiedad, depresión y trastorno de estrés postraumático.
Hospitals Divert Primary Care Patients to Health Center ‘Look-Alikes’ to Boost Finances
By Phil Galewitz
Photos by Heidi de Marco
Medicare and Medicaid pay “look-alike” health centers significantly more than hospitals for treating patients, and converting or creating clinics can help hospitals reduce their expenses. California has more than two dozen of the look-alikes, far outpacing any other state, although many are not associated with hospitals.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Judge Takes Aim at the Affordable Care Act’s Preventive Care Benefits
A federal judge in Texas — the same one who tried to strike down the Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional in 2018 — has ruled against some of the ACA’s preventive benefits, including the requirement that employers cover medication to prevent HIV. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs tries to make abortions slightly more available to veterans and their dependents. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Lauren Sausser, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment.
Daily Edition for Thursday, September 8, 2022
Backup Generators Fail At Santa Clara Valley Medical Center: On one of the hottest days in the city’s recorded history, backup generators failed at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose on Tuesday night, leaving parts of the facility entirely without power for around four hours. Read more from Bay Area News Group. Keep scrolling for more on the heat wave.
Children in Northern California Learn to Cope With Wildfire Trauma
By Heidi de Marco
Doctors and health officials say more children in the state are growing up with wildfire, which can cause stress, depression, anxiety, and other lasting trauma. Experts say there are ways to help kids stay calm.
