California Joins States Trying to Shorten Wait Times for Mental Health Care
By April Dembosky, KQED
In California, health insurers blame long waits for therapy appointments on workforce shortages, but state lawmakers say that’s an excuse. A new law requires insurers to reduce wait times for mental health appointments to no more than 10 business days.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott Off Base in Claim That Rise in Medicare Premiums Is Due to Inflation
By Phil Galewitz
The Republican senator says President Joe Biden’s “inflation crisis” caused Medicare to raise monthly premiums, which will add hundreds of dollars to beneficiaries’ costs. But Medicare experts say inflation was not to blame and most beneficiaries will shoulder a much smaller increase than what Rick Scott claims.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Big Biden Budget Bill Passes the House
President Joe Biden’s social spending budget is on its way to the U.S. Senate, where Democratic leaders are (optimistically) hoping to complete work by the end of the year. Meanwhile, covid is surging again in parts of the country, along with the political divides it continues to cause. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner previews next week’s Supreme Court abortion oral arguments with Florida State University law professor Mary Ziegler.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Tuesday’s summaries of California health news report on covid rates, testing lab, shots for kids, boosters, health equity and more.
When the Eye on Older Patients Is a Camera
By Sofie Kodner
High-tech tools — like the monitors sold by Palo Alto-based People Power Co. — may ease caregivers’ stress but can raise sticky privacy questions and concerns about cost.
Becerra Says Surprise Billing Rules Force Doctors Who Overcharge to Accept Fair Prices
By Michael McAuliff
The Health and Human Services secretary says the administration has heard complaints from doctors and hospitals about the rules it unveiled for implementing the law to end surprise medical bills. But he says providers who have exploited a complicated system to charge exorbitant rates will have to bear their share of the cost — or close.
Daily Edition for Monday, November 22, 2021
Monday’s summaries of California health news reports on Thanksgiving covid fears, boosters, testing, vaccine mandates, spending bill and more.
Why You Can’t Find Cheap At-Home Covid Tests
By Rachana Pradhan and Hannah Norman
You probably won’t be testing everyone at your Thanksgiving table for covid because the tests are expensive and hard to find. Why? The federal government is partly to blame.
Lifting DC’s Strict Indoor Mask Mandate Triggers Mix of Confusion, Anxiety and Relief
By Amanda Michelle Gomez
Some business owners, wondering whether it’s too soon to ease the requirement, long for more guidance and support from the mayor.
Success of Covid Antiviral Pills Hinges on Access to Speedy and Accurate Tests
By JoNel Aleccia
The promising antiviral drugs to treat covid can halt hospitalizations and deaths, but only if they’re given to patients within three to five days of their first symptoms, a narrow window many people won’t meet. Here’s why.
