Latest California Healthline Stories
Looking For Lower Medicare Drug Costs? Ask Your Pharmacist For The Cash Price.
Sometimes a drug plan’s copayment is higher than the cash price, and under a little-known federal rule, pharmacists have to tell Medicare beneficiaries that — but only if they ask.
Benefit Change Could Raise Costs For Patients Getting Drug Copay Assistance
More health plans are refusing to count the copayment assistance offered by drug makers as part of the patients’ deductibles or out-of-pocket limits.
Single-Payer Issue Drives Dollars Into Gubernatorial Campaign
Money is streaming into the campaign from health care interests with a stake in whether California adopts a government-run, universal-coverage system.
Drugmakers Blamed For Blocking Generics Have Jacked Up Prices And Cost U.S. Billions
The Trump administration is shaming brand-name drugmakers who refuse to sell samples so generics can be made from their products.
Sutter Health Strikes Back At California Attorney General’s Antitrust Suit
The hospital chain says AG Xavier Becerra is trying to “dismantle” its system. CHL’s Chad Terhune discusses this high-stakes legal battle over health care consolidation on KQED radio, with health editor Carrie Feibel.
Indocumentada y con cáncer: entre la muerte y la deportación
¿Qué sucede cuando un inmigrante indocumentado tiene un diagnóstico potencialmente mortal? Depende mucho de en dónde viva.
When Is Insurance Not Really Insurance? When You Need Pricey Dental Care.
Even under a decent plan, you’ll have to dig deep in your pocket for crowns, bridges and implants. The mouth isn’t covered by insurance the same way as the rest of the body, and this division has deep roots in history and tradition.
Choosing Between Death And Deportation
What happens when an undocumented immigrant has a life-threatening diagnosis? Much depends on where the person lives. And even in states with generous care for a dire illness, a patient can face difficult life-and-death choices.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Much Ado About Drug Prices
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call discuss President Donald Trump’s proposals to control prescription drug prices and the efforts to sell the plan to lawmakers and the public. Also, Rovner interviews emeritus law professor Timothy Jost about the state of the Affordable Care Act.
Insurer Slashes Breast Pump Payments, Stoking Fears Fewer Moms Will Breastfeed
Anthem, one of the country’s largest insurers, has cut the reimbursement rate it pays for breast pumps by nearly half, fueling concerns that new moms — especially ones with lower incomes — will not be able to afford the pumps they need.