Latest California Healthline Stories
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: It’s Scandal Week
President Donald Trump this week issued a prescription drug pricing order unlikely to lower drug prices, and he contradicted comments by his director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the need for mask-wearing and predictions for vaccine availability. Meanwhile, scandals erupted at the CDC, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Food and Drug Administration. And the number of people without health insurance grew in 2019, reported the Census Bureau, even while the economy soared. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
With No Legal Guardrails for Patients, Ambulances Drive Surprise Medical Billing
Studies show that at least half of ground ambulance rides across the nation leave patients with “surprise” medical bills. And a $300-a-mile ride is not unusual. Yet federal legislation to stem what’s known as balance billing has largely ignored ambulance costs.
Lights, Camera, No Action: Insurance Woes Beset Entertainment Industry Workers
Many actors, directors, backstage workers and others in the entertainment industry are often eligible for health coverage through their unions, a model that some experts promote for other gig workers. But coverage is determined by past employment, and many of these professionals aren’t working because of the coronavirus.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: She Tangled With Health Insurers for 25 Years — And Loved It
When people had a health insurance headache, these two words were a relief: “Call Barbara.” No problem was too big, or too small, she’d fix it.
Opposition to Obamacare Becomes Political Liability for GOP Incumbents
Control of the U.S. Senate this election hinges on a handful of vulnerable GOP incumbents. Their opposition to the Affordable Care Act could be their undoing.
Trump Again Claims He’s Bringing Down Drug Prices, But Details of How Are Skimpy
During his Monday speech at the Republican National Convention, President Donald Trump pointed to his two of his recent executive orders as likely to lead to big reductions in prescription drug costs.
They Pledged to Donate Rights to Their COVID Vaccine, Then Sold Them to Pharma
Advocates of cheap and widely available vaccines thought the pandemic might change business as usual. They were wrong.
Veteran’s Appendectomy Launches Excruciating Months-Long Battle Over Bill
An uninsured Colorado man owed $80,232 after two surgeries — the second to correct a complication from the first. After months of negotiating with the hospital, he still owes far more than most insurers would pay for the surgery he had.
Republican Convention, Day 1: A Campaign-Style Trump Speech and More
Republicans kicked off the first day of their convention with a wide-ranging speech by President Donald Trump in Charlotte, North Carolina.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: How to Fight Bogus Medical Bills Like a Bulldog
When a colleague brings a medical billing problem to human resources director Steve Benasso — he goes to battle. “I am a bulldog on this stuff,” he said. In this episode, Benasso tells how he does it.