Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Listen: Noise Pollution, a Private Equity Lawsuit, and College Health Fees

California Healthline journalists report on a lawsuit against private equity-backed Envision Healthcare, the medical insurance and health service fees charged by colleges, and how our increasingly noisy lives may harm our health.

Muchas familias con cobertura de empleador inasequible ahora son elegibles para subsidios de Covered California

El gobierno federal ha corregido recientemente una controversial norma del Departamento del Tesoro vinculada a la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA), que denegaba la ayuda a muchas familias cuya cobertura basada en sus trabajos se salía de sus presupuestos.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: Getting Insurance to Pay for Oral Surgery Is Like Pulling Teeth

A car crash left a woman in need of oral surgery, but her health insurance wouldn’t cover it. Her ongoing fight shows podcast host Dan Weissmann the weird way insurance treats teeth and reveals a big problem in the Obamacare marketplace.

Centene, Under Siege in America, Moved Into Britain’s National Health Service

A nine-minute public hearing gave the U.S. insurance giant a foothold in Britain’s prized National Health Service. One doctor called it “privatization of NHS by stealth.” And critics worry that business efficiencies will degrade the quality of care.

Why Medicaid Expansion Ballots May Hit a Dead End After a Fleeting Victory in South Dakota

Since 2017, Medicaid expansion has been adopted in seven states where a question was placed directly on the ballot. But campaign leaders say that strategy may not work in Florida and Wyoming, where Republican opposition remains strong.

Listen: Training for Caregivers, Subsidies for Striking Workers, and Contact Tracing via App

California Healthline journalists report on what California is doing to recruit in-home caregivers, how a new law provides health insurance subsidies to workers on strike, and why public health officials are turning to dating apps to track sexually transmitted infections.

How Medicare Advantage Plans Dodged Auditors, Overcharged Taxpayers by Millions

Facing rare scrutiny from federal auditors, some Medicare Advantage health plans failed to produce any records to justify their payments, government records show. The audits revealed millions of dollars in overcharges to Medicare over three years.