Author's posts
Private Equity Sees the Billions in Eye Care as Firms Target High-Profit Procedures
As private equity groups are swarming into aging America’s eye care, the consolidation is costing the U.S. health care system and patients more money.
Feds Want a Policy That Advocates Say Would Let Hospitals Off the Hook for Covid-Era Lapses
The pandemic disrupted all sense of normalcy for U.S. hospitals, so federal officials are proposing to pause financial penalties against the facilities and to block public access to key hospital safety data — such as the frequency of falls and sepsis — because of concerns that the data isn’t accurate enough. But consumer advocates are furious about the proposal.
Pandemic Funding Is Running Out for Community Health Workers
Illinois used federal pandemic money to hire community health workers who connect people with food banks and rental assistance programs, just like public health officials have long hoped to do. What will happen to the community trust that has been built up when the federal money runs out and the workers disappear?
Pandemic Medical Innovations Leave Behind People With Disabilities
As the country enters Year 3 of the pandemic emergency, people with disabilities across the U.S. are still finding it difficult to use innovations in telemedicine, teleworking, and testing.
Why billions in Medicaid funds for people with disabilities are being held up
Almost a year after the American Rescue Plan Act allocated up to $25 billion to home and community-based services run by Medicaid, many states have yet to access the funds due to delays and red tape.
Missouri’s War on Public Health Shows Extent of National Rift
A public health official who said he was anti-abortion and anti-mandate for masks and covid vaccines did not pass the purity test of a Missouri senator who opposes covid public health restrictions. The senator killed the official’s nomination to be state health director, highlighting how hands may be tied in the nationwide fight against infectious diseases.
Covid Is Killing Rural Americans at Twice the Rate of Urbanites
The pandemic is devastating rural America, where lower vaccination rates are compounding the already limited medical care.
The Delta Variant Thrives in a State of Political and Public Health Discord
At the center of the nation’s delta variant outbreak, public health efforts are mired in a political turf war.
How One State’s Public Health Defunding Led to Vaccination Chaos
The underfunding of public health and political backlash destabilized Missouri’s vaccine rollout, creating racial inequity and forcing some residents to drive hours to get shots.
Her Doctor’s Office Moved 1 Floor Up. Why Did Her Treatment Cost 10 Times More?
Same building. Same procedure. Same doctor. But there was an extra “facility fee” because the location changed slightly. A shot that used to cost her about $30 went up to more than $300.
