Phil Galewitz

To realign the man’s jaw and ease his chronic pain and high blood pressure, he would need two operations, the surgeon said. Both procedures went well, but the patient was shocked by the second bill.

Seniors, their families and states are eager to keep older Americans in their homes and out of nursing homes, but those efforts are often thwarted by worker shortages and low pay.

Eager to control costs and sickness, hospitals and insurers are trying to help patients access better food, housing and transportation. But so far there is little research showing these efforts work.

The plan, long endorsed by conservatives, would give the state broad flexibility in running its health insurance program for the poor, while capping annual federal funding for the program.

The rule would require Biden’s team to review about 2,400 regulations on everything from Medicare benefits to prescription drug approvals. Those not analyzed within two years would become void.

A dad in Denver tried to do everything right when COVID-19 symptoms surfaced. But he got a surprising bill from his insurer, which had waived cost sharing for treatment of the coronavirus infection.

The federal government has waived a law that required an in-person doctor’s visit before patients could be prescribed drugs that quell withdrawal symptoms. That’s a boon for patients, counselors say.

A study this month showed giving extra social services to the neediest patients didn’t reduce hospital readmissions. Now health advocates say that might not be the right measurement of success.

The case centers on $12 billion in payments the federal government pledged to insurers to defray their losses in the first years of the health law. Did rescinding those payments send premiums soaring?

Critics worry the administration’s delays come at a steep cost: Medicare is continuing to pay for millions of unnecessary exams and patients are being subjected to radiation for no medical benefit.