Category: Cost and Quality

Clinics Say California’s New Medicaid Drug Program Will Force Them to Cut Services

On Jan. 1, California started buying prescription drugs for its nearly 14 million Medicaid enrollees, a responsibility that had primarily been held by managed-care insurance plans. State officials estimate California will save hundreds of millions of dollars by flexing its purchasing power, but some health clinics expect to lose money.

California Ballot Will Be Heavy on Health Care

In the Nov. 8 general election, California voters will consider overturning the state’s flavored tobacco ban and hiking medical malpractice awards. Other proposals to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms, target dialysis clinics and boost public health funding could also be on the ballot, along with a plan to limit business and school closures during public health emergencies.

A New Paradigm Is Needed: Top Experts Question the Value of Advance Care Planning

Prominent researchers say the nationwide effort to get people to spell out how they want to be treated as they die is not improving patients’ care.

‘Then the Bill Came’: Year 4 of KHN-NPR’s Bill of the Month Is a Wrap

Our crowdsourced investigation of the high, confusing and arbitrary medical bills generated by our health system is set to begin its fifth year in 2022.

Nursing Homes Bleed Staff as Amazon Lures Low-Wage Workers With Prime Packages

Add nursing homes to the list of industries jolted by Amazon’s handsome hourly wages. Enticed by an average starting pay rate of $18 an hour and the potential for benefits and signing bonuses, low-wage workers are fleeing entry-level elder care for jobs packing boxes.

Rural Communities Left Hurting Without a Hospital, Ambulance or Doctors Nearby

Rural areas such as Echols County, Georgia, have high levels of uninsured people and profound physician shortages that compound the lack of health care options, especially in the 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Manchin Blows Up Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’

Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on Acast. You can also listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) dashed the hopes of President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats for passage of the giant “Build Back Better” bill before the end of […]

‘An Arm and a Leg’: The Rapid-Test Edition: Who’s Making a Buck?

In this episode, host Dan Weissmann talks to reporters who investigated the shortage of tests and traced the U.S. rapid-testing problem back to government agencies.

Crash Course: Injured Patients Who Sign ‘Letters of Protection’ May Face Huge Medical Bills and Risks

The letters function as liens that “protect” spine surgery clinics while patients could be left with inflated medical bills and unexpected health risks.

As Hospitals Fill Up, Paramedics Spend More Time Moving Patients, Less on Emergencies

Gunnison paramedics cover the largest response zone in Colorado. Because of covid and the lack of nearby hospital beds, patients increasingly are transported long distances, leaving few ambulances to respond to emergencies.