Category: Cost and Quality

Newsom Changes Course On Plan To Pay For Immigrant Health Coverage

California’s governor Friday scuttled his plan to siphon public health money from four counties to help provide health coverage for unauthorized immigrants ages 19 through 25.

Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes

Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.

Is It A Feminist Right To Want More Sex? One Company Thinks A Pill Is The Answer

The savvy “Right to Desire” campaign relies on feminist messages and social media to raise patient awareness about low libido. Addyi, the only drug currently approved to treat it, has shown limited effectiveness.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ ‘Conscience’ Rules, Rx Prices and Still More Medicare

Joanne Kenen of Politico, Jen Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the latest news about the Trump administration’s effort to allow health care practitioners and organizations to refuse to provide care or refer patients for services that violate their conscience or religion. Also this week, the administration orders TV ads for prescription drugs to include list prices. And Tennessee wants free rein from the federal government to run its Medicaid program. Plus, Rovner interviews Joan Biskupic, author of a new book on Chief Justice John Roberts, about the behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to the 2012 ruling upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.

The Money And Politics Of Prescription Drugs: What You Need To Know

America spends about as much on prescription drugs as all the revenues of the three big car makers combined. Tracking where the money goes is hard. PolitiFact has some charts to help.

Drug Industry Patents Go Under Senate Judiciary Committee’s Microscope

During a hearing Tuesday, panel members focused on how drug companies have used patents to allegedly protect their competitive edge and profits.

Feds Want To Show Health Care Costs On Your Phone, But That Could Take Years

Giving consumers more knowledge about the costs of care has long been desired, but administration officials cautioned it could take two years or more for useful data to appear in a phone app.

A Boat Crushed His Face, Then Plastic Surgeons Hit Him With $167,000 In Bills

Many plastic surgeons don’t participate in health plans, even when providing emergency care at a hospital. Too often that catches patients off guard.

Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes

Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.

Even Doctors Can’t Navigate Our ‘Broken Health Care System’

A physician’s frustration navigating a medical emergency with his elderly father reveals a complex, dysfunctional system.