Category: Health Care Costs

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Politics of Vaccine Mandates

Like almost everything else associated with the covid-19 pandemic, partisans are taking sides over whether vaccines should be mandated. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill are still struggling to find compromise in their effort to expand health insurance and other social programs. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jen Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews best-selling author Beth Macy about her book “Dopesick,” and the new Hulu miniseries based on it.

Health Industry Wields Power in California’s High-Stakes Battle to Lower Health Care Costs

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to regulate out-of-control health care spending in California. The effort is being shaped by the very health industry players that would be regulated.

The Public Backs Medicare Rx Price Negotiation Even After Hearing Both Sides’ Views

But Americans generally have little confidence that the White House or Congress will recommend the right thing, a new poll shows.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: How One State Protects Patients From Hospital Lawsuits

In Maryland, it’s now illegal for a hospital to sue a patient who qualifies for charity care. But in many other states, that’s still a thing.

Major Insurers Running Billions of Dollars Behind on Payments to Hospitals and Doctors

Patients are caught in the middle as insurers clamp down on paying for treatments or force prior authorizations for care.

The Pandemic Forced My Transgender Wife to Fight Our Insurer Over Hormones

The covid pandemic has caused millions of people, particularly LGBTQ adults, to lose their jobs and enroll in Medicaid or insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Yet these plans often don’t fully cover the basics needed by many transgender Americans, such as injectable estrogen, a hormone therapy commonly used by trans women.

Youthful Advisers Help Shape a Mental Health Program for Their Peers

Officials are enthusiastic about the Allcove initiative, modeled on an Australian program. But it will need to show effectiveness and find funding.

What the Stalemate on Capitol Hill Means for Your Drug Prices

Despite big 2020 campaign promises to deliver lower costs on prescription drugs, Democrats have failed to unite around a legislative plan.

Readers and Tweeters Feel Americans’ Pain

KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Death in Dallas: One Family’s Experience in the Medicaid Gap

Efforts to give 2.2 million Americans health insurance hang in the balance as Congress debates a massive spending bill. The so-called Medicaid gap is felt most acutely in Texas, where about half of those who stand to gain coverage live.