Category: Health Industry

Listen: After Its Hospital Closes, A Pioneer Kansas Town Searches For What Comes Next

Deep questions underlie what is happening in Fort Scott, Kan.: Do small communities like this one need a traditional hospital at all? And, if not, what health care do they need?

Walmart Charts New Course By Steering Workers To High-Quality Imaging Centers

Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, is recommending that employees and dependents use one of 800 imaging centers identified as providing trustworthy care.

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.

Surprise! Fixing Out-Of-Network Bills Means Someone Must Pay

Despite the broad agreement on the need to address surprise bills, insurers and health care providers oppose the other side’s preferred solutions.

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.

Market Muscle: Study Uncovers Differences Between Medicare And Private Insurers

Findings released Thursday by the Rand Corp. highlight how reimbursement rates vary nationally and the impact the charges have on the nation’s high cost of health care. 

Effects Of Surgery On A Warming Planet: Can Anesthesia Go Green?

Two of the most commonly used anesthesia gases are similar medically but worlds apart when it comes to their impact on the planet.

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.