Category: Health Industry

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Let’s Talk Politics

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call talk about health care’s emergence as a possible voting issue in the coming midterm elections. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Emmarie Huetteman about July’s “Bill of the Month”: a transgender woman’s “bait-and-switch” $92,000 surgical bill.

Missed Visits, Uncontrolled Pain And Fraud: Report Says Hospice Lacks Oversight

A new government watchdog report outlines vulnerabilities in Medicare’s $17 billion hospice program, pointing to inadequate services, inappropriate billing and outright fraud.

Medicare Reconsiders Paying For Seniors’ Spine Operations At Surgery Centers

After a USA Today Network-Kaiser Health News investigation, Medicare announced last week that it is re-evaluating whether these procedures “pose a significant safety risk” to patients.

Mining A New Data Set To Pinpoint Critical Staffing Issues In Skilled Nursing Facilities

Low staffing is a root cause of many injuries in nursing homes. Kaiser Health News senior correspondent Jordan Rau explains how he connected the dots between manpower and risk at facilities nationwide, using a federa tool known as the Payroll-Based Journal.

Community Frets As Buyer For Cherished Rural Hospital Slips From View

Some residents of remote Surprise Valley in Northern California fear their hospital will close like so many others around the country, as hope wanes for financial support from a Denver entrepreneur. The businessman, Beau Gertz, had planned to raise money through lab billing for faraway patients.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Congress And Health Care. Again.

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner talk about the new push on health legislation by Republicans in the House, as well as developments on Medicaid work requirements, drug prices and the fate of children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexican border. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists offer their favorite health stories of the week.

A Transgender Woman’s Quest For Surgery Caught In Political Crosswinds

Dramatic policy swings, from an unprecedented expansion of transgender rights under the Obama administration to the unpredictable reduction of trans rights under President Donald Trump, have left many trans Americans feeling the whiplash.

A Transgender Woman’s ‘Bait-And-Switch’ $92,000 Surgery Bill

After being promised a significant discount for paying cash upfront and forgoing insurance, a Wisconsin patient gets caught in the middle between hospital and insurer — and feels snookered by a last-minute surprise and billing snafu.

Purdue Pharma Edits Public Service Ad In Washington Post

Did OxyContin maker admit opioids can be dangerous even when patients take them as prescribed — then walk it back?

Hospitals Gear Up For New Diagnosis: Human Trafficking

Many people forced into labor or the sex trade seek medical help at some point, and health care workers are being trained to identify them to offer assistance.