Category: Kaiser Health News

A Health-Heavy State of the Union

President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address leaned heavily on health care issues. Biden took a victory lap for recent accomplishments like capping prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare. He also urged Congress to make permanent the boosted premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, and he sparred with Republicans on threats to cut Social Security and Medicare. Also this week, both sides in the abortion debate are bracing for a court decision out of Texas that could, at least temporarily, make the abortion pill mifepristone illegal nationwide. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kate Baicker of the University of Chicago about a possible middle ground in the effort to get universal health insurance coverage.

Congress Told HHS to Set Up a Health Data Network in 2006. The Agency Still Hasn’t.

Since 2006, federal officials have been charged with setting up a network to let various parts of the U.S. health system share information during emergencies. It still hasn’t been built or even planned, even after the communication and data-sharing failures put on display during the pandemic.

‘The Country Is Watching’: California Homeless Crisis Looms as Gov. Newsom Eyes Political Future

As Gov. Gavin Newsom enters his second term, his legacy as governor and path forward in the Democratic Party hinge on his making visible headway on California’s homeless crisis. We lay out the possibilities — and challenges — as he unleashes an $18 billion battle plan.

Community Resurrects Colorado Birth Center Closed by Private Equity Firm

A private equity firm bought a birth center and then shut it down. The community brought it back as a nonprofit.

Health Policies Were a Prominent Theme in Biden’s State of the Union Speech

Our partners at PolitiFact fact-checked a range of President Joe Biden’s statements, including key health-related comments.

More Young Colorado Children Are Consuming Marijuana Despite Efforts to Stop Them

Lawmakers say they don’t plan to revise state regulations on the sale of edibles despite more kids 5 and under ingesting them.

‘We Ain’t Gonna Get It’: Why Bernie Sanders Says His ‘Medicare for All’ Dream Must Wait

As he takes the reins of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, the independent from Vermont and implacable champion of “Medicare for All” maps out his strategy for negotiating with Republicans — and Big Pharma.

The Pill Club Reaches $18.3 Million Medicaid Fraud Settlement With California

The online women’s pharmacy agreed to pay $15 million to the state Department of Justice and $3.3 million to the Department of Insurance over claims it overbilled Medi-Cal.

A Secret Weapon in Preventing the Next Pandemic: Fruit Bats

New research links habitat destruction with the spillover of viruses from animals to humans.

Decisions by CVS and Optum Panicked Thousands of Their Sickest Patients

Pharmacy closures by two of the biggest home infusion companies point to grave shortages and dangers for patients who require IV nutrition to survive.