Category: Kaiser Health News

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: ACA Open Enrollment Without the Drama

The Affordable Care Act’s 10th annual open-enrollment period began Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15, 2023, in most states. But for the first time, the health law seems to be enrolling Americans with far less controversy than in previous years. Meanwhile, as Election Day approaches, Democrats are focusing on GOP efforts to cut Social Security and Medicare. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Julie Appleby of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Arthur Allen, who wrote the latest KNH-NPR Bill of the Month, about an old but still very expensive cancer drug.

California’s Proposed Flavored Tobacco Ban Gives Hookah a Pass

Californians will decide Nov. 8 whether to approve a statewide ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. But the measure, known as Proposition 31, exempts hookah tobacco. Anti-smoking activists criticize the carve-out, calling it the latest example of businesses using identity politics to profit from a deadly product.

Colorado Voters to Decide Whether All Schoolkids Get a Free Lunch

In September, a popular pandemic benefit expired: free school lunch for all children attending public schools. Some states are stepping up to try to keep the free food available, and it is on the ballot next week in Colorado.

Haven’t Seen Your Doctor in a Few Years? You May Need to Find a New One

Some primary care physicians will drop seldom-seen patients. That’s a particular problem for those who postponed doctor visits during the pandemic.

Cash for Colonoscopies: Colorado Tries to Lower Health Costs Through Incentives

State employees could receive checks ranging from $50 to thousands of dollars if they choose the right provider.

Hurricane Ian’s Deadly Impact on Florida Seniors Exposes Need for New Preparation Strategies

Lengthy checklists from public health officials on handling emergencies miss vulnerable seniors who can’t always follow the recommendations.

Hospital Investigated for Allegedly Denying an Emergency Abortion After Patient’s Water Broke

Federal officials have ordered the probe after reports that a woman whose water broke at 18 weeks could not get medical care recommended by her doctors to end the pregnancy because hospital officials were concerned about Missouri’s strict abortion law.

This Open Enrollment Season, Look Out for Health Insurance That Seems Too Good to Be True

Complaints about misleading health insurance marketing are soaring. State insurance commissioners are taking notice. They’ve created a shared internal database to monitor questionable business practices, and, in the future, they hope to provide a public-facing resource for consumers. In the meantime, consumers should shop wisely as open enrollment season begins.

Medicare Fines for High Hospital Readmissions Drop, but 2,300 Facilities Are Still Penalized

Federal officials said they are penalizing 2,273 hospitals, the fewest since the fiscal year that ended in September 2014. Driving the decline was a change in the formula to compensate for the chaos caused by the covid-19 pandemic.

What Looks Like Pot, Acts Like Pot, but Is Legal Nearly Everywhere? Meet Hemp-Derived Delta-9 THC

The 2018 farm bill that legalized hemp created a loophole for an unregulated copycat of marijuana. A form of delta-9 THC — the psychoactive substance in pot — doesn’t face the same laws and regulations as marijuana because it comes from hemp. The drug is poised to upend the cannabis industry.