Category: Kaiser Health News

What the Federal ‘No Surprises Act’ Means in California

The new federal law will provide protection against surprise medical bills for between 6 million and 7 million Californians who are not covered under state law.

After Miscarriages, Workers Have Few Guarantees for Time Off or Job-Based Help

About a quarter of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. Despite the large number of workers affected, no national laws protect them when they need time off to deal with the loss.

After Miscarriages, Workers Have Few Guarantees for Time Off or Job-Based Help

About a quarter of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. Despite the large number of workers affected, no national laws protect them when they need time off to deal with the loss.

Pharmacies Are Turning Away Immunocompromised Patients Seeking 4th Covid Shot

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly changed its guidance to allow an extra shot in certain cases, but some pharmacy personnel are confused about who is eligible.

With a Vaccine Mandate Looming, Nursing Homes Face More Staffing Problems

Missouri has the worst covid-19 vaccination rate for nursing home health care workers in the nation. There, the federal mandate for workers to get vaccinated — upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court — reveals the problems that operators have hiring staff, keeping them, and providing decent care.

I Write About America’s Absurd Health Care System. Then I Got Caught Up in It.

A KHN reporter had written for years about the people left behind by the absurdly complex and expensive U.S. health care system. Then he found himself navigating that maze as he tried to get his insulin prescription filled.

Vaccine Wars Ignite in California as Lawmakers Seek Stronger Laws

Anti-vaccination activists say California’s Democratic lawmakers are helping strengthen their movement nationally by pushing for tougher vaccine requirements — without exemptions for religious or personal beliefs. But a new pro-vaccine lobbying force is vowing to fight back.

The Doctor Didn’t Show Up, but the Hospital ER Still Charged $1,012

A St. Louis-area toddler burned his hand on the stove, and his mom took him to the ER on the advice of her pediatrician. He wasn’t seen by a doctor, and the dressing on the wound wasn’t changed. The bill was more than a thousand dollars.

Why Medicare Doesn’t Pay for Rapid At-Home Covid Tests

The laws governing Medicare don’t provide coverage for self-administered diagnostic tests, which is precisely what the rapid antigen tests are and why they are an important tool for containing the pandemic.

Patient, Beware: Some States Still Pushing Ineffective Covid Antibody Treatments

The top 12 states using antibody therapies produced by Regeneron and Lilly — which research shows don’t work against the omicron variant — include several Southern states with some of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates, but also California, which ranks among the top 20 for fully vaccinated residents.