Category: Kaiser Health News

Her Doctor’s Office Moved One Floor Up. Her Bill Was 10 Times Higher.

Same building. Same procedure. Same doctor. But now you’re charged a hospital facility fee. For one Ohio Medicare patient, the copay for a shot that used to cost her about $30 went up to more than $300.

Democrats Could Undo Trump Policies Faster, But They’re Not. Why?

The little-used Congressional Review Act allows a new administration and Congress to fast-track the repeal of regulations and other executive actions of the previous administration. But neither lawmakers nor the president are making any attempt to use it now.

The Great Undoing: Which of Trump’s Policies Will Biden Reverse?

In his campaign, President Joe Biden promised to undo policies, particularly health policies, implemented by former President Donald Trump. Yet, despite immense executive power, reversing four years of action takes time and resources.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Getting Down to Work at HHS

After a bruising confirmation process, Xavier Becerra was sworn in as secretary of Health and Human Services this week. The Senate also confirmed the nominations of former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to return to the post he held in the Obama administration, and former Pennsylvania health secretary Rachel Levine as assistant secretary for health. Levine is the first openly transgender person to receive Senate confirmation. Meanwhile, questions continue to swirl around the AstraZeneca covid vaccine, which some public health experts worry will create more hesitancy toward other vaccines.

Stop Blaming Tuskegee, Critics Say. It’s Not an ‘Excuse’ for Current Medical Racism.

The Tuskegee syphilis study is often cited as a reason Black Americans might hesitate to take the covid-19 vaccine. But many people say that current racism in health care and lack of access deserve more attention to move more Black Americans toward vaccine protection.

Inmates’ Distrust of Prison Health Care Fuels Distrust of Covid Vaccines

Many inmates at Western Missouri Correctional Center, like their peers in prisons across Missouri and the nation, are hesitant about getting vaccinated against covid-19 because they don’t trust prison health care.

Nosing In on Kids Who Had Covid and Lost Their Sense of Smell

Clinicians at pediatric hospitals are experimenting with “smell training” among children who had covid-19 and have now lost this sense.

Nosing In on Kids Who Had Covid and Lost Their Sense of Smell

Clinicians at pediatric hospitals are experimenting with “smell training” among children who had covid-19 and have now lost this sense.

Democrats Gave Americans a Big Boost Buying Health Insurance. It Didn’t Come Cheap.

The $1.9 trillion covid relief bill expands subsidies for private insurance plans. That will lighten the burden on consumers, but it locks taxpayers into yet more support for the health care industry.

Birx Joins Air-Cleaning Industry Amid Land Grab for Billions in Federal Covid Relief

Air-cleaning companies with limited oversight are targeting a growing market of schools desperate for covid-19 protection. Donald Trump’s former covid adviser lands with one that built its business, in part, on ozone-emitting technology.