Category: Kaiser Health News

‘No Mercy’ Chapter 2: Unimaginable, After a Century, That Their Hospital Would Close

After Mercy Hospital Fort Scott shut its doors, investigative reporter Sarah Jane Tribble traveled to Kansas and spent time with former hospital president Reta Baker and City Manager Dave Martin — to understand what their town lost.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: TikTok Mom Takes On Medical Bills

Shaunna Burns went viral on TikTok, partly because of a series of videos dishing out real-talk advice on fighting outrageous medical bills.

5 Things to Know About a COVID Vaccine: It Won’t Be a ‘Magic Wand’

Approval of a vaccine will be an important step in defeating COVID-19. But it won’t immediately end the pandemic.

Not Pandemic-Proof: Insulin Copay Caps Fall Short, Fueling Underground Exchanges

Although sharing prescription medicines is illegal, many people with diabetes are turning to underground donation networks when they cannot afford their insulin. Caps on insulin copays enacted in Colorado and 11 other states were designed to help. But the gaps between insulin costs and many patients’ financial realities are only widening amid the economic crisis of the COVID pandemic.

Trump’s COVID Program for Uninsured People: It Exists, but Falls Short

The help is real — but access to it isn’t easy.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Election Preview: What’s Next for Health?

How will health issues affect voter choices? What will happen if President Donald Trump is reelected or the White House goes to Joe Biden? In this special election preview episode, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

The Mask Hypocrisy: How COVID Memos Contradict the White House’s Public Face

When in public, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence join crowded rallies where many do not wear masks. Behind the scenes, the White House is recommending states adopt mask mandates and even fines — leaving it up to local officials to handle the consequences.

To Free Doctors From Computers, Far-Flung Scribes Are Now Taking Notes For Them

Paid even less than low-wage doctors’ scribes in the United States, remote note takers in India gain a foothold in a rapidly expanding industry.

We Freely Wear Seat Belts. Why Can’t We Learn to Wear Masks?

Americans have gotten used to all sorts of mandates, from cleaning up after dogs to stopping at intersections. There’s no reason it should be this hard to enforce ones around the coronavirus.

Sky-High Drug Prices Driven by Pharma Profits, House Dems Charge

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a damning investigation Wednesday of drug company pricing tactics and profits, as two days of hearings with testimony from pharmaceutical industry CEOs begin.