A dad in Denver tried to do everything right when COVID symptoms surfaced. Still, he ended up with a huge bill from an insurer that had said it waived cost sharing for coronavirus treatment. What gives?
Category: Kaiser Health News
Must-Reads Of The Week
KHN executive editor Damon Darlin wades through mounds of health care policy stories — so you don’t have to.
Coronavirus Tests The Value Of Artificial Intelligence In Medicine
The pandemic offers an opportunity to use artificial intelligence programs to help doctors in COVID-19 diagnosis. But some leading hospital systems have shelved their AI technology because it wasn’t ready to roll.
The 30-Somethings Who Fled Big Cities To Shelter With Mom And Dad
Seeking comfort in the COVID outbreak is a major disruption for everyone that sometimes proves “lovely.”
Congress Said COVID-19 Tests Should Be Free — But Who’s Paying?
Some large employers interpreted themselves as exempt from new federal laws that say tests for the coronavirus should be free to patients. Large academic medical centers are holding back from sending bills to these patients to avoid a backlash over surprise billing.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: When It Comes To COVID-19, States Are On Their Own
Just about every state is lifting some coronavirus-related restrictions, but it’s unclear how things are really going, considering data on the spread of the virus lags and may not be reliable. Meanwhile, the federal government continues to throw more responsibility for dealing with the pandemic to state and local governments. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more.
Reopening Dental Offices For Routine Care Amid Pandemic Touches A Nerve
Most states ordered dental offices to close except for emergency patient care when the coronavirus hit the U.S. But the shutdown drilled deep into dentists’ finances, and they have been eager to reopen as states have relaxed their closures.
Scientist Has ‘Invisible Enemy’ In Sights With Microscopic Portraits Of Coronavirus
As an electron microscopist at the National Institutes of Health’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana, Elizabeth Fischer has captured stunning images of emerging pathogens such as Ebola, the MERS coronavirus and now SARS-CoV-2.
Analysis: Get Ready For The Vaccine — They’re Never Simple
Trials are an immense undertaking involving tens of thousands of participants. They’re likely to start this summer — but don’t expect quick results. And what’s a successful result, anyway?
Tennessee’s Secret To Plentiful Coronavirus Testing? Picking Up The Tab
Just about anyone who wants a coronavirus test in the state of Tennessee can get one. How? The state got buy-in and lots of participation from private labs by assuring them it will pay them.
