Category: Kaiser Health News

Readers And Tweeters Revisit Surgery Centers, Think Twice About Single-Payer

Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Tuition-Free Med School Touches Off Multimillion-Dollar Debate

NYU’s promise to help keep medical students debt-free generates joy on campus. But critics question whether it is the best way to recruit a more diverse student pool or get young doctors to commit to primary care.

Medicaid Covers Foster Kids, But Daunting Health Needs Still Slip Through The Cracks

Nearly all children in the foster care system are covered by Medicaid. Yet, foster parents still struggle to meet the extraordinary health needs of their children. To solve this, some states are experimenting with a coordinated approach to care — with mixed results.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Opioids, EpiPens And Health Funding

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Joanne Kenen of Politico discuss Senate action on health funding and opioid legislation, the state of the individual insurance market and consternation over expiration dates on EpiPens, the self-injected allergy remedy. Also, could an otter with asthma signal a potential public health crisis?

A Late-Life Surprise: Taking Care Of Frail, Aging Parents

More and more older adults, age 60 and older, care for their elderly parents and face physical, emotional and financial stress.

A Black Eye For Blue Shield: Consumers Lash Out Over Coverage Lapses

The state’s third-largest insurer faces anger from customers in the individual market who unexpectedly lost their insurance despite paying premiums faithfully. In its recently filed lawsuit, the company blamed a contractor for “egregious” billing problems.

Religious Conservatives’ Ties To Trump Officials Pay Off In AIDS Policies, Funding

Shepherd Smith, a strong supporter of abstinence-only sex education for AIDS, has been close to the new director of the CDC for decades. This connection is just one example of the “new in crowd” surrounding the Trump administration, where politics and religion mix.

Battle Lines Drawn As Abortion-Rights Activists Leave Their Mark Outside Clinics

Armed with poster board and catchy advertising slogans, abortion-rights activists in California and elsewhere are taking to sidewalks, buses and mobile phone apps to fight a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of crisis pregnancy centers.

The Man Who Sold America On Vitamin D — And Profited In The Process

The doctor most responsible for turning the sunshine supplement into a billion-dollar juggernaut has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the vitamin D industry, according to government records and interviews.

Babies Dependent On Opioids Need Touch, Not Tech

One doctor in Kansas works to make sure every hospital in the state can provide the soft start, ideally with their mothers, that babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome need.