Category: Kaiser Health News

Feds Rein In Use of Predictive Software That Limits Care for Medicare Advantage Patients

Software sifts through millions of medical records to match patients with similar diagnoses and characteristics and then predicts what kind of care an individual will need and for how long. New federal rules will ensure human experts are part of the process.

Social Security Chief Orders Broad Review of Benefit Overpayments 

In the wake of an investigation by KFF Health News and Cox Media Group, the SSA acting commissioner said a special teaml will review “overpayment policies and procedures” and report directly back to her.

What Mobile Clinics in Dollar General Parking Lots Say About Health Care in Rural America

Dollar General’s pilot mobile clinic program has been touted by company officials, rural health experts, and analysts as a model that could help solve rural America’s primary care shortage. But its Tennessee launch has been met with local skepticism.

More Schools Stock Overdose Reversal Meds, but Others Worry About Stigma

Colorado is among several states that ensure schools have access to the opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone for free or at reduced cost. But most districts hadn’t signed up by the start of the school year for a state distribution program amid stigma around the lifesaving treatment.

Facing Criticism, Feds Award First Maternal Health Grant to a Predominantly Black Rural Area

Mississippi has the highest rate of Black maternal mortality and morbidity in the U.S. Now, it also has a federal grant to help in rural areas. The award could signal more flexibility from federal officials.

Police Blame Some Deaths on ‘Excited Delirium.’ ER Docs Consider Pulling the Plug on the Term.

The American College of Emergency Physicians will vote in early October on whether to disavow its 2009 research paper on excited delirium, which has been cited as a cause of death and used as a legal defense by police officers in several high-profile cases.

Social Security Overpayments Draw Scrutiny and Outrage From Members of Congress

Lawmakers are faulting the Social Security Administration for issuing billions of dollars of payments that beneficiaries weren’t entitled to receive — and then demanding the money back — in the wake of an investigation by KFF Health News and Cox Media Group.

She Received Chemo in Two States. Why Did It Cost So Much More in Alaska?

A breast cancer patient who received similar treatments in two states saw significant differences in cost, illuminating how care in remote areas can come with a stiffer price tag.

These Appalachia Hospitals Made Big Promises to Gain a Monopoly. They’re Failing to Deliver.

Ballad Health, the only hospital system across a large swath of Tennessee and Virginia, has fallen short of quality-of-care and charity care obligations — even as it’s sued thousands of patients for unpaid bills.

GOP Presidential Primary Debate No. 2: An Angry Rematch and the Same Notable No-Show

Though never framed as a marquee issue, the topic of health care crept into the chaotic seven-way faceoff throughout the evening, highlighting Republican culture-war themes.