Category: Kaiser Health News

Sen. Sanders Says Millions of People Can’t Find a Doctor. He’s Mostly Right.

The Vermont senator sees beefing up the primary care workforce as a critical step in expanding Americans’ access to health care.

To Protect a Mother’s Health: How Abortion Ban Exemptions Play Out in a Post-‘Roe’ World

Florida’s six-week abortion law allows exemptions in cases of rape, incest and human trafficking and to save the health or life of the mother. But the recent history of such exemptions in other states suggests that very few women will be able to take advantage of them.

Be Aware: Someone Could Steal Your Medical Records and Bill You for Their Care

Consumers should know that this type of fraud can happen, whether from a large-scale breach or theft of an individual’s data. The result could be thousands of dollars in medical bills.

Texan Activists Thirst for a National Heat Standard to Protect Outdoor Workers

As much of the U.S. faces extremely high summer temperatures, Texas’ Republican governor, Greg Abbott, has taken steps that effectively eliminate mandated water breaks for construction workers. In response, protesters from the Lone Star State came to Washington, D.C., to press for federal protections for such outdoor workers.

His Anesthesia Provider Billed Medicare Late. He Got Sent to Collections for the $3,000 Tab.

Medicare was supposed to cover the entire cost of his procedure. But after the anesthesia provider failed to file its claims in a timely manner, it billed the patient instead.

In Wisconsin, Women’s Health Care Is Constricted by an 1849 Law. These Doctors Are Aghast.

From the front lines of Wisconsin’s abortion battle, obstetricians describe patients who cannot comprehend having to carry nonviable pregnancies. And only one pharmacist in town can be found who will fill prescriptions for abortion pills.

Bankrupt California Hospital Receives Lifeline From Adventist, Report Says

The Fresno Bee reports that Madera Community Hospital has reached an agreement with Adventist Health to take over the bankrupt facility and avoid liquidation.

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: Another Try for Mental Health ‘Parity’

President Joe Biden is kicking off his reelection campaign in part by trying to finish a decades-long effort to establish parity in insurance benefits between mental and physical health. Meanwhile, House Republicans are working to add abortion and other contentious amendments to must-pass spending bills. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Céline Gounder about her podcast “Epidemic.” The new season focuses on the successful public health effort to eradicate smallpox.

Covered California to Cut Patient Costs After Democratic Lawmakers Win Funding From Gov. Newsom

California’s health insurance exchange will reduce how much some patients pay for care next year, including hospital deductibles, appointment copays, and prescription drugs. Lawmakers pressed Gov. Gavin Newsom to make good on a four-year-old pledge to use proceeds from a tax penalty on uninsured people to help people pay for treatment.

Home Sweet Parking Lot: Some Hospitals Welcome RV Living for Patients, Families, and Workers

Medical and RV industry professionals say hospitals that offer RV parking are easing access to health care for some patients who drive long distances for treatment, like many rural residents.