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‘An Arm and a Leg: A look back at 2020 — What we learned and where we’re headed

This episode turns the tables: Host Dan Weissmann gets interviewed about what he learned in 2020 and what's ahead for the show — with T.K. Dutes, a radio host and podcast-maker who is also a former nurse, so she knows a thing or two about the health care system.

6 Jan 2021

Hospital prices just got a lot more transparent. What does this mean for you?

Hospitals face the new year with new requirements to post price information they have long sought to obscure: the actual prices negotiated with insurers and the discounts they offer their cash-paying customers.

5 Jan 2021

New analysis finds no benefit in providing supplemental oxygen to mothers during childbirth

Babies who suffer oxygen deficiencies during birth are at risk of brain damage that can lead to developmental delays, cerebral palsy and even death.

4 Jan 2021

Smoking traditional cigarettes along with e-cigarettes causes harmful health effects

Smoking traditional cigarettes in addition to using e-cigarettes results in harmful health effects similar to smoking cigarettes exclusively, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

4 Jan 2021

Seniors face crushing drug costs as Congress stalls on capping Medicare out-of-pockets

Sharon Clark is able to get her life-sustaining cancer drug, Pomalyst — priced at more than $18,000 for a 28-day supply — only because of the generosity of patient assistance foundations.

4 Jan 2021

As the terror of COVID struck, health care workers struggled to survive. Thousands lost the fight.

Workers at Garfield Medical Center in suburban Los Angeles were on edge as the pandemic ramped up in March and April. Staffers in a 30-patient unit were rationing a single tub of sanitizing wipes all day. A May memo from the CEO said N95 masks could be cleaned up to 20 times before replacement.

23 Dec 2020

More than 2,900 health care workers died this year — and the government barely kept track

More than 2,900 U.S. health care workers have died in the COVID-19 pandemic since March, a far higher number than that reported by the government, according to a new analysis by KHN and The Guardian.

23 Dec 2020

Democrats are running hard on health care in Georgia’s Senate runoffs. Republicans? Not so much.

Vice President Mike Pence was the clear celebrity draw at a Nov. 20 campaign event for Georgia's two incumbent U.S. senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. Both Republicans are fighting to keep their seats against two Democratic challengers in the runoff election set for Jan. 5.

22 Dec 2020

Surprise! Congress takes steps to curb unexpected medical bills

Most Americans tell pollsters they're worried about being able to afford an unexpected medical bill.

22 Dec 2020

Montana’s mask mandate in doubt with incoming governor

Incoming Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signaled he won't continue a statewide mask mandate in place since July, though he said he plans to wear a mask himself and get vaccinated against COVID-19.

21 Dec 2020

Higher COVID-19 mortality among certain groups in Colombia linked to structural inequalities

Researchers at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in Bogotá, Colombia, provided evidence of socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 deaths in terms of age, sex, ethnicity, type of health insurance regime, and socioeconomic status.

18 Dec 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: All I want for Christmas is a COVID relief bill

Congress appears to be inching ever closer to agreement on a long-delayed COVID-19 relief bill, which would extend unemployment insurance and other emergency programs set to expire in the next several days.

17 Dec 2020

Structural inequalities in Brazil linked to higher COVID-19-related mortality in low-income areas

A team of researchers aimed to determine the differential health effects of COVID-19 on disadvantaged population groups. They found that low-income and Black and Pardo communities in the country are more likely to die from COVID-19.

15 Dec 2020

Study examines psychological, social predictors of U.S. adults' willingness to get COVID-19 vaccine

The first COVID-19 vaccine has received emergency use authorization. Yet a key question remains: Will U.S. adults be willing to get it?

14 Dec 2020

Study: Most pregnant patients who tested positive for coronavirus were asymptomatic

The majority of pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival to the delivery room were asymptomatic, according to a paper by Mount Sinai researchers published in PLOS One on Thursday, December 10.

11 Dec 2020

Cost information greatly enhances the value of shared decision making

Cost information, when paired with information about clinical treatment options, greatly enhances the value of shared decision making, reported a FAIR Health brief released today.

11 Dec 2020

Study proposes new plan to help reduce financial hardships for cancer patients

Until you or a loved one are facing treatment for a cancer diagnosis, you may not realize the cost associated with treatment and doctor visits.

6 Dec 2020

Low-dose CT for lung cancer screening offers more benefit than harm for heavy ex-smokers

For heavy (ex-)smokers, lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography (low-dose CT, LDCT) offers more benefit than harm: The procedure can save a number of people from dying of lung cancer; for some of them, it might also prolong overall survival.

3 Dec 2020

Chicago neighborhoods with barriers to social distancing had more COVID-19 deaths

New research has found that Chicago neighborhoods with barriers to social distancing, including limited access to broadband internet and low rates of health insurance, had more COVID-19 deaths in spring 2020.

3 Dec 2020

During ACA open enrollment, picking a plan invites new COVID complications

People buying their own health insurance have even more to think about this year, particularly those post-COVID-19 patients with lingering health concerns, the "long haulers," who join the club of Americans with preexisting conditions.

3 Dec 2020

Health Insurance News and Research

‘An Arm and a Leg: A look back at 2020 — What we learned and where we’re headed

Hospital prices just got a lot more transparent. What does this mean for you?

New analysis finds no benefit in providing supplemental oxygen to mothers during childbirth

Smoking traditional cigarettes along with e-cigarettes causes harmful health effects

Seniors face crushing drug costs as Congress stalls on capping Medicare out-of-pockets

As the terror of COVID struck, health care workers struggled to survive. Thousands lost the fight.

More than 2,900 health care workers died this year — and the government barely kept track

Democrats are running hard on health care in Georgia’s Senate runoffs. Republicans? Not so much.

Surprise! Congress takes steps to curb unexpected medical bills

Montana’s mask mandate in doubt with incoming governor

Higher COVID-19 mortality among certain groups in Colombia linked to structural inequalities

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: All I want for Christmas is a COVID relief bill

Structural inequalities in Brazil linked to higher COVID-19-related mortality in low-income areas

Study examines psychological, social predictors of U.S. adults' willingness to get COVID-19 vaccine

Study: Most pregnant patients who tested positive for coronavirus were asymptomatic

Cost information greatly enhances the value of shared decision making

Study proposes new plan to help reduce financial hardships for cancer patients

Low-dose CT for lung cancer screening offers more benefit than harm for heavy ex-smokers

Chicago neighborhoods with barriers to social distancing had more COVID-19 deaths

During ACA open enrollment, picking a plan invites new COVID complications

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