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New parents slapped with surprise bills for treating newborns

After Christine Malik gave birth to her first daughter three years ago, a clinician affiliated with a company called Pediatrix entered the hospital room and fitted the infant with sensors and wires for a hearing test.

22 Dec 2021

National U.S trial confirms effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines

In a recent study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, scientists conducted a target trial emulation study and documented that among the elderly in the U.S. (with significant comorbidities), the efficacy of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines was much lower in terms of preventing infection, than previously reported. However, the effectiveness against death was found to be high.

21 Dec 2021

Crash course: Injured patients who sign ‘letters of protection’ may face huge medical bills and risks

Jean Louis-Charles couldn't afford spine surgery to ease nagging neck and back pain after a car crash. So he signed a document, promising to pay the bill with money he hoped to get from a lawsuit against the driver who caused the collision.

21 Dec 2021

‘The charges seem crazy’: Hospitals impose a ‘facility fee’ — for a video visit

When Arielle Harrison's 9-year-old needed to see a pediatric specialist at Yale New Haven Health System in June, a telehealth visit seemed like a great option. Since her son wasn't yet eligible to be vaccinated against covid-19, they could connect with the doctor via video and avoid venturing into a germy medical facility.

17 Dec 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Oh, oh, omicron

This week, the U.S. passed the milestone of 800,000 dead from covid-19, as hospitals are starting to fill following the Thanksgiving holiday and the ominous omicron variant starts to spread rapidly.

16 Dec 2021

Gap in the use of insulin pumps, CGMs among Black and white Medicare beneficiaries widened

The gap in the use of insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) among Black and white Medicare beneficiaries widened from 2017-2019, according to new research published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

16 Dec 2021

Which population does extreme heat affect the most?

In this interview, we speak to Professor Gregory Wellenius about his latest research into extreme heat and how it may affect younger adults more than older adults.

16 Dec 2021

After ‘truly appalling’ death toll in nursing homes, California rethinks their funding

About 1 in 8 Californians who have died of covid lived in a nursing home. They were among the state's most frail residents: nearly 9,400 mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles whom Californians entrusted to a nursing home's care. An additional 56,275 confirmed covid cases among nursing home residents weren't fatal.

16 Dec 2021

Surgery rates in U.S. hospitals bounced back to normal after initial COVID-19 shutdown

Stanford Medicine researchers found that after the March 2020 COVID-19 shutdown, nonurgent surgery rates dropped, but within months they bounced back and remained at pre-pandemic levels, even as coronavirus infections peaked during the fall and winter of 2020.

13 Dec 2021

A rural Georgia community reels after its hospital closes

Lacandie Gipson struggled to breathe. The 33-year-old woman with multiple health conditions was in respiratory distress and awaiting an ambulance. About 20 minutes after the emergency call, it arrived.

10 Dec 2021

West Virginia Sen. Manchin takes the teeth out of Democrats’ plan for seniors’ dental care

Sharon Marchio misses having teeth for eating, speaking and smiling. For the past few years, after the last of her teeth were extracted, she's used dentures. "My dentist calls them my floating teeth because no matter how much adhesive you use, if you eat something hot or warm, they loosen up and it is a pain," said Marchio, 73, of Clarksburg, West Virginia.

10 Dec 2021

Suit by doctors, hospitals seeks change in how arbitrators settle surprise billing cases

Two of the largest lobbying groups representing physicians and hospitals filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging a Biden administration decision on how to implement the law shielding patients from most surprise medical bills.

9 Dec 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Much ado about (vaccine) mandates

Even with the new omicron variant of the covid virus spreading in the U.S., Republicans on Capitol Hill are pushing to stop President Joe Biden from requiring workers to either be tested regularly or vaccinated.

9 Dec 2021

Prescribing generic heart medications in Medicare Part D could result in substantial savings

Prescribing generic medications for heart and blood vessel diseases more frequently instead of brand-name medications in Medicare's prescription drug program, called Part D, could save more than $600 million each year in the U.S., according to new research published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

9 Dec 2021

Post-pandemic, what’s a phone call from your physician worth?

Maybe this has happened to you recently: Your doctor telephoned to check in with you, chatting for 11 to 20 minutes, perhaps answering a question you contacted her office with, or asking how you're responding to a medication change.

8 Dec 2021

Oncology doctors say the build back better act will slash cancer care funding — a skewed argument

“An independent analysis shows that payments for cancer care will be slashed by close to 45% causing cancer clinics to close and massively raising your healthcare costs”

8 Dec 2021

Expanding Medicaid may reduce fatalities, study says

In 2010, the newly passed Affordable Care Act – also known as Obamacare – mandated that states expand Medicaid eligibility to cover millions of uninsured Americans.

3 Dec 2021

New California law eases aid-in-dying process

During her three-year battle with breast cancer, my wife, Leslie, graciously endured multiple rounds of horrifically toxic treatment to eke out more time with our two young children.

3 Dec 2021

Study shows difference in outcomes for women treated with checkpoint inhibitors for melanoma

A class of cancer immunotherapy called checkpoint inhibitors has revolutionized cancer treatment. It's a new way to attack the disease by unleashing the immune system.

2 Dec 2021

Extreme heat effects may be more pronounced among young and middle-aged adults than older adults

Extreme heat - a leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States - poses an increasing threat to the public, as days of extreme heat are expected to become more frequent, more intense, and longer-lasting due to the continued effects of climate change.

25 Nov 2021

Medicare News and Research

New parents slapped with surprise bills for treating newborns

National U.S trial confirms effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines

Crash course: Injured patients who sign ‘letters of protection’ may face huge medical bills and risks

‘The charges seem crazy’: Hospitals impose a ‘facility fee’ — for a video visit

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Oh, oh, omicron

Gap in the use of insulin pumps, CGMs among Black and white Medicare beneficiaries widened

Which population does extreme heat affect the most?

After ‘truly appalling’ death toll in nursing homes, California rethinks their funding

Surgery rates in U.S. hospitals bounced back to normal after initial COVID-19 shutdown

A rural Georgia community reels after its hospital closes

West Virginia Sen. Manchin takes the teeth out of Democrats’ plan for seniors’ dental care

Suit by doctors, hospitals seeks change in how arbitrators settle surprise billing cases

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Much ado about (vaccine) mandates

Prescribing generic heart medications in Medicare Part D could result in substantial savings

Post-pandemic, what’s a phone call from your physician worth?

Oncology doctors say the build back better act will slash cancer care funding — a skewed argument

Expanding Medicaid may reduce fatalities, study says

New California law eases aid-in-dying process

Study shows difference in outcomes for women treated with checkpoint inhibitors for melanoma

Extreme heat effects may be more pronounced among young and middle-aged adults than older adults

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