Latest 蘑菇影院 Health News Stories
Biden Said State of the Union Is Strong and Made Clear His Campaign Is Off and Running
President Joe Biden used his roughly 68-minute address to Congress to counter lackluster public approval ratings and draw clear contrasts between his administration鈥檚 policies and those of Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans. Abortion and health care were in the spotlight.
Biden Team, UnitedHealth Struggle to Restore Paralyzed Billing Systems After Cyberattack
The cyberattack on a unit of UnitedHealth Group鈥檚 Optum division is the worst on the health care industry in U.S. history, hospitals say. Providers struggling to get paid for care say the response by the insurer and the Biden administration has been inadequate.
蘑菇影院 Health News' 'What the Health?': The State of the Union Is … Busy
At last, Congress is getting half of its annual spending bills across the finish line, albeit five months after the start of the fiscal year. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden delivers his annual State of the Union address, an over-the-counter birth control pill is (finally) available, and controversy erupts over new public health guidelines for covid-19 isolation. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 蘑菇影院 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Neera Tanden, the White House domestic policy adviser, about Biden鈥檚 health agenda. Plus, for 鈥渆xtra credit,鈥 the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.
Whistleblower Accuses Aledade, Largest US Independent Primary Care Network, of Medicare Fraud
A recently unsealed lawsuit alleges Aledade Inc. developed billing software that boosted revenues by making patients appear sicker than they were.
Journalists Examine Medicaid Unwinding, Farmworkers’ Mental Health, and the Big Opioid Payback
蘑菇影院 Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
Readers Call on Congress to Bolster Medicare and Fix Loopholes in Health Policy
蘑菇影院 Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Hacking at UnitedHealth Unit Cripples a Swath of the US Health System: What to Know
Change Healthcare, a firm recently bought by insurance giant UnitedHealth Group, reportedly suffered a cyberattack. The company processes 14 billion transactions annually, including payments and requests for insurance authorizations.
Si eres pobre, un tratamiento de fertilidad suele ser un sue帽o inaccesible
Pero las personas con ingresos m谩s bajos, a menudo de minor铆as, tienen m谩s probabilidades de estar cubiertas por Medicaid o por seguros limitados que no tienen esta cobertura.
Say That Again: Using Hearing Aids Can Be Frustrating for Older Adults, but Necessary
Hearing loss is more than a nuisance. It also raises the risk of cognitive decline, dementia, falls, depression, and social isolation.
Without Medicare Part B鈥檚 Shield, Patient鈥檚 Family Owes $81,000 for a Single Air-Ambulance Flight
Sky-high bills from air-ambulance providers have sparked complaints and federal action in recent years. But a rural Tennessee resident fell through the cracks of billing protections 鈥 and a single helicopter ride could cost much of her estate’s value.
If You鈥檙e Poor, Fertility Treatment Can Be Out of Reach
For low-income people who are on Medicaid or whose employer health plan is skimpy, help for infertility seems unattainable.
Opposition to Medicaid Expansion Thaws in an Unexpected Place: The Deep South
For more than a decade, some Southern states have resisted Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, even though data suggest it could help their residents. Today, the large majority of uninsured Americans who would gain coverage under Medicaid expansion 鈥 and who would benefit from affordable access to care 鈥 live in non-expansion states […]
In California, Faceoff Between Major Insurer and Health System Shows Hazards of Consolidation
Even as Anthem Blue Cross and University of California Health announced a contract agreement this month, analysts say patients are increasingly at risk of being affected by such disputes.
Patients See First Savings From Biden鈥檚 Drug Price Push, as Pharma Lines Up Its Lawyers
A restructuring of the Medicare drug benefit has wiped out big drug bills for people who need expensive medicines. But the legal battle over drug negotiations means uncertainty over long-term savings.
Southern Lawmakers Rethink Long-Standing Opposition to Medicaid Expansion
While many Republican state lawmakers remain firmly against Medicaid expansion, some key leaders in holdout states are showing a willingness to reconsider. Public opinion, financial incentives, and widening health care needs make resistance harder.
States Get in on the Prior Authorization Crackdown
Last month, my colleague Lauren Sausser told you about the Biden administration鈥檚 crackdown on insurance plans鈥 prior authorization policies, with new rules for certain health plans participating in federal programs such as Medicare Advantage or the Affordable Care Act marketplace. States are getting in on the action, too. Prior authorization, sometimes called pre-certification, requires patients […]
The No Surprises Act Comes With Some Surprises
The No Surprises Act, the landmark law intended to protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills, has come with, well, some surprises. A little more than two years after it took effect, there鈥檚 good and bad news about how it鈥檚 working. First, it鈥檚 important to note that the law has successfully protected millions of patients […]
For the Love of Health Care and Health Policy
蘑菇影院 Health News shares the cr猫me de la cr猫me of reader-submitted health policy valentines. Two of our favorites melted our hearts and inspired original illustrations.
In Fight Over Medicare Payments, the Hospital Lobby Shows Its Strength
Medicare pays hospitals about double what it pays other providers for the same services. The hospital lobby is fighting hard to make sure a switch to “site-neutral payments鈥 doesn’t become law.
驴Ofrecer vivienda gratis es atenci贸n m茅dica? Programas de Medicaid dicen que s铆
Estados est谩n invirtiendo miles de millones de d贸lares en un experimento de atenci贸n m茅dica de alto riesgo: utilizar fondos ya escasos de seguros de salud p煤blicos para proporcionar vivienda a los estadounidenses m谩s pobres y enfermos.
