Readers and Tweeters: Give Nurse Practitioners Their Due
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Ńîšóĺú´ŤĂ˝Ňîl Health Newsâ coverage related to aging and improving care of older adults is supported in part by .
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Resistance to a Boston Hospitalâs Expansion Centers on Rising Prices
Mass General Brighamâs $2.3 billion expansion plan is raising state officialsâ concerns that it will reduce competition and raise the price of care in Massachusetts. It also signals a national shift from a focus on hospital mergers and purchases of physician practices â which boost the cost of care â to individual hospitalsâ expansions to gain a bigger share of the market.
By Harris Meyer -
With a Vaccine Mandate Looming, Nursing Homes Face More Staffing Problems
Missouri has the worst covid-19 vaccination rate for nursing home health care workers in the nation. There, the federal mandate for workers to get vaccinated â upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court â reveals the problems that operators have hiring staff, keeping them, and providing decent care.
By Eric Berger -
Why Medicare Doesnât Pay for Rapid At-Home Covid Tests
The laws governing Medicare donât provide coverage for self-administered diagnostic tests, which is precisely what the rapid antigen tests are and why they are an important tool for containing the pandemic.
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Families Complain as States Require Covid Testing for Nursing Home Visits
Relatives say it is important they be allowed to go into nursing homes because staff shortages are affecting care. And many are still upset about lengthy separations from loved ones during lockdowns earlier in the pandemic.
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KHNâs âWhat the Health?â: Dealing With Drug Prices
Medicare officials tentatively plan to restrict the use of a controversial Alzheimerâs drug to only those patients participating in clinical trials, while the Department of Health and Human Services looks into lowering the monthly Medicare Part B premium. Meanwhile, covid confusion still reigns, as the Biden administration moves, belatedly, to make more masks and tests available. Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHNâs Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
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Black-Owned Hospice Seeks to Bring Greater Ease in Dying to Black Families
National data shows that Black Medicare patients and their families are not making the move to comfort care as often as white patients are. Experts speculate it's related to spiritual beliefs and widespread mistrust in the medical system due to decades of discrimination.
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A New Paradigm Is Needed: Top Experts Question the Value of Advance Care Planning
Prominent researchers say the nationwide effort to get people to spell out how they want to be treated as they die is not improving patientsâ care.
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As Covid Hits Nursing Homesâ Finances, Town Residents Fight to Save Alzheimerâs Facility
Fear of covid has kept some adults from moving to nursing homes, and many facilities are in trouble financially. When Nevada, Missouri, officials announced they were planning to close a home specializing in dementia care, members of the community rose up in protest.
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Nursing Homes Bleed Staff as Amazon Lures Low-Wage Workers With Prime Packages
Add nursing homes to the list of industries jolted by Amazonâs handsome hourly wages. Enticed by an average starting pay rate of $18 an hour and the potential for benefits and signing bonuses, low-wage workers are fleeing entry-level elder care for jobs packing boxes.
By Sarah Varney -
Seeking Refills: Aging Pharmacists Leave Drugstores Vacant in Rural America
Independent pharmacists who want to retire often have trouble attracting new pharmacists to take over their practices, particularly in rural areas. That can cause smaller towns to lose their pharmacies. With many pharmacists near retirement, the problem may only get worse.
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After âTruly Appallingâ Death Toll in Nursing Homes, California Rethinks Their Funding
California wants to hold nursing homes accountable for the quality of care they provide by tying Medicaid funding more directly to performance. But the nursing home industry, an influential player in the Capitol, is gearing up for a fight.
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Q&A
Wartime Trauma Hits Close to Home for Scholar of Dementia
The federal government is putting up $7.2 million for a study into the correlation between war trauma and dementia in Vietnamese immigrants. Oahn Meyer, an associate professor at the University of California-Davis who is leading the study, wonders whether her motherâs dementia is linked to trauma she suffered during the Vietnam War.
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West Virginia Sen. Manchin Takes the Teeth Out of Democratsâ Plan for Seniorsâ Dental Care
In West Virginia, older residents often go without dental care, and a quarter of people 65 and older have no natural teeth, the highest rate of any state in the country. But a powerful senator from West Virginia, Joe Manchin, has rebuffed efforts to add a dental benefit to Medicare.
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New California Law Eases Aid-in-Dying Process
Nearly 2,000 terminally ill Californians have used a 2015 law to end their lives with a doctorâs assistance. A revision of the law will make it easier to do so.
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For Older Adults, Smelling the Roses May Be More Difficult
The loss of smell is a common issue for many seniors and is often overlooked. Yet it can have serious consequences.
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It Takes a Team: A Doctor With Terminal Cancer Relies on a Close-Knit Group in Her Final Days
Dr. Susan Massad created a âhealth teamâ after learning she had metastatic breast cancer. These friends and family members help her make difficult decisions and lead the most fulfilling life possible.
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When the Eye on Older Patients Is a Camera
High-tech tools ease caregiversâ stress but can raise sticky privacy questions and concerns about cost.
By Sofie Kodner -
As Big Pharma and Hospitals Battle Over Drug Discounts, Patients Miss Out on Millions in Benefits
The number of pharmacies dispensing 340B discounted drugs soared to more than 31,000 this year. Drugmakers struck back by halting some discounts. Hospitals say they are losing millions of dollars â and cutting back services to patients â as a result.
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Researcher: Medicare Advantage Plans Costing Billions More Than They Should
Some insurers pocketed âeye-poppingâ overpayments, billing records show.
By Fred Schulte