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What the Health? From ��ýҕ�l Health News

Maybe It’s a Health Care Election After All

Episode 338

March 14, 2024

Health care wasn’t expected to be a major theme for this year’s elections. But as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump secured their respective party nominations this week, the future of both Medicare and the Affordable Care Act appears to be up for debate. Meanwhile, the cyberattack of the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Change Healthcare continues to do damage to the companies’ finances with no quick end in sight. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join ��ýҕ�l Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kelly Henning of Bloomberg Philanthropies about a new, four-part documentary series on the history of public health, “The Invisible Shield.” Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.

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Biden Team, UnitedHealth Struggle to Restore Paralyzed Billing Systems After Cyberattack

The cyberattack on a unit of UnitedHealth Group’s 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.

By Darius Tahir, Bernard J. Wolfson, and Daniel Chang

March 8, 2024

Stephen Loyd, center, stands in a crowd holding a foam-board check for $500,000.00 for the Helios Alliance.

Payback: Tracking Opioid Cash

Statistical Models vs. Front-Line Workers: Who Knows Best How to Spend Opioid Settlement Cash?

A mathematical model designed to direct spending of opioid settlement funds is at the center of a debate over whether to invest in technology to guide long-term decisions or focus on the immediate needs of people in addiction.

By Aneri Pattani

March 5, 2024

What the Health? From ��ýҕ�l Health News

Alabama’s IVF Ruling Still Making Waves

Episode 336

Feb. 29, 2024

Lawmakers in Congress and state legislatures are scrambling to react to the ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos created for in vitro fertilization are legally children. Abortion opponents are divided among themselves, with some supporting full “personhood” for fertilized eggs, while others support IVF as a moral way to have children. Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Riley Griffin of Bloomberg News, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University schools of nursing and public health and Politico Magazine join ��ýҕ�l Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews University of Pittsburgh law professor Greer Donley, who explains how a 150-year-old anti-vice law that’s still on the books could be used to ban abortion nationwide. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.

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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.

By Darius Tahir

Feb. 29, 2024

‘Behind the Times’: Washington Tries to Catch Up With AI’s Use in Health Care

Lawmakers and regulators are trying to understand how AI is changing health care and how it should be regulated. The industry fears overreach.

By Darius Tahir

Feb. 13, 2024

The Health 202

Senators Weigh Whether Health Care AI Needs a Leash

By Darius Tahir

Feb. 9, 2024

An illustration of a doctor's sthethoscope stretching into a dollar sign shape.

What the Health Care Sector Was Selling at the J.P. Morgan Confab

When bankers and investors flocked to San Francisco for the largest gathering of health care industry investors, the buzz was all about artificial intelligence, the next hit weight-loss drug, and new opportunities to make money through nonprofit hospitals.

By Molly Castle Work and Arthur Allen

Jan. 22, 2024

Mammography AI Can Cost Patients Extra. Is It Worth It?

Artificial intelligence software to aid radiologists in detecting problems or diagnosing cancer has been moving rapidly into clinical use, where it shows great promise. But it’s a turnoff for some patients asked to pay out-of-pocket for technology that’s not quite ready for prime time.

By Michelle Andrews

Jan. 10, 2024

A portrait of a woman outside her apartment.

Bill Of The Month

When a Quick Telehealth Visit Yields Multiple Surprises Beyond a Big Bill

For the patient, it was a quick and inexpensive virtual appointment. Why it cost 10 times what she expected became a mystery.

By Darius Tahir

Dec. 19, 2023

A close-up of a bison looking at the camera.

Doctors on (Video) Call: Rural Medics Get Long-Distance Help in Treating Man Gored by Bison

A rural South Dakota medic said using an ambulance video system to communicate with a doctor gave him peace of mind as he treated a patient who was seriously injured when gored by a bison.

By Arielle Zionts

Dec. 4, 2023

A health worker is typing at a computer.

Feds Rein In Use of Predictive Software That Limits Care for Medicare Advantage Patients

Software sifts through millions of medical records to match patients with similar diagnoses and characteristics and then predicts what kind of care an individual will need and for how long. New federal rules will ensure human experts are part of the process.

By Susan Jaffe

Oct. 5, 2023

A photo of a doctor taking notes next to a laptop.

As More Patients Email Doctors, Health Systems Start Charging Fees

Doctors say billing for email consultations reduces message volume and gives them more free time. The increasingly prevalent practice has also raised fears about negative impacts to patient care.

By Harris Meyer

Sept. 14, 2023

Artificial Intelligence May Influence Whether You Can Get Pain Medication

To contain the opioid crisis, health and law enforcement agencies have turned to technology to monitor doctor and patient prescription data. Experts have raised questions about how these systems work and worry about their accuracy and potential biases. Some patients and doctors say they’re being unfairly targeted.

By Andy Miller and Sam Whitehead

Aug. 30, 2023

A photo of a couple looking at bills and a laptop together.

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.

By Michelle Andrews

July 31, 2023

A photo of a man working on a computer at his desk.

What One Hospital’s Slow Recovery From a Cyberattack Means for Patients

U.S. hospitals have seen a record number of cyberattacks over the past few years. Getting hacked can cost a hospital millions of dollars, expose patient data, and even jeopardize patient care.

By Farah Yousry, Side Effects Public Media

June 16, 2023

What Does a Chatbot Know About Eating Disorders? Users of a Help Line Are About to Find Out

The National Eating Disorders Association’s help line has seen demand climb to unsustainable levels since the beginning of the covid pandemic, with more people reporting severe mental health problems, the nonprofit says. But staffers worry this chatbot may make things worse.

By Kate Wells, Michigan Public

June 12, 2023

A photo of a woman looking over paperwork she's received in the mail.

Perspective

Denials of Health Insurance Claims Are Rising — And Getting Weirder

The Department of Health and Human Services is tasked with monitoring denials both by Obamacare health plans and those offered through employers and insurers. As insurers’ denials become more common, they sometimes defy not just medical standards of care but sheer logic. Why hasn’t the agency fulfilled its assignment?

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

May 26, 2023

An illustration of a woman using her phone that is distorted with a flickering film grain.

Perspective

An AI Chatbot May Be Your Next Therapist. Will It Actually Help Your Mental Health?

Given a dire shortage of human behavioral health providers in the U.S., it may prove tempting for insurers to offer up apps and chatbots to meet the federal mental health parity requirement. But artificial intelligence, by definition fake, can’t master the empathic flow between patient and doctor that’s central to therapy.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

May 17, 2023