Covid Aid Papered Over Colorado Hospital鈥檚 Financial Shortcomings
Financial pitfalls at the nation鈥檚 highest-elevation hospital serve as a cautionary tale as rural hospitals emerge from the pandemic on shaky ground.
Medicare
261 - 280 of 1,571 Results
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Struggling to Survive, the First Rural Hospitals Line Up for New Federal Lifeline
Hospitals in New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma are among the first to apply for a new rural hospital payment model that shifts the focus of services away from overnight stays to outpatient and emergency care. Still, experts say the law needs to be amended to provide the right mix of care for rural communities.
March Medicaid Madness
Episode 287President Joe Biden and Republicans in Congress spent last month sparring over whether to shield Medicare and Social Security from budget cuts 鈥 leading some to wonder if Medicaid was on the table instead. Biden and Democrats say no, but some Republicans seem eager to trim federal spending on the health program for Americans with low incomes. And ready or not, artificial intelligence is coming to medical care. Benefits, as well as unintended consequences, are likely. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of STAT News, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KHN鈥檚 chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more.
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Readers and Tweeters Urgently Plea for a Proper ‘Role’ Call in the ER
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Senators Have Mental Health Crises, Too
Episode 286When U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania checked himself into the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment of depression this month, he got an unusual reaction from his colleagues in Congress: compassion. It鈥檚 a far cry from how politicians once kept their mental health issues under wraps at all costs. Meanwhile, GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley is stirring up controversy by proposing that all politicians over age 75 be required to pass a mental competency test to hold office. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for 鈥渆xtra credit,鈥 the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.
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Proposed Medicare Advantage Changes Cannot Accurately Be Called ‘Cuts,’ Experts Say
CMS advanced two proposed changes that could affect Medicare Advantage plans. One would allow the government to recover past overpayments. As a result, it could reduce those insurers鈥 profits, leading them to increase enrollees' out-of-pocket costs or reduce benefits. But it's inaccurate to characterize the changes as "cuts."
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Why Do Politicians Weaponize Medicare? Because It Works
Politicians are again pointing fingers over who wants to cut Medicare. As past Washington brawls show, the party accused of threatening popular entitlements tends to lose elections 鈥 although it鈥檚 the beneficiaries relying on lawmakers to fund it who stand to lose the most.
By Julie Rovner -
Your Money or Your Life: Patient on $50,000-a-Week Cancer Drug Fears Leaving Behind Huge Medical Debt
When Medicare stops paying for a pricey drug that prolongs life, an Ohio man considers giving up treatment to spare his family enormous debt.
By Fred Schulte -
Special Delivery: Heart-Heavy Health Policy Valentines
KHN shares the cream of the crop of creative valentines about health policy submitted by readers and tweeters. Our favorite is anointed with an original illustration and bragging rights as 鈥渢he one.鈥
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Era of 鈥楩ree鈥 Covid Vaccines, Test Kits, and Treatments Is Ending. Who Will Pay the Tab Now?
Insurers, employers, and taxpayers will all be affected as drug manufacturers move these products to the commercial market.
A Health-Heavy State of the Union
Episode 284President Joe Biden鈥檚 2023 State of the Union address leaned heavily on health care issues. Biden took a victory lap for recent accomplishments like capping prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare. He also urged Congress to make permanent the boosted premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, and he sparred with Republicans on threats to cut Social Security and Medicare. Also this week, both sides in the abortion debate are bracing for a court decision out of Texas that could, at least temporarily, make the abortion pill mifepristone illegal nationwide. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Kate Baicker of the University of Chicago about a possible middle ground in the effort to get universal health insurance coverage.
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Health Policies Were a Prominent Theme in Biden鈥檚 State of the Union Speech
Our partners at PolitiFact fact-checked a range of President Joe Biden鈥檚 statements, including key health-related comments.
Au Revoir, Public Health Emergency
Episode 283The Biden administration this week announced it would let the covid-19 public health emergency lapse on May 11, even as the Republican-led House was voting to immediately eliminate the special authorities of the so-called PHE. Meanwhile, anti-abortion forces are pressuring legislators to both tighten abortion restrictions and pay for every birth in the nation. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KHN鈥檚 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Hannah Wesolowski of the National Alliance on Mental Illness about the rollout of the national 988 suicide prevention hotline.
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Government Lets Health Plans That Ripped Off Medicare Keep the Money
In a surprise decision, U.S. officials yield to insurance industry demands 鈥 at least for now.
By Fred Schulte -
Did Your Health Plan Rip Off Medicare?
KHN has released never-before-seen details of federal audits as the government weighs action against dozens of Medicare Advantage plans.
By Fred Schulte -
Abortion Debate Ramps Up in States as Congress Deadlocks
Abortion is a top issue for state lawmakers meeting for their first full sessions since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
By Julie Rovner As US Bumps Against Debt Ceiling, Medicare Becomes a Bargaining Chip
Episode 280The debt ceiling crisis facing Washington puts Medicare and other popular entitlement programs squarely on the negotiating table this year as newly empowered Republicans demand spending cuts. Meanwhile, as more Americans than ever have health insurance, the nation鈥檚 health care workforce is straining under the load. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KHN鈥檚 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
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Readers and Tweeters Diagnose Greed and Chronic Pain Within US Health Care System
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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Medicare Pay Cuts Will Hurt Seniors鈥 Care, Doctors Argue
New reductions in Medicare payments in 2023 will drive more doctors away from accepting Medicare patients, physicians say. They are again pushing back on efforts largely designed to control government spending.
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How Medicare Advantage Plans Dodged Auditors and Overcharged Taxpayers by Millions
Facing rare scrutiny from federal auditors, some Medicare Advantage health plans failed to produce any records to justify their payments, government records show. The audits revealed millions of dollars in overcharges to Medicare over three years.
By Fred Schulte and Holly K. Hacker