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Colorado lawmakers approved a measure that will make it easier for people to fix their power wheelchairs when they wear out or break down, but arcane regulations and manufacturers create high hurdles for nationwide reform.
The unprecedented early leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn the landmark abortion-rights ruling Roe v. Wade has heated the national abortion debate to boiling. Meanwhile, the FDA, after years of consideration, moves to ban menthol flavors in cigarettes and cigars. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Shefali Luthra of the 19th, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KHNās Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHNās Paula Andalo, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR āBill of the Monthā episode about a family whose medical debt drove them to seek care south of the border.
Even the savviest Medicare drug plan shoppers can get a shock when they fill prescriptions: That great deal on medications is no bargain after prices go up.
Congress is in recess, so the slower-than-average news week gives us a chance to catch up on underreported topics, like Medicareās coverage decision for the controversial Alzheimerās disease drug Aduhelm and ominous new statistics on drug overdose deaths and sexually transmitted diseases. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHNās Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Federal health officials havenāt taken a clear position on whether a high-dose influenza vaccine ā on the market since 2010 ā is the best choice for people 65 and older. Many in that group already opt for the costlier enhanced shot. Those who get the standard vaccine are disproportionately members of ethnic and racial minorities.
In the battle against covid, pharmacies became a key place for consumers to seek vaccines and testing. Some states are expanding pharmacistsā work to include directly prescribing drugs for customers who seek some routine, point-of-care tests, such as those for flu or strep throat. But doctor groups oppose the move.
Prosecutors say opioid-seeking patients drove hours to get their prescriptions filled in Celina, Tennessee, where pharmacies ignored signs of substance misuse and paid cash ā or āmonkey bucksā ā to keep customers coming back.
Many Medicare Advantage plans send caregivers to the homes of seniors periodically to help with housework and provide companionship. But the workers may also prod seniors into activities that boost the plansā Medicare ratings and federal reimbursements.
KHN senior correspondents Jenny Gold and Anna Maria Barry-Jester joined KVPRās Kathleen Schock on āValley Editionā to discuss their investigation into the abrupt closure of one of Californiaās largest chain of pain clinics ā and the patients left behind.
Medicare has proposed limiting coverage of Aduhelm, the costly new drug to treat Alzheimerās disease, and several prominent groups representing patients and their families are pressing the program to make it more widely available. But among individuals facing the disease, the outlook is more nuanced.
CMS chief Chiquita Brooks-LaSure says the agency reserves its power to quickly institute new regulations for āabsolute emergencies.ā On staffing, nursing home residents might need to wait years to see any real change.
Private and public employers are increasingly using the governmentās Medicare Advantage program as an alternative to their existing retiree health plan and traditional Medicare coverage. As a result, the federal government is paying the āoverwhelming majorityā of medical costs, according to an industry analyst.
What a difference a year makes. The speech was delivered to a largely unmasked crowd of lawmakers, justices, and Cabinet members in the House chamber.
After a years-long bitter partisan fight over reforming the U.S. Postal Serviceās finances and service, congressional leaders say they have a compromise. The bill, which has won endorsements from both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, would force future Postal Service retirees to use Medicare as their primary source of health coverage.
In anticipation of the Supreme Court rolling back abortion rights this year, both Democrats and Republicans are arguing among themselves over how best to proceed to either protect or restrict the procedure. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are at risk of losing their health insurance when the federal government declares an end to the current āpublic health emergency.ā Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Rachana Pradhan of KHN join KHNās Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHNās Jay Hancock, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR āBill of the Monthā episode about a couple whose insurance company deemed their twinsā stay in intensive care not an emergency.
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
In May 2021, Lags Medical Centers, one of Californiaās largest chains of pain clinics, abruptly closed its doors amid a cloaked state investigation. Nine months later, patients are still in the dark about what happened with their care and to their bodies.
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Hereās a collection of their appearances.
An epic battle is playing out behind the scenes over whether the government should pay for Aduhelm, an FDA-approved Alzheimerās drug that scientists say has not been proven to work.
Among the 764 hospitals hit with a 1% reduction in Medicare payments this year for having high numbers of patient infections and avoidable complications are more than three dozen that Medicare also ranks as among the best in the country.
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