Author: KHN

Health in America

Public Opinion Is Unified on Lowering Drug Prices. Why Are Leaders Settling for Less?

Democrats and Republicans are crystal clear in polls that they want government to be allowed to negotiate down high drug prices. Americans pay nearly three times as much for drugs as patients in dozens of other countries. In the past two years, numerous Democratic candidates — including President Joe Biden — have campaigned on enacting such legislation. This year, the polling group at KFF asked … Continue reading Public Opinion Is Unified on Lowering Drug Prices. Why Are Leaders Settling for Less?

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Health in America

Medicare Advantage Costs Billions More Than Original Medicare, Researcher Says

Switching seniors to Medicare Advantage plans has cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars more than keeping them in original Medicare, a cost that has exploded since 2018 and is likely to rise even higher, new research has found. Richard Kronick, a former federal health policy researcher and a professor at the University of California-San Diego, said his analysis of newly released Medicare Advantage billing … Continue reading Medicare Advantage Costs Billions More Than Original Medicare, Researcher Says

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Health in America

Hemmed In at Home, Nonprofit Hospitals Look for Profits Abroad

By Jordan Rau for Kaiser Health News Across the street from the Buckingham Palace Garden and an ocean away from its Ohio headquarters, Cleveland Clinic is making a nearly $1 billion bet that Europeans will embrace a hospital run by one of America’s marquee health systems. Cleveland Clinic London, scheduled to open for outpatient visits later this year and for overnight stays in 2022, will … Continue reading Hemmed In at Home, Nonprofit Hospitals Look for Profits Abroad

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Quickie

In Alleged Health Care ‘Money Grab,’ Nation’s Largest Hospital Chain Cashes In on Trauma Centers

Jay Hancock, Kaiser Health News June 14, 2021 After falling from a ladder and cutting his arm, Ed Knight said, he found himself at Richmond, Virginia’s Chippenham Hospital surrounded by nearly a dozen doctors, nurses and technicians — its crack “trauma team” charged with saving the most badly hurt victims of accidents and assaults. But Knight’s wound, while requiring about 30 stitches, wasn’t life-threatening. Hospital … Continue reading In Alleged Health Care ‘Money Grab,’ Nation’s Largest Hospital Chain Cashes In on Trauma Centers

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Health in America

Experts warn proposed Trump health rules are “perfectly designed” to bring Biden admin to “a standstill”

The Trump administration wants to require the Department of Health and Human Services to review most of its regulations by 2023 — and automatically void those not assessed in time. A proposed rule would require HHS to analyze within 24 months about 2,400 regulations — rules that affect tens of millions of Americans on everything from Medicare benefits to prescription drug approvals. The move has … Continue reading Experts warn proposed Trump health rules are “perfectly designed” to bring Biden admin to “a standstill”

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Health in America

New Legal Push Aims to Speed Magic Mushrooms to Dying Patients

JoNel Aleccia Back in March, just as anxiety over COVID-19 began spreading across the U.S., Erinn Baldeschwiler of La Conner, Washington, found herself facing her own private dread. Just 48 and the mother of two teenagers, Baldeschwiler was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer after discovering a small lump on her chest, no bigger than a pea. Within weeks, it was the size of … Continue reading New Legal Push Aims to Speed Magic Mushrooms to Dying Patients

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COVID-19

Government-Funded Scientists Laid the Groundwork for Billion-Dollar Vaccines

Arthur Allen When he started researching a troublesome childhood infection nearly four decades ago, virologist Dr. Barney Graham, then at Vanderbilt University, had no inkling his federally funded work might be key to deliverance from a global pandemic. Yet nearly all the vaccines advancing toward possible FDA approval this fall or winter are based on a design developed by Graham and his colleagues, a concept … Continue reading Government-Funded Scientists Laid the Groundwork for Billion-Dollar Vaccines

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Health in America

Justices Bound to See ACA as ‘Indispensable,’ Says Californian Leading Defense

Samantha Young SACRAMENTO — When the U.S. Supreme Court hears a case Tuesday that could decide the fate of the Affordable Care Act, California will be leading the defense to uphold the federal law that touches nearly every aspect of the country’s health care system. It’s usually the federal government’s job to defend a federal law, but President Donald Trump’s administration wants this law, also … Continue reading Justices Bound to See ACA as ‘Indispensable,’ Says Californian Leading Defense

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Our Long National Nightmare

A Biden Win and Republican Senate Might Lead to Gridlock on Health Issues

Julie Rovner At the time of publication, the presidential election remains too close to call. This was expected, and does not indicate that anything is wrong with the process. Independent observers have reported that the election itself appears to be free and fair. This article speculates on the possibility that Democratic nominee Joe Biden will win the vote, but does not assert that he has … Continue reading A Biden Win and Republican Senate Might Lead to Gridlock on Health Issues

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Health in America

A $200 Debit Card Won’t Do Much for Seniors’ Drug Costs

Harris Meyer If they’ve been listening to President Donald Trump, seniors may be expecting a $200 debit card in the mail any day now to help them pay for prescription drugs. He promised as much this month, saying his administration soon will mail the drug cards to more than 35 million Medicare beneficiaries. But the cards — if they are ever sent — would be … Continue reading A $200 Debit Card Won’t Do Much for Seniors’ Drug Costs

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