Republican Debate Highlights Candidates鈥 Views on Abortion
Though health policies in general got little airtime, the discussion of whether candidates support a federal abortion ban underscored how Republicans, in a post-Roe environment, face political challenges on the issue.
Sen. Sanders Says Millions of People Can鈥檛 Find a Doctor. He鈥檚 Mostly Right.
The Vermont senator sees beefing up the primary care workforce as a critical step in expanding Americans鈥 access to health care.
A Windfall in Health Insurance Rebates? It鈥檚 Not as Crazy as It Sounds
The billion-dollar amount cited by former Sen. Al Franken, while an estimate, is likely very close to what insurers will owe this year under a provision of the Affordable Care Act that compels rebates when insurers spend too little on actual medical care.
Are US Prescription Drug Prices 10 Times Those of Other Nations? Only Sometimes
Sen. Bernie Sanders鈥 broad statement that some U.S. drug prices are 10 times those of other nations doesn鈥檛 paint the full picture. Studies we examined generally found that U.S. prices were two to four times those in other countries, not 10.
Republicans Vow Not to Cut Veterans鈥 Benefits. But the Legislation Suggests Otherwise.
Sparing veterans and defense spending, as Republicans promise, would be extremely difficult, requiring cuts of more than 20% in other parts of the budget. The Republicans鈥 Limit, Save, Grow Act already proposes a $2 billion cut to the Department of Veterans Affairs by taking back unspent covid relief funding.
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.”
Florida Gov. DeSantis Falsely Claims Bivalent Booster Boosts Chances of Covid Infection
Experts say the Florida governor’s conclusion could not be drawn from the study he cited, adding that the research focused on health care workers, who are likelier to be exposed to covid and more likely to be vaccinated. Those findings should not be applied to the general public.
Ad Goes Too Far With Claim That Joe Biden Promotes Surgery for Trans Teens
Even some medical experts who are skeptical of gender-affirming care say the White House is not promoting breast removal and genital surgery for teens. But that鈥檚 not what an ad, funded by a group led by a former adviser to President Donald Trump, would have you believe.
No, the Senate-Passed Reconciliation Bill Won鈥檛 Strip $300 Billion From Medicare
Under the Medicare drug negotiations provisions in the reconciliation bill, the federal government would see its outlays reduced by about $300 billion. That reduction wouldn鈥檛 result from cuts in benefits. Instead, Medicare would be empowered to leverage its market power to pay lower prices for certain drugs.
Rapper Fat Joe Says No One Is Making Sure Hospitals Post Their Prices
A TV and social media ad offers a reason to check on the enforcement of a sweeping rule that requires hospitals to post information about what they charge insurers and cash-paying patients.
A GOP Talking Point Suggests Birth Control Is Not at Risk. Evidence Suggests Otherwise.
Republicans say Democrats are wrong to claim that birth control could be the Supreme Court鈥檚 next target. But Democrats have plenty of evidence that it might be.
Ad Targeting Manchin and AARP Mischaracterizes Medicare Drug-Price Negotiations
The advocacy group American Commitment said empowering Medicare to negotiate drug prices would raid it of billions of dollars. Drug pricing experts say that that鈥檚 not the case and that such policies would instead reduce costs for the Medicare program and seniors.
US Rep. Gaetz鈥檚 Diagnosis of What鈥檚 Driving Insulin Costs Misses the Root Cause
A diabetes diagnosis is not always related to a person鈥檚 weight or overall health, especially for those with Type 1 diabetes, who are dependent on insulin treatment for life.
Biden鈥檚 Blanket Statement 鈥 鈥楴o More Surprise Billing鈥 鈥 Doesn鈥檛 Quite Cover It
The president used broad language to say that Americans no longer needed to worry about surprise bills, but there are exceptions to the new law that could cost unsuspecting consumers.
La m谩scara de tela, 驴es lo suficientemente buena contra omicron?
Adem谩s de instar a los estadounidenses a vacunarse y recibir el refuerzo contra covid, funcionarios de salud p煤blica recomiendan que las personas cambien sus m谩scaras de tela por m谩scaras m茅dicas de mayor calidad.
Ask KHN-PolitiFact: Is My Cloth Mask Good Enough? The 2022 Edition
With the omicron variant surging throughout the U.S., many experts warn that a single-layer cloth mask is not enough protection. Instead, they recommend an upgrade: layering wardrobe masks with surgical masks or wearing an N95 or KN95 respirator.
Oncology Doctors Say the Build Back Better Act Will Slash Cancer Care Funding 鈥 A Skewed Argument
The Community Oncology Alliance is targeting the prescription drug provisions of the Build Back Better Act, saying they will trigger deep cuts in oncologists鈥 pay, causing clinics to close and health care costs to rise. But it leaves out some important details.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott Off Base in Claim That Rise in Medicare Premiums Is Due to Inflation
The Republican senator says President Joe Biden鈥檚 鈥渋nflation crisis鈥 caused Medicare to raise monthly premiums, which will add hundreds of dollars to beneficiaries鈥 costs. But Medicare experts say inflation was not to blame and most beneficiaries will shoulder a much smaller increase than what Rick Scott claims.
驴Qu茅 sabemos realmente sobre la eficacia de las vacunas contra covid?
驴Lo esencial? Vacunarse con cualquiera de las tres vacunas disponibles en los Estados Unidos disminuye la posibilidad de infectarse en primer lugar y reduce de manera significativa el riesgo de hospitalizaci贸n o muerte si se contrae el coronavirus y se desarrolla covid-19.
What Do We Really Know About Vaccine Effectiveness?
Reports of waning effectiveness and mixed messages about booster shots fuel the politicization of vaccination.
