Embedded Bias: How Medical Records Sow Discrimination
Medical records can contain seemingly objective descriptions that are actually full of coded language and subtext. How does that affect care?
All Coverage
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Is Covid 鈥楿nder Control鈥 in the US? Experts Say Yes
PolitiFact has been tracking this campaign promise since 2020. Experts are now saying it’s fair to describe the covid pandemic as “under control.”
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Journalists Dissect Medical Coding and Parse the President’s Words
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
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The Cruelest Bills
Shattered Dreams and Bills in the Millions: Losing a Baby in America
On top of fearing for their children鈥檚 lives, new parents of very fragile, very sick infants can face exorbitant hospital bills 鈥 even if they have insurance. Medical bills don鈥檛 go away if a child dies.
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Hemp-Derived Delta-8 Skirts Marijuana Laws and Raises Health Concerns
A cannabis product called delta-8 was made legal when the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp. But unlike its cousin CBD, delta-8 has psychoactive properties. And the FDA warns it has 鈥渟erious health risks.鈥 The agency has received more than 100 reports of bad reactions among people who consumed it.
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In Jackson, the Water Is Back, but the Crisis Remains
Unsafe water and all that comes with it 鈥 constant vigilance, extra expenses, and hassle 鈥 complicate every aspect of daily life for residents of Jackson, Mississippi. Health advocates say stress exacerbates underlying health problems. That is why a free clinic in one of Jackson鈥檚 poorest neighborhoods has been organizing water giveaways for the past year and a half.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Biden Declares the Pandemic 鈥極ver鈥
President Joe Biden, in an interview with CBS鈥 鈥60 Minutes,鈥 declared the covid-19 pandemic 鈥渙ver,鈥 stoking confusion for members of his administration trying to persuade Congress to provide more funding to fight the virus and the public to get the latest boosters. Meanwhile, concerns about a return of medical inflation is helping boost insurance premiums even as private companies race to get their piece of the health pie. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Lauren Weber of KHN join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories they think you should read, too.
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Death Is Anything but a Dying Business as Private Equity Cashes In
Investors are banking on increased demand in death care services as 73 million baby boomers near the end of their lives.
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Opponents of California鈥檚 Abortion Rights Measure Mislead on Expense to Taxpayers
California Together, which opposes Proposition 1, warns that taxpayers will pay millions more if the abortion rights constitutional amendment passes because it would attract women from out of state. We take a closer look.
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Buy and Bust: After Platinum Health Took Control of Noble Sites, All Hospital Workers Were Fired
Two Missouri towns are without operating hospitals after private equity-backed Noble Health left both facilities mired in debt, lawsuits, and federal investigations. The hospitals鈥 new operator, Platinum Health, agreed to buy them in April for $2 and laid off the last employees in early September.
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Shift in Child Hospice Care Is a Lifeline for Parents Seeking a Measure of Comfort and Hope
Terminally ill children, unlike adults, can get hospice services while continuing to receive life-extending or curative care. More than a decade after the inception of the federal policy, it is widely credited with improving the quality of life for ailing children and their families, even as some parents find themselves in a painful stasis.
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Formula May Be Right for Infants, but Experts Warn That Toddlers Don鈥檛 Need It
Sales of formulas designed for toddlers increased in recent years, but health experts warn parents that, generally, once children reach their 1st birthday, they are fine with cow or plant milk and don鈥檛 need the expensive, high-calorie products. And doctors say toddler formula should not be given to infants.
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Genetic Tests Create Treatment Opportunities and Confusion for Breast Cancer Patients
Doctors are divided on whether blanket testing of breast cancer patients is warranted, since scientists and physicians are sometimes unsure about how to interpret the results.
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Picture of Health
Covid Still Kills, but the Demographics of Its Victims Are Shifting
Californians were far less likely to die from covid in the first seven months of 2022 than during the first two years of the pandemic. Still, the virus remained among the state鈥檚 leading causes of death in July, outpacing diabetes, accidental death, and a host of debilitating diseases. We break down who鈥檚 at risk.
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Texas, Battling Teen Pregnancy, Recasts Sex Education Standards
As Texas adjusts to a near-total abortion ban, Texas schools are redoubling efforts to end teen pregnancies by enacting new standards for sexual health education. Beyond focusing on abstinence, they are teaching middle schoolers about contraceptives and preventing sexually transmitted infections. But parents must opt in for their children to get the lessons.
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Clearing Pollution Helps Clear the Fog of Aging 鈥 And May Cut the Risk of Dementia
Two studies published this year provide evidence that older adults鈥 cognitive health may benefit if air quality is improved.
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Centene to Pay $166 Million to Texas in Medicaid Drug Pricing Settlement
Texas is at least the 12th state to settle with St. Louis-based Centene Corp. over allegations that it overcharged Medicaid prescription drug programs.
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Doctors Rush to Use Supreme Court Ruling to Escape Opioid Charges
After a unanimous ruling from the high court, doctors who are accused of writing irresponsible prescriptions can go to trial with a new defense: It wasn鈥檛 on purpose.
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Private Equity Sees the Billions in Eye Care as Firms Target High-Profit Procedures
As private equity groups are swarming into aging America鈥檚 eye care, the consolidation is costing the U.S. health care system and patients more money.
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Many Refugees Dealing With Trauma Face Obstacles to Mental Health Care
Refugees are arriving in the U.S. in greater numbers after a 40-year low, prompting some health professionals to rethink ways to provide culturally competent care amid a shortage of mental health services.
