What Germany鈥檚 Coal Miners Can Teach America About Medical Debt
Coal mining ended in Germany鈥檚 Saarland a decade ago, but the transition away from coal has been smoother than in West Virginia, which has more medical debt than any state in America.
Chronic Disease Care
41 - 60 of 207 Results
-
-
For Patients With Sickle Cell Disease, Fertility Care Is About Reproductive Justice
The disease, which predominantly affects Black patients, can damage the body in ways that can make having a child difficult. But patients don鈥檛 always have access to fertility care.
-
Treating Long Covid Is Rife With Guesswork
With a dearth of evidence on effective treatments for long covid, patients and doctors in 400 clinics around the country still rely on trial and error.
-
People With Long Covid Face Barriers to Government Disability Benefits
Some people with long covid have fallen through the cracks of the government鈥檚 disability system, which was time-consuming and difficult to navigate even before the pandemic.
-
California Patients Fear Fallout From Third Dialysis Ballot Measure
Californians are facing the third statewide dialysis initiative in five years. The dialysis industry is spending tens of millions of dollars to defeat Proposition 29 and is running ads saying the measure would force clinics to close 鈥 a message that appears to be resonating with patients.
By Rachel Bluth -
After 鈥榓 Lot of Doors Shut in Our Face,鈥 Crusading Couple Celebrate Passage of Burn Pit Bill
Le Roy and Rosie Torres founded the Burn Pits 360 group that advocated for years for Congress to help veterans suffering from injuries caused by the massive disposal sites on overseas bases. Le Roy came home from Iraq suffering from breathing problems.
-
In America, Cancer Patients Endure Debt on Top of Disease
Medical breakthroughs mean cancer is less likely to kill, but survival can come at an extraordinary cost as patients drain savings, declare bankruptcy, or lose their homes, a KHN-NPR investigation finds.
-
Hospital Lawsuits and Garnished Wages on Top of Diabetes
A small infection related to diabetes on one New York man鈥檚 foot set off a cascade of medical emergencies and financial struggles that his family is still struggling to cope with.
-
100 Million People in America Are Saddled With Health Care Debt
The U.S. health system now produces debt on a mass scale, a new investigation shows. Patients face gut-wrenching sacrifices.
-
Lawmaker Takes on Insurance Companies and Gets Personal About His Health
State Sen. Scott Wiener opens up about a weeklong stint in the hospital last year and what it鈥檚 like to live with Crohn鈥檚 disease. The San Francisco Democrat is pushing a bill that would require insurance companies to cover certain medications while patients appeal denials.
-
Betting on 鈥楪olden Age鈥 of Colonoscopies, Private Equity Invests in Gastro Docs
An aging population in need of regular cancer screenings has driven private equity companies, seeking profits, to invest in many gastroenterology practices and set up aggressive billing practices. Steep prices on routine tests are one consequence for patients.
By Emily Pisacreta and Emmarie Huetteman -
鈥楾hat鈥檚 Just Part of Aging鈥: Long Covid Symptoms Are Often Overlooked in Seniors
Millions of older adults are grappling with long covid, yet the impact on them has received little attention even though research suggests seniors are more likely to develop the poorly understood condition than younger or middle-aged adults.
-
Covid鈥檚 鈥楽ilver Lining鈥: Research Breakthroughs for Chronic Disease, Cancer, and the Common Flu
Billions of dollars invested in mRNA vaccines and covid research could yield health care dividends for decades to come.
By Liz Szabo -
鈥楢n Arm and a Leg鈥: Need an Expensive Drug? Here’s What You Need to Know
Even a personal finance expert can get stuck with a huge unexpected bill for a drug. Listen up for what you need to know about "copay accumulators."
-
Listen: An Unsettling Investigation Into the Closure of a Chain of Pain Clinics
KHN senior correspondents Jenny Gold and Anna Maria Barry-Jester joined KVPR鈥檚 Kathleen Schock on 鈥淰alley Edition鈥 to discuss their investigation into the abrupt closure of one of California鈥檚 largest chain of pain clinics 鈥 and the patients left behind.
-
鈥業njections, Injections, Injections鈥: Troubling Questions Follow Closure of Sprawling Pain Clinic Chain
In May 2021, Lags Medical Centers, one of California鈥檚 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.
-
I Write About America鈥檚 Absurd Health Care System. Then I Got Caught Up in It.
A KHN reporter had written for years about the people left behind by the absurdly complex and expensive U.S. health care system. Then he found himself navigating that maze as he tried to get his insulin prescription filled.
-
California Ballot Will Be Heavy on Health Care
In the Nov. 8 general election, California voters will consider overturning the state鈥檚 flavored tobacco ban and hiking medical malpractice awards. Other proposals to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms, target dialysis clinics and boost public health funding could also be on the ballot, along with a plan to limit business and school closures during public health emergencies.
-
Biosimilar Drugs Are Cheaper Than Biologics. Are They Similar Enough to Switch?
Biologic drugs, made from living organisms, and the cheaper biosimilar drugs that mimic them are more complex than chemical drugs and their generic counterparts. The Food and Drug Administration says biosimilars are as safe and effective as the biologics, and doctors agree 鈥 but they are cautious about changing the treatment regimen of patients doing well.
-
鈥楳y Time to Live鈥: Through Novel Program, Kidney Patients Get Palliative Care, Dialysis 鈥橳il the End
Seattle鈥檚 Northwest Kidney Centers, which pioneered kidney failure treatment 50 years ago, now pairs dying patients with hospice services, without forcing them to forgo the comfort dialysis can provide.