Midwest Bureau Archives - Page 27 of 46 - �鶹Ů�� Health News

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Biden Hits the Road to Sell Democrats’ Record

With the midterm elections rapidly approaching, President Joe Biden has taken to the road to convince voters that he and congressional Democrats have delivered for them during two years in power. Among the health issues highlighted by the administration this week are pandemic preparedness and the availability of over-the-counter hearing aids. The president also promised to sign a bill codifying the abortion protections of Roe v. Wade if Democrats maintain control of the House and Senate — even though it’s a long shot that there will be enough votes for that. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Oct. 20, 2022

A photo shows a doctor showing an elderly patient with glasses information on a tablet screen.

Blind to Problems: How VA’s Electronic Record System Shuts Out Visually Impaired Patients

Veterans Affairs’ electronic health records aren’t friendly to blind- and low-vision users, whether they’re patients or employees. It’s a microcosm of America’s health care system.

By Darius Tahir

Oct. 20, 2022

Diagnosis: Debt

Kids’ Mental Health Care Leaves Parents in Debt and in the Shadows

A youth mental health crisis and a shortage of therapists and other care providers who take insurance are pushing many families into financial ruin. But it's rarely acknowledged as medical debt.

By Yuki Noguchi, NPR News

Oct. 19, 2022

Centene Gave Thousands to Georgia Leaders’ Campaigns While Facing Medicaid Overbilling Questions

Centene is trying to settle accusations of Medicaid pharmaceutical overcharging in Georgia, and the St. Louis-based company has been giving thousands of dollars to the campaigns of the state attorney general and the governor.

By Maya T. Prabhu, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Andy Miller

Oct. 18, 2022

Postcard from South Dakota

Campaigning Ramps Up as South Dakota Voters Decide on Medicaid Expansion

A broad coalition of Medicaid expansion supporters faces off against a smaller group of opponents as early voting begins on a constitutional amendment that would increase coverage under South Dakota’s program.

By Arielle Zionts

Oct. 18, 2022

A photo shows a pair of hands holding Sony's new CRE-C10 hearing aids.

Say What? Hearing Aids Available Over-the-Counter for as Low as $199, and Without a Prescription

The cheaper over-the-counter aids are for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss — a market of tens of millions of people, many of whom have until now been priced out because prescription devices can cost thousands of dollars.

By Phil Galewitz

Oct. 17, 2022

A mother with dark brown hair and a yellow sweater sits on a couch and watches her young daughter, about one year old, play with a toy.

Patients For Profit: How Private Equity Hijacked Health Care

Baby, That Bill Is High: Private Equity ‘Gambit’ Squeezes Excessive ER Charges From Routine Births

Hospitals, boosted by private equity-backed staffing companies, have embraced a new idea: the obstetrics emergency department. Often, it is just a triage room in the labor-and-delivery area, but it bills like the main emergency department.

By Rae Ellen Bichell

Oct. 13, 2022

A photo shows Jeff White sitting in the nursing home where he lives, looking at the camera.

Mental Health Crisis Teams Aren’t Just for Cities Anymore

In many cities, social workers and counselors are responding to mental health emergencies that used to be solely handled by police. That approach is spreading to rural areas even though mental health professionals are scarcer and travel distances are longer.

By Tony Leys and Arielle Zionts

Oct. 3, 2022

KHN On Air

Journalists Dig In on the Fiscal Health of the Nation and Hospital Closures in Rural Missouri

KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Oct. 1, 2022

A still from a video shows Sterling Raspe lying down and wearing a nasal cannula.

KHN On Air

Watch: Their Baby Died. The Medical Bills Haunted Them.

Sterling Raspe lived just eight months. In this KHN video, her father shows the 2-inch stack of medical bills generated by Sterling’s care.

Sept. 30, 2022

Centene Agrees to Pay Massachusetts $14 Million Over Medicaid Prescription Claims

Massachusetts is the latest state to settle with St. Louis-based Centene Corp. over allegations that it overcharged Medicaid prescription drug programs.

By Andy Miller and Samantha Young

Sept. 29, 2022

A woman sits at a table next to a window and reads pieces of paper.

KHN Impact

$2,700 Ambulance Bill Pulled Back From Collections

After reporting from KHN, NPR, and CBS News, a patient’s $2,700 ambulance bill was pulled back from collections.

By Bram Sable-Smith

Sept. 28, 2022

A digital illustration in watercolor and pencil. A woman with long, braided black hair sits in the center of the image. She looks towards the viewer out of the corner of her eye with a slightly concerned expression. Beside her is a doctor, whose body is transparent and face has completely faded into the background. Behind them is an urban landscape with buildings colored in magenta, yellow, and grey. It is night.

Podcast

‘American Diagnosis’ Episode 12: When Indigenous People Move to Cities, Health Care Funding Doesn’t Follow

When Indigenous people started moving to cities in large numbers after World War II, many found hardship and discrimination there … but not the health care they were entitled to. Episode 12, the season finale, explores the efforts of urban Indian health providers to close those gaps by providing affordable, culturally competent care.

Sept. 28, 2022

A photo shows a woman holding a vial of oil and a pipette, suggesting it is Delta-8 oil.

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 “serious health risks.” The agency has received more than 100 reports of bad reactions among people who consumed it.

By Eric Berger

Sept. 23, 2022

A digital illustration in pencil and watercolor. A mother, painted in lively pinks and golds with vibrant red hair, holds a ghostly, colorless outline of her baby, who is wrapped in medical bills.

The Cruelest Bills

Shattered Dreams and Bills in the Millions: Losing a Baby in America

On top of fearing for their children’s lives, new parents of very fragile, very sick infants can face exorbitant hospital bills — even if they have insurance. Medical bills don’t go away if a child dies.

By Lauren Weber

Sept. 23, 2022

A photo shows the exterior of Audrain Community Hospital.

Patients for Profit: How Private Equity Hijacked Health Care

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’ new operator, Platinum Health, agreed to buy them in April for $2 and laid off the last employees in early September.

By Sarah Jane Tribble

Sept. 22, 2022

A colorful watercolor style digital illustration with a textured midnight-blue background. Three women are in the center of the image; on the left, a woman with straight hair in shades of periwinkle looks off to the distance in thought. She wears a magenta shirt. The woman in the center has short white hair with highlights of pink, yellow, and grey, and wears a bright yellow shirt. She is looking down with her chin on her hands in a contemplative expression. To her right, a woman with curly black hair with highlights of grey and pink looks off the page. Her arms are crossed in a thoughtful manner. She wears a vivid orange shirt. All of the women are middle to older aged. Three pink circles overlap each of the women, and a large pair of translucent lines in the shape of DNA overlay the image.

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.

By Michelle Andrews

Sept. 21, 2022

A photo shows a judge's gavel resting on a surface surrounded by shadows.

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.

By Andy Miller and Samantha Young

Sept. 19, 2022

A traditional courtroom illustration, in watercolor and pencil, depicting attorney Lawrence Robbins arguing before the Supreme Court. He wears a black suit, glasses, and is bald.

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’t on purpose.

By Brett Kelman

Sept. 19, 2022

Christina Green looks down at a book she holds in her hands. She is wearing rectangular glasses with brown frames. Behind her is a bookshelf. She is in her home.

Patients for Profit: How Private Equity Hijacked Health Care

Private Equity Sees the Billions in Eye Care as Firms Target High-Profit Procedures

As private equity groups are swarming into aging America’s eye care, the consolidation is costing the U.S. health care system and patients more money.

By Lauren Weber

Sept. 19, 2022

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�鶹Ů�� Health News covers health care in the Midwest, with a bureau headquartered in St. Louis and staff reporters based in Iowa, Michigan, and South Dakota.