2023-08-20 A New Medicare Proposal Would Cover Training for Family Caregivers Judith Graham Even with extensive caregiving experience, Patti LaFleur was unprepared for the crisis that hit in April 2021, when her mother, Linda LaTurner, fell out of a chair and broke her hip. LaTurner, 71, had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia seven […]

    2023-08-19 Doctors Hesitate to Ask About Patients’ Immigration Status Despite New Florida Law Daniel Chang Fearful of risking their jobs, jeopardizing state funding for their institutions, and further politicizing health care, Florida hospital leaders have been reluctant to speak out against a new law that requires them to ask about patients’ immigration status. […]

    2023-08-18 Promising Better, Cheaper Care, Kaiser Permanente’s National Expansion Faces Wide Skepticism Harris Meyer As regulators review Kaiser Permanente’s proposed acquisition of a respected health system based in Pennsylvania, health care experts are still puzzling over how the surprise deal, announced in April, could fulfill the managed care giant’s promise of improving care […]

    2023-08-17 Patients in California County May See Refunds, Debt Relief From Charity Care Settlement Molly Castle Work California’s public hospital plans to start notifying 43,000 former patients Monday that they may be eligible for refunds or billing corrections, part of what advocates called a major legal settlement that will help force the hospital […]

    2023-08-16 Proposed Rule Would Make Hospital Prices Even More Transparent Note: All links open in new tab.   Julie Appleby, KFF Health News “How much is the ice cream?” A simple enough question, featured on a new TV and online advertisement, posed by a man who just wants something cold. A woman behind […]

    2023-08-15 Parents See Own Health Spiral as Their Kids’ Mental Illnesses Worsen Renuka Rayasam If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing “988,” or the Crisis Text Line by texting “HOME” to 741741. After her teenage daughter attempted suicide […]

    2023-08-14 A Blood Test That Screens for Cancer: Does It Do More Harm Than Good? Mark Kreidler By summer 2021, Gilbert Milam Jr. was living a good life. A nationally renowned rapper who performs under the name Berner, Milam was also enjoying the global expansion of Cookies, a brand of cannabis products and […]

    2023-08-13 New Alzheimer’s Drug Raises Hopes — Along With Questions Judith Graham The FDA has approved Leqembi, the first disease-modifying treatment for early-stage Alzheimer’s and a precursor condition, mild cognitive impairment. Medicare has said it will pay for the therapy. Medical centers across the country are scrambling to finalize policies and procedures for […]

    2023-08-12 Your Exorbitant Medical Bill, Brought to You by the Latest Hospital Merger Elisabeth Rosenthal When Mark Finney moved to southwestern Virginia with his young family a decade ago, there were different hospital systems and a range of independent doctors to choose from. But when his knee started aching in late 2020, he […]

    2023-08-11 Voters Rejected an Anti-Abortion Measure. State GOP Lawmakers Passed a Similar Bill Anyway. Mike Dennison In the months following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that gave states the power to ban abortion, voters in a half-dozen states spoke on the issue — and, in every case, chose to uphold abortion rights or […]