Pandemic Imperiled Non-English Speakers More Than Others Martha Bebinger, WBUR April 27, 2021 In March 2020, just weeks into the covid-19 pandemic, the incident command center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston was scrambling to understand this deadly new disease. It appeared to be killing more Black and brown patients than whites. For […]
Category: Health News
Humana Health Plan Overcharged Medicare by Nearly $200 Million, Federal Audit Finds
Humana Health Plan Overcharged Medicare by Nearly $200 Million, Federal Audit Finds Fred Schulte, Kaiser Health News A Humana Inc. health plan for seniors in Florida improperly collected nearly $200 million in 2015 by overstating how sick some patients were, according to a new federal audit, which seeks to claw back the money. This […]
After Accident, Patient Crashes Into $700,000 Bill for Spine Surgery
After Accident, Patient Crashes Into $700,000 Bill for Spine Surgery Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News April 22, 2021 Mark Gottlieb’s life changed in an instant when another driver crashed into his car, damaging four vertebrae in his upper spine and smashing six teeth. In the months following that January 2019 crash, Gottlieb got the […]
Public Health Experts Worry About Boom-Bust Cycle of Support
Public Health Experts Worry About Boom-Bust Cycle of Support Michelle R. Smith, The Associated Press and Lauren Weber and Hannah Recht April 19, 2021 Congress has poured tens of billions of dollars into state and local public health departments in response to the covid-19 pandemic, paying for masks, contact tracers and education campaigns to […]
Redfield Joins Big Ass Fans, Which Promotes Controversial Covid-Killing Technology
Redfield Joins Big Ass Fans, Which Promotes Controversial Covid-Killing Technology Christina Jewett and Lauren Weber April 12, 2021 Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has joined Big Ass Fans, lending his scientific credibility to a company division that says its ion-generating technology kills the coronavirus. The company […]
Biden Seeks $400 Billion to Buttress Long-Term Care. A Look at What’s at Stake.
Biden Seeks $400 Billion to Buttress Long-Term Care. A Look at What’s at Stake. Judith Graham April 12, 2021 There’s widespread agreement that it’s important to help older adults and people with disabilities remain independent as long as possible. But are we prepared to do what’s necessary, as a nation, to make this possible? This […]
12 Months of Trauma: More Than 3,600 US Health Workers Died in Covid’s First Year
12 Months of Trauma: More Than 3,600 US Health Workers Died in Covid’s First Year Jane Spencer, The Guardian and Christina Jewett April 8, 2021 More than 3,600 U.S. health care workers perished in the first year of the pandemic, according to “Lost on the Frontline,” a 12-month investigation by The Guardian and KHN […]
Getting a Prescription to Die Remains Tricky Even as Aid-in-Dying Bills Gain Momentum
Getting a Prescription to Die Remains Tricky Even as Aid-in-Dying Bills Gain Momentum Katheryn Houghton March 30, 2021 Linda Heim knew her dad didn’t plan to wait for the cancer to kill him. For decades, he’d lived in Montana, which they’d thought was one of the few places where terminally ill people could get […]
Nosing In on Kids Who Had Covid and Lost Their Sense of Smell
Nosing In on Kids Who Had Covid and Lost Their Sense of Smell Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, Kaiser Health News March 25, 2021 Orange. Eucalyptus. Lavender. Peppermint. Doctors at Children’s Hospital Colorado and Seattle Children’s Hospital will use scents like these to treat children who lost their sense of smell to covid-19. Parents will attend […]
Under New Cost-Cutting Medicare Rule, Same Surgery, Same Place, Different Bill
Under New Cost-Cutting Medicare Rule, Same Surgery, Same Place, Different Bill Susan Jaffe March 23, 2021 A cost-saving change in Medicare launched in the final days of the Trump administration will cut payments to hospitals for some surgical procedures while potentially raising costs and confusion for patients. This story also ran on The Washington […]