Kaiser Health News

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Hospitals Said They Lost Money On Medicare Patients, But One State's Report Finds Some Made Millions

A new report reflects how loosely the federal government regulates the way hospitals calculate their community benefits.

Oct 25, 2022

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PIXABAY

As Links To MS Deepen, Researchers Accelerate Efforts To Develop An Epstein-Barr Vaccine

New research firmly links the virus to multiple sclerosis, a potentially disabling chronic disease that afflicts more than 900,000 Americans and 2.8 million people worldwide.

Oct 20, 2022

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JESSE ZHANG/KHN,NPR

Kids’ Mental Health Care Leaves Parents In Debt And In The Shadows

With too few therapists accepting insurance, families face myriad challenges finding and paying for mental health care.

Oct 20, 2022

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LEXIE HEARING

Say What? Hearing Aids Available Over-the-Counter For As Low As $199, And Without A Prescription

Hearing aid prices are dropping dramatically as a federal law takes effect.

Oct 18, 2022

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“If I could go back 30 years, I wouldn’t become a doctor,” says Dr. Andrew Bush, whose practice, Central Carolina Orthopaedic Associates, operates in Sanford, North Carolina. “Looking back at life, this was the wrong choice.”/Eamon Queeney for KHN

As Giant Hospitals Get Bigger, An Independent Doctor Feels The Pinch

Independent physicians in the United States are selling their practices to behemoth hospital systems or leaving the profession altogether.

Oct 13, 2022

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OONA TEMPEST/KHN

Abortion Bans Skirt A Medical Reality: For Many Teens, Childbirth Is A Dangerous Undertaking

The U.S. has one of the highest teen birth rates among developed nations.

Oct 11, 2022

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DAVID CAVE IS A RECOVERY COACH ON AN ADDICTION SPECIALTY TEAM AT SALEM HOSPITAL, NORTH OF BOSTON./JESSE COSTA/WBUR

Hospitals Have Been Slow To Bring On Addiction Specialists

Discharging a patient without specialized addiction care can mean losing a crucial opportunity to intervene and treat someone at the hospital.

Oct 11, 2022

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GUNDULA VOGEL/PIXABAY

Nursing Home Surprise: Advantage Plans May Shorten Stays To Less Time Than Medicare Covers

Half of the nearly 65 million people with Medicare are enrolled in the private health plans called Medicare Advantage.

Oct 6, 2022

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PENNY WINGARD OF CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, HAS SURVIVED BREAST CANCER, A BRAIN ANEURYSM, AND SURGERY ON BOTH EYES. FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS, SHE'S BEEN BATTLING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN MEDICAL DEBT./ANERI PATTANI/KHN

Medical Debt Sunk Her Credit. New Changes From Credit Reporting Agencies Won’t Help.

Earlier this year credit reporting companies touted changes to erase medical debt, but experts say the effects will be limited.

Oct 6, 2022

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JEFF WHITE HAS BEEN ASSISTED SEVERAL TIMES IN RECENT YEARS BY CRISIS RESPONSE TEAMS THAT SERVE SOME RURAL COUNTIES IN IOWA. WHITE, WHO HAS DEPRESSION AND SCHIZOPHRENIA, CAN NOW CALL A STATE-RUN HOTLINE AND REQUEST A VISIT FROM MENTAL HEALTH WORKERS, RATHER THAN BEING ADMITTED TO A PSYCHIATRIC UNIT OR JAILED BY POLICE./KC MCGINNIS FOR KHN

Mental Health Crisis Teams Aren’t Just For Cities Anymore

Small police departments and sheriffs’ offices seem increasingly open to finding alternatives to a standard law enforcement response.

Oct 3, 2022