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Health Inc. : Shots - Health News As spending on care rises, the business of health keeps getting more important. We feature news on and analysis of drugmakers, health insurers, hospitals, doctors and others in the business of providing health care.
Shots - Health News

Shots

Health News From NPR

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Monday

How Black tech entrepreneurs are tackling health care's race gap

(from left) Kevin Dedner founded Hurdle, a mental health startup that pairs patients with therapists. Ashlee Wisdom's company, Health in Her Hue, connects women of color with culturally sensitive medical providers. Nathan Pelzer's Clinify Health analyzes data to help doctors identify at-risk patients in underserved areas. Erica Plybeah's firm, MedHaul, arranges transport to medical appointments. Kevin Dedner; Kolin Mendez Photography; Aaron Gang Photography; Starboard & Port Creative hide caption

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Kevin Dedner; Kolin Mendez Photography; Aaron Gang Photography; Starboard & Port Creative

Health Inc.

How Black tech entrepreneurs are tackling health care's race gap

KFF Health News

Determined to improve the way doctors connect with their patients, a new wave of innovators are using technology to match people of color with culturally competent professionals.

Wednesday

Biden's plan to stop surprise medical bills faces bipartisan pushback in Congress

Some doctors, medical associations and members of Congress are complaining that the rule released by the Biden administration this fall for implementing the law to stop surprise medical bills actually favors insurers and doesn't follow the spirit of the legislation. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption

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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Health Inc.

Biden's plan to stop surprise medical bills faces bipartisan pushback in Congress

KFF Health News

Congress passed a law last year to shield patients from surprise out-of-network medical charges. But many doctors in the House now say the way the law is to be implemented unfairly favors insurers.

Thursday

Medicare Advantage's cost to taxpayers has soared in recent years, research finds

Medicare Advantage health plans have enrolled nearly 27 million members, or about 45% of people eligible for Medicare. A recent analysis finds Medicare overpaid the private health plans by more than $106 billion from 2010 through 2019 because of the way the plans charge for sicker patients. Innocenti/Image Source/Getty Images hide caption

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Innocenti/Image Source/Getty Images

Health Inc.

Medicare Advantage's cost to taxpayers has soared in recent years, research finds

KFF Health News

An alternative to original Medicare, the private plans are run mostly by major insurers. A recent analysis estimates Medicare overpaid these insurers by $106 billion from 2010 through 2019.

Thursday

A doctor spread COVID misinformation and renewed her license with a mouse click

Dr. Lee Merritt is a orthopedic and spinal surgeon who spreads misinformation about COVID-19. She is affiliated with a prominent right-wing group known as America's Frontline Doctors. R. Kellman/Screenshot from Rumble hide caption

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R. Kellman/Screenshot from Rumble

Health Inc.

A doctor spread COVID misinformation and renewed her license with a mouse click

Lee Merritt is a back surgeon with a long history of spreading COVID misinformation. But she renewed her medical license last month.

A doctor spread COVID misinformation and renewed her license with a mouse click

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Monday

6 tips to help you pick the right health insurance plan
Subin Yang for NPR

Health Inc.

6 tips to help you pick the right health insurance plan

The open enrollment period to buy health insurance on HealthCare.gov starts now and runs through Jan. 15, 2022. Look for more options and expanded subsidies this year — and more help signing up.

6 tips to help you pick the right health insurance plan

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Wednesday

A hospital hiked the price of a routine childbirth by calling it an 'emergency'

When Caitlin Wells Salerno and Jon Salerno's first son, Hank, was born, his delivery cost the family only $30. Gus' bill came in at more than $16,000, all told — including the $2,755 ER charge. The family was responsible for about $3,600 of the total. Rae Ellen Bichell/KHN hide caption

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Rae Ellen Bichell/KHN

Health Inc.

A hospital hiked the price of a routine childbirth by calling it an 'emergency'

Obstetrical emergency departments are a new aspect of some hospitals that can inflate medical bills for even the easiest, healthiest births. Just ask baby Gus' parents about their $2,755 ER charge.

A hospital hiked the price of a routine childbirth by calling it an 'emergency'

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Monday

The U.S. needs more nurses, but nursing schools don't have enough slots

Nurses check on a patient in a Jonesboro, Ark., ICU in August when the delta variant sparked yet another surge of serious COVID-19 cases in the region. The pandemic has only added to a longstanding nursing shortage in the U.S., statistics show. Houston Cofield/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Houston Cofield/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Health Inc.

The U.S. needs more nurses, but nursing schools don't have enough slots

Across the country, hospitals are desperate for RNs and specialty nurses. Yet, paradoxically, the nursing pipeline has slowed, with educators retiring or returning to clinical work themselves.

The U.S. needs more nurses, but nursing schools don't have enough slots

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Wednesday

Worn-out nurses hit the road for better pay, stressing hospital budgets — and morale

Hospitals around the U.S., including large academic medical centers like Vanderbilt University's in Nashville, Tenn., have been forced to rely on traveling nurses to keep their intensive care units fully staffed. The demand for travel nurses has driven up their hourly rates, which then motivates more staff nurses to leave in pursuit of a traveling gig. Blake Farmer/WPLN hide caption

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Blake Farmer/WPLN

Health Inc.

Worn-out nurses hit the road for better pay, stressing hospital budgets — and morale

WPLN News

In areas overwhelmed by COVID cases, hospitals must rely on traveling nurses to operate ICUs. Hospitals pay a premium for that temporary help, while also struggling to keep their staff nurses happy.

Worn-out nurses hit the road for better pay, stressing hospital budgets — and morale

Monday

Patients say telehealth is OK, but most prefer to see their doctor in person
Miakievy/Getty Images

Health Inc.

Patients say telehealth is OK, but most prefer to see their doctor in person

An NPR poll finds that while a large majority of people using telehealth during the pandemic were satisfied, nearly two-thirds prefer in-person visits. That may foretell telehealth's future.

Patients say telehealth is OK, but most prefer to see their doctor in person

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Friday

Hospitals brace for an onslaught this winter, from flu as well as COVID

Registered nurse Christie Lindog works at the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in Tarzana, Calif., on Sept. 2. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

Health Inc.

Hospitals brace for an onslaught this winter, from flu as well as COVID

America's hospitals are already strained from the delta surge. Now they fear they'll be further overwhelmed by pent-up demand for services and a potentially bad flu season.

Hospitals brace for an onslaught this winter, from flu as well as COVID

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Thursday

The Bill For His COVID Test In Texas Was A Whopping $54,000

Travis Warner of Dallas got tested for the coronavirus at a free-standing emergency room in June 2020 after one of his colleagues tested positive for the virus. The emergency room bill included a $54,000 charge for one test. Laura Buckman for KHN hide caption

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Laura Buckman for KHN

Health Inc.

The Bill For His COVID Test In Texas Was A Whopping $54,000

KFF Health News

A businessman from Dallas got a PCR test for the coronavirus at a suburban emergency room. The charge for his test was "egregious" but not illegal, say health care analysts. Here's what happened.

The Bill For His COVID Test In Texas Was A Whopping $54,000

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Monday

The Affordable Care Act Can Help Au Pairs Avoid Medical Debt

According to the State Department, 14 au pair agencies operate in the U.S. These private companies are required to offer the child care workers who contract with them basic health coverage. But the plans often amount to emergency or travel insurance — not the kind of full coverage ACA health plans offer. Petri Oeschger/Getty Images hide caption

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Petri Oeschger/Getty Images

Health Inc.

The Affordable Care Act Can Help Au Pairs Avoid Medical Debt

KFF Health News

Child care workers from outside the U.S. often buy health coverage through an agency. But those policies can have big gaps, critics warn. ACA plans are comprehensive and, with subsidies, can be cheap.

Tuesday

The DOJ Says A Data Mining Company Fabricated Medical Diagnoses To Make Money

A civil suit filed by the Justice Department this week links exaggerated patient bills to tens of millions of dollars in overcharges by Medicare Advantage plans. A data analytics team facilitated the fraud, the lawsuit alleges. John Lund/Getty Images hide caption

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John Lund/Getty Images

Health Inc.

The DOJ Says A Data Mining Company Fabricated Medical Diagnoses To Make Money

KFF Health News

In a civil suit filed this week, the Justice Department accuses a New York medical analytics company of helping a Medicare Advantage plan cheat taxpayers out of millions of dollars.

Friday

Same Hospital And Insurer, But The Bill For His 2nd Jaw Procedure Was $24,000 More

Ely Bair had two medically necessary jaw surgeries. For the first, in 2018, his share of the bill was $3,000. For the second, in 2019 after a job change, he was billed $27,000, even though he had the same insurance carrier. Jovelle Tamayo for Kaiser Health News hide caption

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Jovelle Tamayo for Kaiser Health News

Health Inc.

Same Hospital And Insurer, But The Bill For His 2nd Jaw Procedure Was $24,000 More

KFF Health News

To realign the man's jaw and ease his chronic pain and high blood pressure, he would need two operations, the surgeon said. Both procedures went well, but the patient was shocked by the second bill.

Same Hospital And Insurer, But The Bill For His 2nd Jaw Procedure Was $24,000 More

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Wednesday

The U.S. Paid Billions To Get Enough COVID Vaccines Last Fall. What Went Wrong?

Then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar (left) and President Donald Trump listen as Moncef Slaoui of Operation Warp Speed speaks about the crash program to develop a COVID-19 vaccine in the White House Rose Garden in May 2020. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Health Inc.

The U.S. Paid Billions To Get Enough COVID Vaccines Last Fall. What Went Wrong?

Immediately after the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer's vaccine, the company delivered fewer doses than its government contract projected. Federal officials say they didn't know why.

The U.S. Paid Billions To Get Enough COVID Vaccines Last Fall. What Went Wrong?

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