Misinformation Clouds America’s Most Popular Emergency Contraception
By Sarah Varney
June 7, 2022
KHN Original
At a moment when half of U.S. states stand poised to outlaw or sharply curtail abortion services, the nation’s most popular emergency contraception brand rests in the unlikely stewardship of two private equity firms.
As Big Pharma and Hospitals Battle Over Drug Discounts, Patients Miss Out on Millions in Benefits
By Sarah Jane Tribble Emily Featherston, InvestigateTV
November 16, 2021
KHN Original
The number of pharmacies dispensing 340B discounted drugs soared to more than 31,000 this year. Drugmakers struck back by halting some discounts. Hospitals say they are losing millions of dollars — and cutting back services to patients — as a result.
A Needle Exchange Project Modeled on Urban Efforts Aims to Save Lives in Rural Nevada
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
August 24, 2022
KHN Original
Five years after HIV tore through a rural Indiana town as a result of widespread drug use, a syringe and needle exchange program was set up in rural Nevada to prevent a similar event.
Schools, Sheriffs, and Syringes: State Plans Vary for Spending $26B in Opioid Settlement Funds
By Aneri Pattani
November 22, 2022
KHN Original
The cash represents an unprecedented opportunity to derail the opioid epidemic, but with countless groups advocating for their share of the pie, the impact could depend heavily on geography and politics.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott Off Base in Claim That Rise in Medicare Premiums Is Due to Inflation
By Phil Galewitz
November 24, 2021
KHN Original
The Republican senator says President Joe Biden’s “inflation crisis” caused Medicare to raise monthly premiums, which will add hundreds of dollars to beneficiaries’ costs. But Medicare experts say inflation was not to blame and most beneficiaries will shoulder a much smaller increase than what Rick Scott claims.
Grandes farmacéuticas y hospitales pelean por los descuentos en medicamentos, y los pacientes pierden millones en beneficios
By Sarah Jane Tribble Emily Featherston, InvestigateTV
November 16, 2021
KHN Original
Fabricantes de medicamentos se niegan a ofrecer descuentos a miles de farmacias contratadas por los hospitales, diciendo que el programa ha crecido más allá de su uso previsto.
Clinics Say State’s New Medicaid Drug Program Will Force Them to Cut Services
By Samantha Young
January 10, 2022
KHN Original
On Jan. 1, California started buying prescription drugs for its nearly 14 million Medicaid enrollees, a responsibility that had primarily been held by managed-care insurance plans. State officials estimate California will save hundreds of millions of dollars by flexing its purchasing power, but some health clinics expect to lose money.
‘Drinking Through a Lead Straw’ — $15B Approved to Fix Dangerous Water Pipes
By Sandy West
November 8, 2021
KHN Original
The infrastructure bill passed Friday funnels $15 billion into lead pipe remediation. Water quality experts say the cost of getting rid of all lead pipes could ultimately cost $60 billion. Still, some health advocates say the new funding will be transformative in allowing communities such as Houston’s Fifth Ward to fix its pipes.
Journalists Discuss Medicaid Rules, Opioid Settlement Funds, and the Public Health Workforce
December 3, 2022
KHN Original
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.
A Guide to Help You Keep Up With the Omicron Subvariants
By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
May 6, 2022
KHN Original
How different are the seemingly endless stream of emerging omicron subvariants from one another and how protected are we?
Watch: She Almost Died. The $250K Debt Took Their House.
June 21, 2022
KHN Original
CBS Evening News spotlights Jim and Cindy Powers, who faced crippling medical debt.
Todo lo que hay que saber sobre omicron y las otras variantes del coronavirus
By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
November 30, 2021
KHN Original
La variante omicron, conocida oficialmente como B.1.1.529, apareció en noviembre en varios países del sur de África. Las alarmas saltaron en todo el mundo cuando los funcionarios de salud pública de Sudáfrica vieron que empezaba a superar a delta, la cepa dominante hasta ahora.
Guía para entender a las subvariantes de ómicron
By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
May 6, 2022
KHN Original
¿Qué tan diferentes son estas subvariantes entre sí? ¿Puede la infección por una subvariante proteger a alguien de la infección por otra? Y, ¿qué tan bien funcionan contra estas variantes las vacunas que se desarrollaron antes de la aparición de ómicron?
A GOP Talking Point Suggests Birth Control Is Not at Risk. Evidence Suggests Otherwise.
By Julie Rovner
August 5, 2022
KHN Original
Republicans say Democrats are wrong to claim that birth control could be the Supreme Court’s next target. But Democrats have plenty of evidence that it might be.
Change to Gilead Assistance Program Threatens PrEP Access, HIV Advocates Say
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
June 10, 2021
KHN Original
Safety-net clinics especially are bracing for how the drugmaker’s policy shift could reduce their budgets and hamstring their ability to provide care to an at-risk population.
Oncology Doctors Say the Build Back Better Act Will Slash Cancer Care Funding — A Skewed Argument
By Julie Appleby
December 8, 2021
KHN Original
The Community Oncology Alliance is targeting the prescription drug provisions of the Build Back Better Act, saying they will trigger deep cuts in oncologists’ pay, causing clinics to close and health care costs to rise. But it leaves out some important details.
After Miscarriages, Workers Have Few Guarantees for Time Off or Job-Based Help
By Bryce Covert
January 26, 2022
KHN Original
About a quarter of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. Despite the large number of workers affected, no national laws protect them when they need time off to deal with the loss.
Three Things About the Abortion Debate That Many People Get Wrong
By Julie Rovner
July 22, 2022
KHN Original
The commonly repeated myths include arguments that only women who are pregnant are affected by the decision overturning Roe v. Wade, that Democratic lawmakers could have codified abortion protections before, and that Congress can easily get rid of federal laws restricting abortion.
Emergency Contraception Marks a New Battle Line in Texas
By Sarah Varney
April 28, 2022
KHN Original
In the shadow of Texas’ austere abortion regulations, grassroots organizers employ stealth tactics to help young women get emergency contraception.
