All Coverage

Slow Your Disenroll

Episode 302

June 15, 2023

More than a million Americans have lost Medicaid coverage since pandemic protections ended. The Biden administration is asking states to slow disenrollment, but that does not mean states must listen. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court decision gives Medicaid beneficiaries the right to sue over their care, and a new deal preserves coverage of preventive services nationwide as a Texas court case continues. Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 51��Ƶ Health News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, 51��Ƶ Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews Dan Mendelson, CEO of Morgan Health, a new unit of JPMorgan Chase, about employers’ role in insurance coverage.

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A photo of the exterior of a hospital building marked with a large, blue and white H.

Diagnosis: Debt

International Rights Group Calls Out US for Allowing Hospitals to Push Millions Into Debt

In a new report, Human Rights Watch urges stronger federal and state action to hold hospitals to account for a medical debt crisis that now burdens more than 100 million Americans.

By Noam N. Levey

June 15, 2023

A photo of a woman posing inside of a dental clinic.

Montana Clinics Chip Away at Refugees’ Obstacles to Dental Care

As the number of refugees entering the U.S. grows, those arriving in Montana and other rural areas find limited dental care options.

By Erica Zurek

June 15, 2023

A photo illustration of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. superimposed next to a syringe and an outstretched arm holding a phone.

Tech Luminaries Give RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vaccine Message a Boost

The views of the leader of a broad anti-vaccine movement who is now running for president are unchallenged in public forums run by several prominent Silicon Valley figures.

By Darius Tahir

June 15, 2023

A cropped shot of a woman handling paper medical bills while working on a laptop at home.

At Least 1.7M Americans Use Health Sharing Arrangements, Despite Lack of Protections

A new report boosts the estimated number of people enrolled in plans whose members — usually brought together by shared religious beliefs — pay one another’s health costs.

By Markian Hawryluk

June 14, 2023

A photo of a woman sitting for a photo at an office desk.

Foster Kids in Casino Hotels? It Happened in Rural Nevada Amid Widespread Foster Home Shortages

A nationwide decline in foster home spots has led to dire situations in some rural areas, including northeastern Nevada, where a state social worker has been pleading with community leaders to help address a shortage that left officials housing children in casino hotels.

By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

June 14, 2023

A photo of Annie Malloy standing for a photo as she cleans the motel room she had been living in.

Faces of Medi-Cal

On the Brink of Homelessness, San Diego Woman Wins the Medi-Cal Lottery

Annie Malloy, of San Diego, is among the first to receive a new housing move-in benefit from Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. It’s an effort to help homeless and near-homeless people who might otherwise rack up huge medical bills.

By Angela Hart

June 13, 2023

A photo of tents on the street in Miami.

Fraudsters Are Duping Homeless People Into Signing Up for ACA Plans They Can’t Afford

Homeless people are being fraudulently enrolled in health plans on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace, induced with cash payments from insurance agents and brokers. Those who sign up for an ACA plan are disqualified from other forms of free and low-cost care and risk disruption in treatment.

By Daniel Chang

June 13, 2023

A blue-tinted photo illustration of an EKG reading, a calculator, and a stethoscope.

Biden Admin Implores States to Slow Medicaid Cuts After More Than 1M Enrollees Dropped

Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra is asking states to make more of an effort to keep eligible Medicaid recipients enrolled. He particularly fears children losing health insurance coverage.

By Hannah Recht

June 13, 2023

What Does a Chatbot Know About Eating Disorders? Users of a Help Line Are About to Find Out

The National Eating Disorders Association’s help line has seen demand climb to unsustainable levels since the beginning of the covid pandemic, with more people reporting severe mental health problems, the nonprofit says. But staffers worry this chatbot may make things worse.

By Kate Wells, Michigan Public

June 12, 2023

A photo of a gate with a sign that reads, "Pool closed."

Chronic Lifeguard Shortage Serves as Springboard to Address Racial Inequities

Cities and towns are again in deep waters this summer trying to hire enough lifeguards to open their public pools. Many are proceeding with sensitivity to issues of race and ethnicity.

By Michelle Andrews

June 12, 2023

A photo of a dental therapist working on a patient.

Dental Therapists Help Patients in Need of Care Avoid the Brush-Off

Dental therapists are licensed providers who offer basic care traditionally provided by dentists, including fillings and simple tooth extractions. But opposition from interest groups and the profession’s relative newness mean more than two-thirds of states don’t yet have them.

By Christina Saint Louis

June 9, 2023

A photo of an elderly woman receiving a head massage.

Massage Therapists Ease the Pain of Hospice Patients — But Aren’t Easy to Find

The pandemic disrupted the massage industry. Now those who specialize in hospice massage therapy are in demand and redefining their roles.

By Kate Ruder

June 8, 2023

An illustration shows a vial and syringe on a red and blue diagonal background superimposed next to a photo of the U.S. Capitol.

Postcard From Capitol Hill

How the Mixed Messaging of Vaccine Skeptics Sows Seeds of Doubt

Some GOP members of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic have two-stepped around vaccine skepticism, proclaiming themselves to be pro-vaccine while also validating the beliefs of people who oppose vaccine mandates. The result could have serious public health consequences.

By Darius Tahir

June 8, 2023

What the Health? From 51��Ƶ Health News

Debt Deal Leaves Health Programs (Mostly) Intact

Episode 301

June 7, 2023

The bipartisan deal to extend the U.S. government’s borrowing authority includes future cuts to federal health agencies, but they are smaller than many expected and do not touch Medicare and Medicaid. Meanwhile, Merck & Co. becomes the first drugmaker to sue Medicare officials over the federal health insurance program’s new authority to negotiate drug prices. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join 51��Ƶ Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 51��Ƶ Health News senior correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble, who reported the latest 51��Ƶ Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about the perils of visiting the U.S. with European health insurance.

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A photo of cars and a train driving by on a Los Angeles street.

Personal Medical Debt in Los Angeles County Tops $2.6 Billion, Report Finds

Medical debt is a leading public health problem, researchers say. Despite the county’s ongoing expansion of health coverage, the prevalence of medical debt remained unchanged from 2017 to 2021.

By Molly Castle Work

June 7, 2023

A photo of Melanie Gray Miller posing for portrait indoors.

Primary Care Disrupted

Burnout Threatens Primary Care Workforce and Doctors’ Mental Health

Burnout is a widespread problem in the health care industry. Although the pandemic made things worse, burnout among doctors is a long-standing concern that health systems have become more focused on as they try to stop doctors from quitting or retiring early.

By Lauren Sausser

June 7, 2023

51��Ƶ Health News & PolitiFact HealthCheck

A Windfall in Health Insurance Rebates? It’s Not as Crazy as It Sounds

The billion-dollar amount cited by former Sen. Al Franken, while an estimate, is likely very close to what insurers will owe this year under a provision of the Affordable Care Act that compels rebates when insurers spend too little on actual medical care.

By Julie Appleby

June 7, 2023

An Arm and a Leg

A ‘Payday Loan’ From a Health Care Behemoth

Season 9, Episode 7

June 6, 2023

UnitedHealth Group is the largest health insurer in the United States. And it keeps growing. This has led some health care experts to call for antitrust regulation of this “behemoth” company.

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A photo of a man working on a laptop indoors.

Asking Never Hurts

Recovery From Addiction Is a Journey. There’s No One-and-Done Solution.

Drug use has become a major public health crisis, but effective treatment remains hard to find. It does exist though. Columnist Bernard J. Wolfson offers advice on finding help and says not to expect a quick solution.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

June 6, 2023

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Audio Reports

Special Reports

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Slow Your Disenroll

International Rights Group Calls Out US for Allowing Hospitals to Push Millions Into Debt

Montana Clinics Chip Away at Refugees’ Obstacles to Dental Care

Tech Luminaries Give RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vaccine Message a Boost

At Least 1.7M Americans Use Health Sharing Arrangements, Despite Lack of Protections

Foster Kids in Casino Hotels? It Happened in Rural Nevada Amid Widespread Foster Home Shortages

On the Brink of Homelessness, San Diego Woman Wins the Medi-Cal Lottery

Fraudsters Are Duping Homeless People Into Signing Up for ACA Plans They Can’t Afford

Biden Admin Implores States to Slow Medicaid Cuts After More Than 1M Enrollees Dropped

What Does a Chatbot Know About Eating Disorders? Users of a Help Line Are About to Find Out

Chronic Lifeguard Shortage Serves as Springboard to Address Racial Inequities

Dental Therapists Help Patients in Need of Care Avoid the Brush-Off

Massage Therapists Ease the Pain of Hospice Patients — But Aren’t Easy to Find

How the Mixed Messaging of Vaccine Skeptics Sows Seeds of Doubt

Debt Deal Leaves Health Programs (Mostly) Intact

Personal Medical Debt in Los Angeles County Tops $2.6 Billion, Report Finds

Burnout Threatens Primary Care Workforce and Doctors’ Mental Health

A Windfall in Health Insurance Rebates? It’s Not as Crazy as It Sounds

A ‘Payday Loan’ From a Health Care Behemoth

Recovery From Addiction Is a Journey. There’s No One-and-Done Solution.

Morning Briefing

New Trump Administration Rules Promise More Transparency On Healthcare Prices

Trump Approves Execution By Firing Squad For Ex-Army Psychiatrist Who Killed 13 People In 2009 Shooting

Texas Attorney General Investigating Pediatricians Who Vaccinate Kids

All Coverage

Morning Briefing

New Trump Administration Rules Promise More Transparency On Healthcare Prices

Trump Approves Execution By Firing Squad For Ex-Army Psychiatrist Who Killed 13 People In 2009 Shooting

Texas Attorney General Investigating Pediatricians Who Vaccinate Kids

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