Kaiser Health News News

‘Injections, Injections, Injections’: Troubling Questions Follow Closure of Sprawling Pain Clinic Chain

HANFORD, Calif. — On May 13 of last year, the cellphones of thousands of California residents undergoing treatment for chronic pain lit up with a terse text message: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Lags Medical Centers will be closing effective May …

States Curtail Public Health Powers for This Pandemic and Future Diseases

Republican legislators in more than half of U.S. states, spurred on by voters angry about lockdowns and mask mandates, are taking away the powers that state and local officials use to protect the public against infectious diseases. A Kaiser Health …

Hospitals, Nursing Homes Fail to Separate COVID Patients, Putting Others at Risk

Nurses at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center were on edge as early as March when patients with COVID-19 began to show up in areas of the hospital that were not set aside to care for them. The Centers for Disease …

Next Showdown in Congress: Protecting Workers vs. Protecting Employers in Pandemic

Congressional leaders are squaring off over the next pandemic relief bill in a debate over whom Congress should step up to protect: front-line workers seeking more safeguards from the ravages of COVID-19 or beleaguered employers seeking relief from lawsuits. Democrats …

Workers Overdose On the Job and Employers Struggle to Respond

PORTLAND, Ore. — Jimmy Sullivan prepared for his job as a bricklayer the same way every morning for years: injecting a shot of heroin before leaving his car. The first time he overdosed on the job, in 2013 at a …

10 Regions of U.S. with Highest Health Insurance Premiums

These are the 10 regions of the country with the highest premiums for people buying insurance on the health law’s new marketplaces. The ranking is based on the lowest price “silver” plan, which is the mid-level plan that the majority …

Average Obamacare Premiums Will Be Lower Than Projected

By Julie Appleby and Phil Galewitz Kaiser Health News Staff Writers Just days before new online health insurance markets are set to open, the Obama administration Wednesday released a look at average premiums, saying rates in most states are lower …

Employers Could Save Billions Swapping COBRA For Obamacare

By Jay Hancock, KHN Staff Writer Health-law provisions taking effect next year could save U.S. employers billions of dollars in expenses now paid for workers who continue medical coverage after they leave the company, benefits experts say. Insurance marketplaces created …