Kaiser Health News, Cost & Quality Blog

Laura Derrick’s personal fight for affordable health care eventually landed her in the middle of a historic political fight ― and a movement that transformed American health policy.

When people had a health insurance headache, these two words were a relief: “Call Barbara.” No problem was too big, or too small, she’d fix it.

Early in the pandemic, Trump feuded with governors over whose responsibility it was to secure supplies and states sometimes found themselves competing with each other and the federal government for scarce personal protective equipment and testing materials.

Rural hospitals were already struggling before the coronavirus emerged. Now, the loss of revenue from patients who are afraid to come to the emergency room, postponing doctor’s appointments and delaying elective surgeries is adding to the pressure.

Advocates of cheap and widely available vaccines thought the pandemic might change business as usual. They were wrong.

An uninsured Colorado man owed $80,232 after two surgeries — the second to correct a complication from the first. After months of negotiating with the hospital, he still owes far more than most insurers would pay for the surgery he had.

A medida que la nación empezó a drenar su sistema de salud pública, personal y fondos cayeron más rápidamente en este estado, dejándolo desprotegido para la peor crisis de salud en un siglo.

When a colleague brings a medical billing problem to human resources director Steve Benasso — he goes to battle. “I am a bulldog on this stuff,” he said. In this episode, Benasso tells how he does it.

As the nation hollowed out its public health infrastructure for decades, staffing and funding fell faster and further in Florida. Then the coronavirus ran roughshod, infecting more than half a million people and killing thousands.

Inspired to help during the COVID pandemic, a volunteer SWAT team of engineering and medical talent combines old-fashioned problem-solving and advanced 3D printing — but will it actually help?

Pennsylvania and New Jersey are leaving the federal marketplace this fall to save money and will start their own insurance exchanges. Kentucky, New Mexico, Virginia and Maine are looking to join them in 2021 or beyond.

Starting in August 2020, a new episode every other week. No time like a pandemic to learn more about how to fight the high cost of health care.