Statistical Models vs. Front-Line Workers: Who Knows Best How to Spend Opioid Settlement Cash? Aneri Pattani MOBILE, Ala. — In this Gulf Coast city, addiction medicine doctor Stephen Loyd announced at a January event what he called “a game-changer” for state and local governments spending billions of dollars in opioid settlement funds. The money, […]

  Whistleblower Accuses Aledade, Largest US Independent Primary Care Network, of Medicare Fraud Fred Schulte, KFF Health News A Maryland firm that oversees the nation’s largest independent network of primary care medical practices is facing a whistleblower lawsuit alleging it cheated Medicare out of millions of dollars using billing software “rigged” to make patients appear […]

  California Pushes to Expand the Universe of Abortion Care Providers Laurie Udesky California’s efforts to expand access to abortion care are enabling more types of medical practitioners to perform certain abortion procedures — potentially a boon for patients in rural areas especially, but a source of concern for doctors’ groups that have long fought […]

  Bathroom Bills Are Back — Broader and Stricter — In Several States Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez Republican lawmakers in several states have resurrected and expanded the fight over whether transgender people may use bathrooms and other facilities that do not match their sex assigned at birth. At least one bill goes so far as making […]

  Toxic Gas That Sterilizes Medical Devices Prompts Safety Rule Update Andy Miller and Sam Whitehead Over the past two years, Madeline Beal has heard frustration and even bewilderment during public meetings about ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing gas that is used to sterilize half of the medical devices in the U.S. Beal, senior risk communication […]

  Hacking at UnitedHealth Unit Cripples a Swath of the US Health System: What to Know Darius Tahir Early in the morning of Feb. 21, Change Healthcare, a company unknown to most Americans that plays a huge role in the U.S. health system, issued a brief statement saying some of its applications were “currently unavailable.” […]

  Without Medicare Part B’s Shield, Patient’s Family Owes $81,000 for a Single Air-Ambulance Flight Tony Leys Debra Prichard was a retired factory worker who was careful with her money, including what she spent on medical care, said her daughter, Alicia Wieberg. “She was the kind of person who didn’t go to the doctor for […]

  A Government Video Would Explain When Abortion Is Legal in South Dakota Arielle Zionts South Dakota lawmakers want state officials to create an educational video to help doctors understand when they can end a pregnancy without risking prison time under the state’s near-total abortion ban. It’s an example of how states are responding to […]

  If You’re Poor, Fertility Treatment Can Be Out of Reach Michelle Andrews Mary Delgado’s first pregnancy went according to plan, but when she tried to get pregnant again seven years later, nothing happened. After 10 months, Delgado, now 34, and her partner, Joaquin Rodriguez, went to see an OB-GYN. Tests showed she had endometriosis, […]

  Horse Sedative Use Among Humans Spreads in Deadly Mixture of ‘Tranq’ and Fentanyl Sam Ogozalek, Tampa Bay Times TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — Andrew McClave Jr. loved to lift weights. The 6-foot-4-inch bartender resembled a bodybuilder and once posed for a photo flexing his muscles with former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan. “He was extremely dedicated […]