Author archive for lhigashi

Jackson Health System offers free and reduced-cost healthcare for those who qualify. But advocacy groups complain the public hospital network is failing to meet legal requirements for charity care.By Daniel ChangWith a part-time job that pays about $10,000 a year and no health benefits, Jacqueline Samuel of Miami has…

By Julie ApplebyConsumers getting government subsidies for health insurance who are later found ineligible for those payments will owe the government, but not necessarily the full amount, according to the Treasury Department.The clarified rule could affect some of the 300,000 people facing a Sept. 5 deadline to submit additional…

By Tom WilemonLawyers for TennCare say a federal lawsuit against the state Medicaid agency should be dismissed because all 11 people who sued over delays and barriers to obtaining coverage now have it.They will make their argument Friday, while attorneys for those 11 plaintiffs will seek to persuade a…

By Arian Campo-Flores and Zusha ElinsonFaced with an unrelenting epidemic of heroin and pain-pill deaths, many states are pushing to make more widely available a drug called naloxone that can reverse overdoses from such opioid drugs within minutes....Nationwide, overdose deaths from painkillers such as oxycodone rose 23% to 16,917 between…

By Anne Michaud For those who believe in the Affordable Care Act's promise of more humane coverage for more people, the recent news about drug costs is discouraging. The most effective drugs for some of the most serious diseases -- cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, asthma, mental illness -- can…

By Tom WilemonTennesseans calling for help with Medicaid applications reach someone who can't view their file, can't answer basic questions, and probably won't call them back.Because of delays with a $35.7 million computer system, call center employees can do little except answer the telephone and pass along messages to TennCare.…