KHN

Meet Josh. He’s a teenager in Fort Scott, Kansas, who dropped out of high school around the same time the town’s hospital closed. He says those two things are related.

If Democrat Joe Biden is successful in his bid for the presidency but the Senate remains in GOP control, Democrats’ plans for major changes in health care may be curbed.

Furious over Republicans’ handling of the pandemic, Wisconsin health care workers are speaking out against the president — and running for office.

Under the plan pushed by Gov. Brian Kemp, the healthcare.gov website will no longer provide options for Georgia starting next fall, and consumers will need to rely on private brokers, insurance companies, agents and commercial websites.

Hospital staff in states such as California and New York can help patients obtain ballots and vote. In other states, you need a relative to assist you.

An analysis of location data from 30 million smartphones found that facilities across the country that share the most workers also had the most COVID-19 infections. The “Kevin Bacon of nursing homes” in each state — the one with the most staffers working at other nursing homes — was likely to have the worst outbreaks of coronavirus contagion.

In a classic — and hilarious — David vs. Goliath story, Jeffrey Fox takes on a huge hospital over an outrageous bill, and wins.

There couldn’t be more at stake for California’s Democratic health care agenda in the presidential race. State lawmakers are already penning big-ticket legislation they hope to pursue should Democrat Joe Biden win, from single-payer to a new wealth tax.

More than eight months into the pandemic, stockpiling of masks and other protective equipment by wealthy hospital systems is straining nursing homes and smaller providers who also need precious protective gear to keep front-line workers safe from COVID-19.

Science is becoming increasingly politicized, so how will it fare on the campaign trail — in 2020 and beyond?

Democrats are favored to win both chambers of Congress after years of campaign-trail promises about health care. But their margin in the Senate could be slim, making it difficult to pass major health care legislation. And they still must heal some rifts within the caucus about how far they can push overhaul efforts.

President Donald Trump wants to send seniors $200 apiece. Beyond the legal and logistical problems, health care experts point out it does little to help someone with even typical prescription costs.

Ride-sharing and delivery services such as Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart are bankrolling California’s Proposition 22, which would keep their drivers classified as independent contractors, not employees. But health benefits? That’s something of a stretch.

Former President Barack Obama says President Donald Trump is “jealous of COVID’s media coverage.” Indeed, Trump has complained at his rallies, attended by mostly maskless supporters, about how the media covers the pandemic — at a time when cases are rising rapidly across the nation. Meanwhile, open enrollment is about to begin for the Affordable Care Act in a year when many people need coverage, but the law’s future is not secure. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Anna Almendrala about the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment.

Experts said a penalty of $10,000 in one year would have been extremely unlikely.

Sen. Lindsey Graham insinuates that the law is sending a disproportionate amount of money to New York, California and Massachusetts, all represented by Democrats.