Guardian Health
‘Thank God they’re still alive’: Kaiser therapists claim its new screening system puts patients at higher risk by delaying their care
Kaiser Permanente therapists on strike say the health giant's new patient screening system is delaying mental health care for those in crisis, with some clinicians reporting that severely ill patients arrive weeks late for treatment. The concerns center on whether automation in the triage process is contributing to dangerous gaps in care. Kaiser disputes the claims, maintaining it provides timely, high-quality care to its members.
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When health insurance costs $2,500 per month, families make tough choices
Rising health insurance premiums are forcing self-employed Americans into painful financial trade-offs, with one couple paying $2,500 a month just to stay covered. To manage the cost, they've raided retirement savings and stripped discretionary spending down to the bone. Their situation reflects a growing crisis for the roughly 16 million Americans who buy their own insurance without employer subsidies.
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Stat News
STAT+: Sepsis hospitalizations have tripled in Massachusetts. Is it real or a billing game?
Sepsis hospitalizations in Massachusetts have more than tripled since 2010, raising urgent questions about whether the state is facing a genuine public health crisis or a data distortion driven by billing practices. Some experts point to hospitals' increasing use of AI-powered medical coding tools, which may be flagging more cases to maximize reimbursements. The debate has serious implications for how health systems allocate resources and how policymakers interpret disease trends.
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