Katie Thomas

1 week ago | ourcommunitynow.com | Sarah Kliff |Katie Thomas

Share Seniors across the country are wearing very expensive bandages.Made of dried bits of placenta, the paper-thin patches cover stubborn wounds and can cost thousands of dollars per square inch.Some research has found that such “skin substitutes” help certain wounds heal.

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Sarah Kliff |Katie Thomas

Many accountable care organizations, which track Medicare spending for large groups of patients, have alerted the government about overuse of skin substitutes. In March 2023, Dr. Danielle Whitacre, the chief medical officer of Bloom Healthcare in Colorado, and her colleagues complained to a Medicare claims processor about a baffling explosion in patients getting skin substitutes from mobile wound care clinics. Skin substitutes are typically not harmful.

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Sarah Kliff |Katie Thomas

In 2023, companies billed Medicare for hundreds of thousands of urinary catheters that doctors never ordered. The next year, doctors collected billions from the government for pricey bandages that were sometimes unneeded. Medicare waste has wide-reaching consequences. Even if patients do not pay the bills themselves, more spending by the government insurance program can increase future premiums.

Jan 23, 2025 | myheraldreview.com | Katie Thomas

Maricruz Salgado was bringing her diabetes under control. Thanks to a federal program that allowed health clinics that serve poor people to buy drugs at steeply discounted prices, she was able to pay less than $75 for all five of her diabetes medications every three months. But in July, the cost of three of those drugs soared. Salgado, who does not have health insurance, suddenly faced costs of hundreds of dollars per month. She could not afford it. Her doctor switched her to cheaper medicines.

Jan 16, 2025 | businessandamerica.com | Katie Thomas

Maricruz Salgado was bringing her diabetes under control. Thanks to a federal program that allowed health clinics that serve poor people to buy drugs at steeply discounted prices, she was able to pay less than $75 for all five of her diabetes medications every three months. But in July, the cost of three of those drugs soared. Ms. Salgado, who does not have health insurance, suddenly faced costs of hundreds of dollars per month. She could not afford it. Her doctor switched her to cheaper medicines.