Can They Do That? Rules For Pricing Spousal Coverage
Michelle Andrews answers a reader's question about employers who charge a different premium to cover a spouse who has coverage available through his or her own job.
Insuring Your Health
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Large Companies Are Increasingly Offering Workers Only High Deductible Health Plans
Firms with 1,000 employees or more once offered a variety of coverage options, but a recent survey found nearly 15 percent today provide simply these plans and a savings account for medical expenses.
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Q&A: I Had To Return To The Hospital; Will They Be Penalized?
Consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about what triggers Medicare's penalties for hospitals who readmit patients too frequently.
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Group Appointments With Doctors: When Three Isn’t A Crowd
More doctors are holding appointments with multiple patients, a trend some say may help ease a forecasted shortage of physicians.
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Consumers Don’t View Curbing Costs As Their Job When Choosing Treatments, Study Finds
Researcher says she and colleagues were "surprised at how firmly and frequently people talked about not wanting cost considerations to factor into decision-making at all."
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Caveat For Contraceptive Coverage; Early Retirees May Get Cheaper Plans On Exchanges
Columnist answers readers' questions about birth control provisions and subsidized coverage on state-based insurance marketplaces.
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Key Long-Term-Care Insurer To Raise Women’s Premiums
Although the Affordable Care Act seeks to end health plans' use of gender to set prices, the new rules don't apply to policies for long-term care.
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New Coverage May Spur Younger Women To Use Long-Acting Contraceptives
The health law specifies that birth control is a covered service in many plans ending the burden of a high up-front cost for IUDs and hormonal implants.
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Observation Units Can Improve Care But May Be Costly For Patients
Sometimes patients who are kept in the hospital to monitor their condition are not formally admitted and must pick up a bigger share of the cost.
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Health Law Bars Opting Out Of Maternity Coverage; Long Term Care Insurance Is Guaranteed If Company Goes Out Of Business
Insurance columnist answers readers' questions about the new pregnancy benefits offered in the health overhaul, assurances that current insurance policies will be honored in the future and switching employer health plans.
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Long Waits For Consumers When Medicare Is ‘Secondary Payer’
A new law sets schedules for providing details about medical claims in cases where a beneficiary suffers a personal injury due to someone else's negligence.
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Hospices, Wary Of Costs, May Be Discouraging Patients With High Expenses
A survey finds that more than three-quarters of hospices have restrictive enrollment policies designed to keep away patients with high-cost medical needs.
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Health Law Offers Dental Coverage Guarantee For Some Children
The requirement is only for individual and small-group health plans, and some advocates worry that the new benefits may not be sufficiently comprehensive or affordable.
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When An Employer Drops Coverage, Workers Lose Their Tax Advantages
Insurance columnist answers readers' questions, including how alternative medicine might be treated under the health law, and offers more details about coverage for adult children.
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When Employers’ Health Plans Disappear, Workers Often Have Few Options
Unexpected events, such as a corporate bankruptcy or sale or a decision by an employer to discontinue insurance, can undermine the security of on-the-job coverage.
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Study Finds Coverage To Help Kick Smoking Can Be Tricky
A recent review of 39 health plans finds details about who is covered to smoking-cessation treatments and who pays for them can be confusing and inconsistent.
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When A Plan Overpays For A Service, Is A Patient Responsible For A Refund?
Experts say that overpayments occur for a variety of reasons and they can create headaches for providers and patients alike.
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Weighing A State Mini-COBRA Plan; Premiums Based On Pay
Insurance columnist answers readers' questions about choosing coverage after leaving a job, health law requirements for small businesses and salary-based premiums.
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Medical Questions About Gun Ownership Come Under Scrutiny
High-profile law in Florida prohibiting doctors from asking patients about guns was overturned in the courts. But the 2010 federal health law restricts insurers, employers and HHS from asking.