Your Out-of-Pocket Health Care Costs Need Not Be a Mystery
A new California law requires health insurance companies to notify consumers how much remains on their deductibles and how close they are to their annual out-of-pocket spending limits.
Out-Of-Pocket Costs
81-100 of 239 results
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Despite Restraints, Democrats鈥 Drug Pricing Plan Could Still Aid Consumers
A last-minute agreement among lawmakers restored a provision seeking to hold down rising costs of prescription medicines. Although details on which drugs will be targeted remain sketchy, the legislation would help patients buying insulin and cap Medicare beneficiaries鈥 out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 a year.
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Jaw Surgery Takes a $27,119 Bite out of One Man鈥檚 Budget
A Seattle patient discovers the hard way that you can still hit a lifetime limit for certain types of care. And health plans can vary a lot from one job to the next, even if the insurer is the same.
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Data Visualizations
Caring for an Aging Nation
The number of Americans 65 and older is expected to nearly double in the next 40 years. Finding a way to provide and pay for the long-term health services they need won't be easy.
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Enough to Wreck Their Rest: $10,322 for a Sleep Study
The University of Miami Health System charges a truck driver six times what Medicare would pay for an overnight test.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: 2020 in Review 鈥 It Wasn鈥檛 All COVID
The coronavirus pandemic colored just about everything in 2020. But there was other health policy news that you either never heard or might have forgotten about: the Affordable Care Act going before the Supreme Court with its survival on the line; ditto for Medicaid work requirements. And a surprise ending to the 鈥渟urprise bill鈥 saga. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
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Surprise! Congress Takes Steps to Curb Unexpected Medical Bills
A long-debated measure to stop doctors, hospitals and other health care providers from billing patients for charges not covered by their insurance will gain congressional approval as part of the sweeping government spending package.
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During ACA Open Enrollment, Picking a Plan Invites New COVID Complications
COVID-19鈥檚 鈥渓ong haulers鈥 鈥 patients with lingering effects of the disease 鈥 have joined the ranks of Americans with preexisting conditions. For those shopping for health coverage on the individual market, here鈥檚 help navigating an uncharted insurance landscape.
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Surprise Federal Drug Rule Directs Insurers to Reveal What They Pay for Prescription Drugs
A provision the Trump administration tucked into its final rule on health plan price transparency requires telling consumers what they will pay out-of-pocket for drugs and showing them what the plan paid.
By Harris Meyer -
Savvy Patient Fought for the Price She Was Quoted 鈭 And Didn鈥檛 Give Up
A California woman thought the discount on her coinsurance before an operation sounded too good to be true. Turns out, she was right.
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Promises Kept? On Health Care, Trump’s Claims of 鈥楳onumental Steps’ Don鈥檛 Add Up
The president entered office seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act, revamp Medicaid and drive down prescription drug prices, among other things. He鈥檚 hit some stone walls.
By Julie Rovner and Phil Galewitz -
With No Legal Guardrails for Patients, Ambulances Drive Surprise Medical Billing
Studies show that at least half of ground ambulance rides across the nation leave patients with 鈥渟urprise鈥 medical bills. And a $300-a-mile ride is not unusual. Yet federal legislation to stem what鈥檚 known as balance billing has largely ignored ambulance costs.
By Laura Ungar -
Health Insurers Prosper As COVID-19 Deflates Demand For Elective Treatments
With most nonemergency procedures shelved for now, many health insurers are expected to see profits in the near term, but the longer view of how the coronavirus will affect them is far more complicated and could well impact what people pay for coverage next year.
By Julie Appleby and Steven Findlay -
鈥楢n Arm And A Leg鈥: Am I Protected If I Need COVID-19 Care?
鈥淎n Arm and a Leg鈥 is back sharing stories about the ways COVID-19 intersects with the cost of health care. To tackle a listener鈥檚 question about health coverage, Dan Weissmann spoke with one of the country鈥檚 top insurance nerds.
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In Fine Print, HHS Appears To Ban All Surprise Billing During The Pandemic
Language in the CARES Act says providers who take emergency funding cannot balance-bill coronavirus patients 鈥 and 鈥渆very patient鈥 is considered a possible COVID-19 patient.
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With Federal Nod, Consumers Could Lose The Boost They Get From Drug 鈥楥oupons鈥
The proposal being weighed by federal officials would allow employers and insurers to decide that drug companies鈥 assistance doesn鈥檛 count toward their members鈥 deductible or out-of-pocket maximum spending limits. If plans opted for that approach, only payments made by patients themselves would be included in the calculation toward reaching those limits.
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Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don't have to.
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VCU Health Halts 30-Year Campaign That Seized Patients鈥 Wages, Put Liens On Homes
The bold move by the giant hospital system will help thousands of patients in the wake of a Kaiser Health News investigation last year.
By Jay Hancock and Elizabeth Lucas -
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don't have to.
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Letters to the Editor
Readers And Tweeters Dive Into Debate Over ‘Medicare For All’
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.