Healthcare Costs Archives - Page 37 of 98

For ACA Plans, It’s Time to Shop Around

Episode 321

Nov. 2, 2023

It’s Obamacare open enrollment season, which means that, for people who rely on these plans for coverage, it’s time to shop around. With enhanced premium subsidies and cost-sharing assistance, consumers may find savings by switching plans. It is especially important for people who lost their coverage because of the Medicaid unwinding to investigate their options. Many qualify for assistance. Meanwhile, the countdown to Election Day is on, and Ohio’s State Issue 1 is grabbing headlines. The closely watched ballot initiative has become a testing ground for abortion-related messaging, which has been rife with misinformation. This week’s panelists are Mary Agnes Carey of 51��Ƶ Health News, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Rachana Pradhan of 51��Ƶ Health News.

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Diagnosis: Debt

Medical Debt Is Disappearing From Americans’ Credit Reports, Lifting Scores

As credit rating agencies have removed small unpaid medical bills from consumer credit, scores have gone up, a new study finds.

By Noam N. Levey

Nov. 2, 2023

An Arm and a Leg

John Green vs. Johnson & Johnson (Part 2)

Season 10, Episode 3

Oct. 31, 2023

The high price of lifesaving tuberculosis drugs makes them inaccessible to many who need them most. On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” hear how a decades-long global fight to reform drug patents is helping to lower the cost.

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A photo of a patient holding open enrollment forms with a doctor blurred in the background.

Start Shopping: Enrollment Begins Nov. 1 for Most Obamacare Insurance Plans

More than 16 million Americans who buy their own health insurance through state and federal marketplaces have until Jan. 15 to compare prices, change their coverage, or enroll for the first time.

By Julie Appleby

Oct. 31, 2023

A black and white cartoon ink drawing shows two young children standing in an abandoned school nurse's office. One child is dressed up as a witch. She is sick and coughing. The other girl is dressed up as her cat, and holds onto her friend with concerned expression. They face an empty chair. A ghost nurse floats behind it, unable to help them.

Medical Debt and Nurse Shortages Haunt Winning Halloween Haikus

Entries for our fifth annual Halloween haiku contest left us terrified. Based on a review by our panel of judges, here’s the winner and runners-up — plus the original artwork they inspired.

Oct. 31, 2023

A photo of a woman posing for a portrait outside.

Bill Of The Month

When That Supposedly Free Annual Physical Generates a Bill

Completing a routine depression screening questionnaire during an annual checkup is cost-free under federal law. But, as one woman discovered, answering a doctor’s follow-up questions might not be.

By Julie Appleby

Oct. 30, 2023

A photo of a medical worker's gloved hands applying a bandage to a patient's arm after a vaccine.

News Analysis

A New Era of Vaccines Leaves Old Questions About Prices Unanswered

The CDC’s RSV vaccination recommendations beg the question: How much should an immunization that will possibly be given to millions of Americans cost to be truly valuable?

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

Oct. 27, 2023

A photo of a magnifying glass held up to a printed genome sequence.

Quick Genetic Test Offers Hope for Sick, Undiagnosed Kids. But Few Insurers Offer to Pay.

A new, rapid genetic test shows promise in increasing diagnoses and improving treatment for some children with rare genetic conditions. Many insurers won’t cover it, but Florida's Medicaid program is among those that see benefits — and, potentially, savings.

By Phil Galewitz

Oct. 23, 2023

Medical documents on a clipboard are resting on a table or desk with a stethoscope and pen in sunlight.

Tiny, Rural Hospitals Feel the Pinch as Medicare Advantage Plans Grow

More than half of seniors are enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans instead of traditional Medicare. Rural enrollment has increased fourfold and many small-town hospitals say that threatens their viability.

By Sarah Jane Tribble

Oct. 23, 2023

A photo of Monica Bertagnolli sitting inside of a Senate committee room with her nameplate visible in front of her.

Postcard from Capitol Hill

Biden Pick to Lead NIH Finally Has Her Day, but Still Gets Caught Up in Drug Price Debate

Monica Bertagnolli, the president’s choice to head the National Institutes of Health, appeared before a Senate committee this week. Her confirmation has been held up by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has demanded President Joe Biden work more aggressively to lower prescription drug prices.

By Colleen DeGuzman

Oct. 19, 2023

Three pictures of U.S. senators. On the left is Sen. Ron Wyden. In the center is Sen. Bob Casey. On the right is Sen. Sherrod Brown.

51��Ƶ Health News / CMG TV Stations Investigation

Senators Demand Answers From Social Security on Clawbacks Tied to Covid Relief

Covid relief payments weren’t supposed to cost people their Social Security benefits, but some recipients say they did. Senators want to know why.

By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group

Oct. 19, 2023

What the Health? From 51��Ƶ Health News

The Open Enrollment Mixing Bowl

Episode 319

Oct. 19, 2023

Open enrollment for Medicare beneficiaries with private health plans began Oct. 15, to be followed Nov. 1 by open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans. The selection for both is large — often too large to be navigated easily alone. And people who choose incorrectly can end up with unaffordable medical bills. Meanwhile, those on both sides of the abortion issue are looking to Ohio’s November ballot measure on abortion to see whether anti-abortion forces can break their losing streak in statewide ballot questions since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

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A photo of a nurse preparing a syringe in the foreground, while another nurse talks to her patient in the background.

Health Care ‘Game-Changer’? Feds Boost Care for Homeless Americans

This month, the federal government started paying for treatments delivered outside hospitals and clinics, expanding funding for “street medicine” teams that treat homeless patients. California led the way on the change, which could help sick and vulnerable patients get healthy, sober, and, in some cases, into housing.

By Angela Hart

Oct. 19, 2023

A screenshot from a livestream of Kilolo Kijakazi testifying during a subcommittee hearing in the House of Representatives.

51��Ƶ Health News / CMG TV Stations Investigation

Under Fire, Social Security Chief Vows ‘Top-to-Bottom’ Review of Payment Clawbacks

Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi was pressed by a House Ways and Means subcommittee to explain why so many poor, disabled, or retired people are suddenly hit with demands that can reach tens of thousands of dollars or more.

By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group

Oct. 18, 2023

A photo of an older man reading on the couch in the background. His adult daughter, who is blind and has cerebral palsy, sits in the foreground.

51��Ƶ Health News / CMG TV Stations Investigation

Covid Relief Payments Triggered Feds to Demand Money Back From Social Security Recipients

Some Social Security beneficiaries say the government is clawing back benefits after they received covid stimulus payments that were supposed to be exempt from asset limits.

By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group

Oct. 18, 2023

51��Ƶ Health News On Air

Journalists Offer Insights on Mobile Clinics and Suicide Prevention

51��Ƶ Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Oct. 14, 2023

51��Ƶ Health News / CMG TV Stations Investigation

House Panel to Hold Hearing on Erroneous Social Security Payments

Congress is beginning to take action on the Social Security Administration’s clawbacks of payments it mistakenly made to poor, retired, and disabled Americans.

By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group

Oct. 11, 2023

An Arm and a Leg

John Green vs. Johnson & Johnson (Part 1)

Season 10, Episode 2

Oct. 11, 2023

Pharmaceutical patents can drive up the costs of lifesaving medications. Hear what author and YouTube star John Green is doing to make tuberculosis drugs more accessible to the people who need them most.

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Teresa Johnson is sitting on a couch in her home. She is turning her head to look towards the photographer.

‘I’m So Burned Out’: Fighting to See a Specialist Amplified Pain for Riverside County Woman

Teresa Johnson has been in extreme pain for more than a year after what she believes was a severe allergic reaction to iodine. Her Medi-Cal plan approved her referral to a specialist, but it took her numerous phone calls, multiple complaints, and several months to book an appointment.

By Molly Castle Work

Oct. 10, 2023

A health worker is typing at a computer.

Feds Rein In Use of Predictive Software That Limits Care for Medicare Advantage Patients

Software sifts through millions of medical records to match patients with similar diagnoses and characteristics and then predicts what kind of care an individual will need and for how long. New federal rules will ensure human experts are part of the process.

By Susan Jaffe

Oct. 5, 2023

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