Insurance Archives - Page 41 of 189 - 51��Ƶ Health News

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: ACA Open Enrollment Without the Drama

The Affordable Care Act’s 10th annual open-enrollment period began Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15, 2023, in most states. But for the first time, the health law seems to be enrolling Americans with far less controversy than in previous years. Meanwhile, as Election Day approaches, Democrats are focusing on GOP efforts to cut Social Security and Medicare. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Julie Appleby of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Arthur Allen, who wrote the latest KNH-NPR Bill of the Month, about an old but still very expensive cancer drug.

Nov. 3, 2022

A close up photo shows a hundred dollar bill inside an envelope.

Cash for Colonoscopies: Colorado Tries to Lower Health Costs Through Incentives

State employees could receive checks ranging from $50 to thousands of dollars if they choose the right provider.

By Markian Hawryluk

Nov. 2, 2022

Female holding credit card making online payment, closeup view.

This Open Enrollment Season, Look Out for Health Insurance That Seems Too Good to Be True

Complaints about misleading health insurance marketing are soaring. State insurance commissioners are taking notice. They’ve created a shared internal database to monitor questionable business practices, and, in the future, they hope to provide a public-facing resource for consumers. In the meantime, consumers should shop wisely as open enrollment season begins.

By Bram Sable-Smith

Nov. 1, 2022

Close up of couple searching online information about legal document details with laptop, family studying important contract terms and conditions typing filling internet application form on website

Shopping for ACA Health Insurance? Here’s What’s New This Year

Consumers may find relief in some key changes made by Congress and the Biden administration, although other issues remain unsettled.

By Julie Appleby

Oct. 31, 2022

Letters to the Editor

Readers and Tweeters Take Positions on Sleep Apnea Treatment

KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Oct. 27, 2022

A photo shows a man handing a woman his health insurance card.

Employers Are Concerned About Covering Workers’ Mental Health Needs, Survey Finds

Nearly half of large employers report that increasing numbers of their workers were using mental health services, according to a 51��Ƶ annual employer survey. Yet almost a third of those employers said their health plan’s network didn’t have enough behavioral health care providers for employees to have timely access to the care they need.

By Michelle Andrews

Oct. 27, 2022

An illustration shows the shape of Montana against a dotted backdrop with a stethoscope hanging on top of it.

Montana Backs Away From Innovative Hospital Payment Model. Other States Are Watching.

Montana has been a national model for how employers could gain control and transparency over medical bills. Upcoming changes to its model have health care price experts wondering whether the state is making improvements or losing focus.

By Katheryn Houghton

Oct. 27, 2022

Dr. Bhavin Shah, who wears a dress shirt and tie, stands beside his wife, Sunita Kalsariya, who wears a black cardigan over a white patterned shirt. They are in an office room next to a window, and look towards the camera.

A Billing Expert Saved Big After Finding an Incorrect Charge in Her Husband’s ER Bill

A medical billing specialist investigated her husband’s ER bill. Her sleuthing took over a year but knocked thousands of dollars off the hospital’s charges — and provides a playbook for other consumers.

By Bram Sable-Smith

Oct. 25, 2022

Diagnosis: Debt

Kids’ Mental Health Care Leaves Parents in Debt and in the Shadows

A youth mental health crisis and a shortage of therapists and other care providers who take insurance are pushing many families into financial ruin. But it's rarely acknowledged as medical debt.

By Yuki Noguchi, NPR News

Oct. 19, 2022

Postcard from South Dakota

Campaigning Ramps Up as South Dakota Voters Decide on Medicaid Expansion

A broad coalition of Medicaid expansion supporters faces off against a smaller group of opponents as early voting begins on a constitutional amendment that would increase coverage under South Dakota’s program.

By Arielle Zionts

Oct. 18, 2022

dentist working on a patients mouth with dentistry tools laid out in the foreground

After Congress Fails to Add Dental Coverage, Medicare Weighs Limited Benefit Expansion

Medicare can pay for some dental care if it is medically necessary to safely treat another covered medical condition, and federal officials have asked for suggestions on whether that list of conditions should be expanded.

By Susan Jaffe

Oct. 17, 2022

Lawsuit by KHN Prompts Government to Release Medicare Advantage Audits

The lawsuit was filed three years ago to learn about vast overcharges by the popular health plans that are detailed in audits the government refused to release to the public.

By Fred Schulte

Oct. 14, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Finally Fixing the ‘Family Glitch’

The Biden administration has decided to try to fix the so-called “family glitch” in the Affordable Care Act without an act of Congress. The provision has prevented workers’ families from getting subsidized coverage if an employer offer is unaffordable. Meanwhile, Medicare’s open enrollment period begins Oct. 15, and private Medicare Advantage plans are poised to cover more than half of Medicare’s 65 million enrollees. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read.

Oct. 13, 2022

A photo shows a pharmaceutical manufacturer filling capsules with medicine.

Waistlines and Bottom Lines

New Generation of Weight Loss Medications Offer Promise — But at a Price

People now have at their disposal more medicines that are effective at reducing weight, but none can counter obesity alone. One big problem: Insurance coverage remains spotty, and the costly drugs may be needed long term.

By Julie Appleby

Oct. 13, 2022

A mother with dark brown hair and a yellow sweater sits on a couch and watches her young daughter, about one year old, play with a toy.

Patients For Profit: How Private Equity Hijacked Health Care

Baby, That Bill Is High: Private Equity ‘Gambit’ Squeezes Excessive ER Charges From Routine Births

Hospitals, boosted by private equity-backed staffing companies, have embraced a new idea: the obstetrics emergency department. Often, it is just a triage room in the labor-and-delivery area, but it bills like the main emergency department.

By Rae Ellen Bichell

Oct. 13, 2022

A photo shows Dr. Andrew Bush stasnding outside of his orthopedic practice.

As Giant Hospitals Get Bigger, an Independent Doctor Feels the Pinch

Independent medical practices keep closing as doctors join behemoth hospital groups or leave the field. Research suggests that’s bad news for patients. Studies repeatedly conclude that consolidation in the health care industry is driving up costs while showing no clear evidence of improved care.

By Fred Clasen-Kelly

Oct. 13, 2022

A photo shows a male patient being weighed on a scale by a doctor.

Waistlines and Bottom Lines

BMI: The Mismeasure of Weight and the Mistreatment of Obesity

The human body mass index — a simple mathematical equation — is tied to a measure of obesity invented almost 200 years ago. On the downside, it can stand between patients and treatment for weight issues. It particularly mismeasures Black women and Asians.

By Julie Appleby

Oct. 12, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Looking Ahead to the Lame-Duck Session

Congress won’t be back in Washington until after Election Day, but lawmakers have left themselves a long list of items to finish up in November and December, including unfinished health care policies. Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call; Jessie Hellmann, also of CQ Roll Call; and Mary Agnes Carey of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Sam Whitehead, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a family who tried to use urgent care to save money, but ended up with a big emergency room bill anyway.

Oct. 6, 2022

A photo shows a woman wearing a hospital gown and sitting at the edge of a hospital bed.

$80,000 and 5 ER Visits: An Ectopic Pregnancy Takes a Toll Despite NY’s Liberal Abortion Law

If an embryo has implanted in a fallopian tube, ending the pregnancy is imperative to protect the patient’s life. Women’s health advocates have raised concerns that the needed treatment may be hampered by restrictive abortion laws in some states. Yet women seeking treatment in states with more liberal abortion laws may still find the process expensive and harrowing.

By Michelle Andrews

Oct. 5, 2022

A photo shows an elderly man inside of a nursing home, talking to a medical professional, holding a clipboard with paperwork.

Nursing Home Surprise: Advantage Plans May Shorten Stays to Less Time Than Medicare Covers

Private Medicare Advantage health plans are increasingly ending coverage for skilled nursing or rehab services before medical providers think patients are healthy enough to go home, doctors and patient advocates say.

By Susan Jaffe

Oct. 4, 2022

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