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Michelle Andrews is a contributing writer and former columnist for KFF Health News. She has been writing about health care for more than 15 years. Her work has appeared frequently in The New York Times, where she wrote the Money and Medicine column and contributed regular news and features. Her work has also been published in Money, Fortune Small Business, National Geographic and Women’s Health magazines, among others. Michelle previously worked as a senior writer at U.S. News & World Report and at SmartMoney magazines. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University.
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The coverage change could help focus doctors and patients on mental health issues, which often go undiagnosed in the elderly, especially those who are dealing with multiple chronic physical problems.
In these programs, people who have been prescribed a diagnostic test or elective procedure earn a bonus when they opt to go to a less expensive facility than the one recommended by their physician.
The states are concerned that third-party funding may drive up the number of people seeking to join the pre-existing condition insurance plans and exhaust the budgets provided by the federal government.
Despite deep political division about the health overhaul, implementation marches on.
Doctors and other care providers are increasing using checklists in their work, but one author has developed similar guides for consumers.
With more people buying insurance on their own, and even more slated to because of the health law, insurers are seeking a retail strategy.
Long-acting methods such as the IUD and the hormonal implant are nearly 100 percent effective and require no effort after insertion. But birth control pills are about 92 percent effective.
The numbers are still small but some women opt to have their babies at home because of the convenience and to save money.
Doctors say testing may identify some in need of treatment but could also lead to many youngsters being mistakenly labeled as at risk.
The federal health law set up new plans that are cheaper and more comprehensive than the older ones run by states but consumers need to go without insurance for six months to qualify.
The rewards range from free parking and gift-shop discounts to wellness seminars and even social mixers.
The movement to give patients direct access to their health information has picked up steam.
Advocate of health overhaul uses a comic-book style narrative to describe the federal law and its provisions.
Some companies are also penalizing employees who don't give up cigarettes by hitting them with higher health insurance premiums.
Experts in pediatric obesity say that caution is warranted, but some physicians see the operations as offering a safe chance to take off significant weight and avoid harmful disease.
Although few employers have used this strategy, consultants say it could help many in 2014 meet new requirements in the health law.
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