Health Law Forces Changes To Reduce Hospitals Readmissions
20 percent of Medicare patients are back in the hospital within 30 days, a trend that endangers patients and raises health costs.
Michelle Andrews
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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Experts Seek To Simplify Medication Labels That Often Confuse Patients
Many people do not take drugs as directed-skipping doses, taking the wrong number of pills or taking them at the wrong time of day. Poor adherence results in millions of dollars of medical expenses each year.
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Some Doctors Dispute Benefits Of Early Diagnosis
Dartmouth researchers argue that ordering screenings for people with no symptoms too often leads to costly treatment for people who would likely never have gotten sick.
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Mediation Offers An Alternative To Malpractice Lawsuits
Patients seeking redress may find this option provides the same benefits as a court battle but quicker and with less emotional toll.
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Should Infertility Treatment Be Considered Essential?
Currently, policies provide only skimpy coverage for these services, which are often expensive. But this is an issue that regulators are wrestling with as they determine what conditions should be included in plans under the health law.
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Making End-Of-Life Decisions Is Hard On Family Members
Few people have advance directives and even when they do, the documents often don't cover the exact situation, leaving loved ones to make critical decisions in a void.
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Some States Have Options To Help Consumers Find Individual Health Coverage
For people who can't get insurance through work, finding a plan is often difficult. In addition to the high-risk pools that have recently generated a lot of attention, other options may be available, depending on which state a consumer lives in.
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Insurers Sometimes Reject Neonatal Intensive Care Costs
In these specialized units for premature infants or babies with special needs, the doctors and other personnel may not be under contract with an insurer's network even though the hospital is covered.
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Some Policies Restrict Coverage By Limiting Visits To The Doctor
The new health law eliminated lifetime and most annual dollar limits for consumers but some plans cut costs by covering only a defined number of doctor appointments, prescriptions or other services.
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Few Seniors Have Long-Term Care Insurance
Given the complexity of these high-cost policies, experts agree it's tough to decide whether they're right for you.
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Health Law’s Aim: Multiple Vaccines For More People
Adults need vaccines to protect against serious diseases, including shingles, pneumonia and hepatitis. The health reform law, with its emphasis on prevention, will expand coverage to improve vaccination rates, currently too low.
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In New Insurance Model, Costs Are Based On Value Of The Treatment
More employers are moving toward coverage in which consumers' out-of-pocket medical costs are based on the value of a medical service to their health, rather than its price.
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Retirees Can Find Insuring Young Adult Children Difficult
Medicare doesn't cover dependents, and many private retiree health plans are not affected by the new health law so they can kick young adults out after school ends.
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Many Individual Health Policies Do Not Cover Pregnancy
Families buying insurance on their own often find that the plans do not cover any of the usual expenses associated with having a baby.
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OTC Medicines Cut From 2011 Flexible Spending Accounts
Beginning in 2011, the new health law bars payments for over items such as aspirin, vitamins and cough medicine from the popular accounts set up with pretax dollars. Consumers can still get the coverage with a prescription.
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Seniors Should Consider Changes in Medicare Part D Plans
Open season begins Nov. 15 and beneficiaries need to check their options to make sure they are signed up for the plan that best meets their needs.
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High Risk Pools For People With Medical Issues Start Slowly
Response has been modest and reviews are mixed for insurance plans set up by the federal health law for people with medical problems.
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Open Insurance Season May Bring Sticker Shock
Workers are likely to see increases in premiums, deductibles and co-payments, as well as changes in dependent coverage and wellness options.
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New Laws Expand Mental Health Coverage
Insurance coverage of mental illness and addiction problems often is skimpier than for physical illness. But that is changing with the mental health parity law that took effect earlier this year and the new health overhaul.
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Health Law Calls For Breast Cancer Warnings To Young Women
Provision aims to raise awareness about the risk of the disease to women between the ages of 15 and 44.
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