Did Your Doctor ‘Ghost’ You? An Employment Contract May Be To Blame
How "noncompete" clauses in contracts between doctors and hospitals or clinics prevent patients from seeing their longtime doctors.
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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Why Measles Hits So Hard Within N.Y. Orthodox Jewish Community
More than 275 people — mostly in Orthodox Jewish communities — have been infected since the disease began spreading in October. That’s about half of the confirmed cases in 11 states that were reported nationwide by the federal officials since January 2018.
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Progressives Tout ‘Medicare-For-All’ But States Eye ‘Medicaid Buy-In’
New Mexico is one of several states looking at offering consumers a government-sponsored plan. The proposals would typically have benefits similar to what is available in Medicaid, the state-federal health plan for low-income people.
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The High Cost Of Sex: Insurers Often Don’t Pay For Drugs To Treat Problems
Medicare and many private insurers view prescribing drugs to improve sexual function as a lifestyle issue that’s not medically necessary to pay for.
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Hep C And Drug Abuse Often Go Hand In Hand, But Screening For Infection Lags
As the number of people who inject drugs has soared, the rate of hepatitis C infection has climbed steeply, too, because the disease can be tied to sharing needles. Yet many drug patients are not checked for the virus that can damage the liver.
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Need Health Insurance? The Deadline Is Dec. 15
Enrollment is lagging compared with last year’s pace. But experts say sign-ups tend to accelerate as the deadline nears, and many people will be automatically re-enrolled, so the final numbers could approach last year’s totals.
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Attention, Marketplace Shoppers: Don’t Delay On 2019 Enrollment
Plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces for 2019 are on sale now. Consumers should check them out soon, because in many states most sales end on Dec. 15.
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New Contractor For Food Stamps Upsets Cart For Farmers Markets
If a popular app used by many farmers markets to process federal supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits is no longer offered next spring, consumers’ access to fresh produce may be stalled.
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States Act To Safeguard Young Cancer Patients’ Chances To Have Children
Fighting cancer often involves toxic therapies that can cause infertility. In the past couple of years, five states have moved to require that plans pay for services such as egg removal and storage.
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The Remedy For Surprise Medical Bills May Lie In Stitching Up Federal Law
The wide-ranging law has the potential to blindside many consumers whose health care comes from company and union health plans that are “self-funded,” meaning they pay claims out of their own funds.
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Shifting Gears: Insuring Your Health Column — Born With The ACA — Draws To A Close
The column, which began in 2010 shortly after the federal health law was signed, helps explain how that law affected Americans. Michelle Andrews, the author, will continue to report for KHN.
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Biorhythms And Birth Control: FDA Stirs Debate By Approving ‘Natural’ App
Critics worry about the message federal officials are sending by approving a new birth control option, which uses a mobile phone app for women to track their body temperature and menstrual cycle to avoid pregnancy. But the more choices the better, some reproductive health experts say.
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Feds Urge States To Encourage Cheaper Plans Off The Exchanges
Many insurers added surcharges to policies they sold to individuals last year to make up for a cut in federal funding. Now, federal officials suggest that states encourage insurers to sell policies without those surcharges outside of the marketplace to help people who don’t get a premium subsidy.
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How Genetic Tests Muddy Your Odds Of Getting A Long-Term-Care Policy
Federal law bars insurers from using these test results for health coverage, but they can influence whether you get a plan covering long-term care.
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For Many College Students, Hunger Can ‘Make It Hard To Focus In Class’
With rising college costs, up to half of college students’ finances are stretched so tight they report that they were either not getting enough to eat or were worried about it, studies find.
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Hospitals Gear Up For New Diagnosis: Human Trafficking
Many people forced into labor or the sex trade seek medical help at some point, and health care workers are being trained to identify them to offer assistance.
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Staggering Prices Slow Insurers’ Coverage Of CAR-T Cancer Therapy
Some state Medicaid programs are not paying for the procedures, and Medicare’s complicated payment rates have hospitals concerned that it will not cover all the costs.
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Can Insurers Use Genetic Testing Results? A Reader Wants To Know
Other readers ask what can be done to challenge unexpected medical bills — whether the result of an emergency room visit or after a change in prescription drug coverage.
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More Nurse Practitioners Now Pursue Residency Programs To Hone Skills
Proponents say the residencies provide help dealing with increasingly difficult cases, but some nursing groups contend that the programs are not necessary.
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Thinking About An Association Health Plan? Read The Fine Print
Federal officials say loosening the regulation of these plans will offer small businesses a more affordable health insurance option, but critics are wary.
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