Need Pricey Drugs From An Obamacare Plan? You’ll Shoulder More Of The Cost
A Kaiser Health News analysis finds that the portion of federal marketplace plans requiring people to pay a third or more of the cost of specialty drugs have jumped from 37 to 63 percent since 2014.
Frustration Runs Deep For Customers Forced To Change Marketplace Plans Routinely
Doctor and hospital switching is a recurring scramble for these consumers who face rising premiums and plan exits.
Poll Finds Majority Of Americans Want Restraints On Drug Prices
As the spiraling costs attract headlines, many people are looking to the government to rein in prescription drug prices, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
Medicare’s Readmission Penalties Hit New High
Medicare will withhold an estimated $528 million in 2017 from more than 2,500 hospitals that have too many patients returning within 30 days.
Many Well-Known Hospitals Fail To Score 5 Stars In Medicare’s New Ratings
Of the 102 hospitals that received a five-star rating, few are among the elite generally praised for great care.
Medicare Prepares To Go Forward With New Hospital Quality Ratings
The government will soon give hospitals one to five stars to sum up their quality. Some safety hospitals and teaching hospitals won’t fare as well as other facilities.
HHS Announces Plans To Curtail Consumers’ Use Of Short-Term Insurance Policies
The plans, which do not qualify as coverage under the Affordable Care Act and put consumers at risk of a tax penalty, can siphon healthy people away from the online marketplaces because they are generally less expensive.
Critics Of Medicare’s Overall Hospital Star Rating Push For Changes
Federal officials delayed the release of the ratings after the hospital industry and members of Congress objected to the formula, saying it worked against hospitals that take the patients that are the toughest to treat.
Medicare Pays Bonuses To 231 Hospitals With Lower Quality Because Of Cheaper Costs
New research highlights the paradox in the federal program to improve hospital quality.
Hospital Discharge: It’s One Of The Most Dangerous Periods For Patients
Bad coordination and communication can put patients at risk as they’re discharged from a hospital.
Democrats Increasingly Want Expansion Of Health Law, Poll Finds
A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds a majority of Democrats think the law doesn’t go far enough.
Medicare Delays Plans For New Star Ratings On Hospitals After Congressional Pressure
The “overall hospital quality” rating is designed to help consumers who are sometimes confused by the variety of quality measures that the government already provides. But members of Congress had asked for the delay because of concerns that the methodology for the stars was not accurate.
At Teaching Hospitals, Aggressive Screening May Lead To Medicare Penalties
Nearly half of academic medical centers will be penalized by the government this year for high rates of infections and other avoidable complications, but the hospitals say it shows they screen better for problems.
N.H., Calif. Seek To Help Consumers Get Details On Health Care Prices
New Hampshire is expanding its website that lists the cost of specific medical procedures to include dental treatments and 65 prescription drugs. California is expanding its report cards on large medical groups to include cost of medical services by an average patient.
Support For Sanders’ Single-Payer Plan Fades With Control, Cost Concerns
Although half of Americans favor the idea of a government health insurance system, the popularity drops significantly when negative arguments are presented, poll finds.
Dueling Star Ratings May Confuse Some Home Health Patients
Medicare offers star ratings of agencies’ quality and of patients’ perceptions, but often they don’t match up.
Insurers And Medicare Agree On Measures Tracking Doctors’ Quality
The first set of measures focus on seven types of care, including for hearts and cancer. The metrics will be integrated into formulas that determine physicians’ pay.
Study Finds No Harm In Allowing Surgeons-In-Training To Work Longer Shifts
Researchers found little difference in patient outcomes or satisfaction after placing restraints on medical residents’ working conditions in the past decade. Officials have previously sought to prevent inexperienced doctors from making mistakes caused by fatigue.
Despite Kvetching, Most Consumers Satisfied With Health Plans: Poll
The survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that 71 percent of people with insurance believe their services are excellent or good.
Medicare Penalizes 758 Hospitals For Safety Incidents
More than half of these hospitals were also punished last year as the government tries to leverage taxpayer money to improve the quality of care.
