Your Wake-Up Call On Data-Collecting Smart Beds And Sleep Apps
An array of products — from mattresses and sensors to sleep trackers and apps — are catching consumers’ attention. But privacy experts are concerned about what becomes of all the personal information these products collect.
Price Check On Drug Ads: Would Revealing Costs Help Patients Control Spending?
As part of his plan to tamp down drug pricing, President Donald Trump wants pharmaceutical companies to provide cost information in drug ads — just like side effects.
Association Insurance Pushes On Despite Court Ruling
Judge cited an attempted “end-run” around the Affordable Care Act in rejecting large chunks of a new rule expanding access to such plans for small businesses and single proprietors.
Workplace Wellness Programs Barely Move The Needle, Study Finds
New research published in JAMA detected some changes in healthy behavior like weight and stress, but little overall impact in workers’ health status or employer health care spending.
Health Plans For State Employees Use Medicare’s Hammer On Hospital Bills
Some plans are experimenting with the idea of closely tying hospital reimbursement rates to what Medicare pays. The approach could be a game changer in their effort to control health costs.
Broker Websites Expand Health Plan Shopping Options While Glossing Over Details
These direct-enrollment broker websites are “under-policed” and can steer consumers toward plans that may not be the best option for them, a new report concludes.
New Health Plans Expose The Insured To More Risk
Well-known insurers are offering plans with lower premiums. But they could leave patients on the hook for unexpected costs.
A Mumps Quarantine In La. May Encroach On Rights Of Detained Immigrants
A recent outbreak at a Louisiana center triggered public health protections, but some immigration lawyers are crying foul.
Cuarentena por paperas en Louisiana puede violar los derechos de inmigrantes detenidos
Un brote de paperas y una cuarentena en el Centro de Procesamiento de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Pine Prairie, en Louisiana, impidió que los inmigrantes obtuvieran recursos legales, incluidos sus representantes legales.
¡Miau-ch! Le cobran $48,152 por una droga contra la rabia
Una bióloga de Florida, amante de los animales, quiso alimentar a un gato callejero. Lo que siguió fue una pesadilla de gastos médicos inesperados.
An animal lover stopped to feed a hungry-looking stray cat outside Everglades National Park in Florida. First, the cat bit her finger — then the hospital billed her close to $50,000 for a treatment that typically costs about $3,000.
Furloughed Feds’ Health Coverage Intact, But Shutdown Still Complicates Things
Some federal employees face insurance paperwork glitches that affect their health coverage and add pressure to the stress of going without pay.
Federal Shutdown Mostly Spares Health Coverage, But Other Issues Loom
The length of the shutdown will dictate how furloughed and unpaid workers will be affected.
As Hospitals Post Sticker Prices Online, Most Patients Will Remain Befuddled
The new rule took effect Jan. 1 but, for consumers seeking hospital price information, using it to find answers may be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Short-Term Health Plans Hold Savings For Consumers, Profits For Brokers And Insurers
Trump administration efforts to undo Obama-era rules have helped create the buzz around this type of health coverage.
Taking Surprise Medical Bills To Court
Some legal experts say contract law could provide consumers another avenue to challenge unexpected hospital bills.
Is Trump Pushing Health Insurance Innovation Or An ACA Rollback?
The Trump administration offered states specific examples of how they could change the way they implement the Affordable Care Act. Critics say it could drive up premiums for many.
High Stakes, Entrenched Interests And The Trump Rollback Of Environmental Regs
The administration asserts its deregulation strategy will create jobs, empower states and reduce the burden of government restrictions on the energy industry. But critics see it as a threat to public health.
With One Hand, Administration Boosts ACA Marketplaces, Weakens Them With Another
The Trump administration gives states more flexibility to get around the health law’s requirements for insurance plans. But at the same time it wants employers to move millions of workers to the insurance exchanges.
Marketplace Subsidies May Be Option In 2020 For Plans That Skirt Obamacare
The new guidance allows states to ask for waivers from provisions in the Affordable Care Act governing not only subsidies, but also the benefits insurers must offer in all their plans.
