Consumer Group Sues 2 More Calif. Plans Over Narrow Networks
This KHN story can be republished for free. (details) Insurers Cigna and Blue Shield of California misled consumers about the size of their networks of doctors and hospitals, leaving enrollees frustrated and owing large bills, according to two lawsuits filed this week in Los Angeles. “As a result, many patients were left without coverage in the course […]
How Much Does That X-Ray Cost? You Can Find Out In New Hampshire
Price transparency efforts in the Granite State help consumers and employers ask smarter questions.
Family Insurance Premiums Rise Modestly For 3rd Year, Survey Finds
Employer-sponsored insurance was largely stable in 2014, with no significant change in the percentage of firms offering health benefits.
Consumers Will Owe Uncle Sam If They Got Health Insurance Subsidies Mistakenly
The Treasury Department has clarified its rules as a deadline looms for people asked to confirm their citizenship or immigration status.
Report: Health Law Ups Taxes On Insurers With Big Pay Packages
While average compensation for top health insurance executives hit $5.4 million each last year, a little-noticed provision in the federal health law sharply reduced insurers’ ability to shield much of that pay from corporate taxes, says a report out today. As a result, insurers owed at least $72 million more to the U.S. Treasury last […]
Hospitales Reconsideran La Caridad En Pacientes Sin Cobertura Médica
Algunos temen que ayudando a ciertas personas con sus fracturas podría impedir que consigan planes de seguro subsidiados poer el gobierno.
Hospitals Reconsider Charity For Patients Who Decline Health Coverage
Some fear helping some people with their bills might keep them from getting government-subsidized insurance plans.
Hospitals Seek To Help Consumers With Obamacare Premiums
But insurers oppose many of the premium assistance efforts, saying they would lead to sicker enrollees who will raise costs for everyone.
Limitations Of New Health Plans Rankle Some Enrollees
Consumer groups complain people have been misled about the narrow networks of hospitals and doctors in their plans. Insurers say they are trying to hold down prices.
Advocacy Groups Say Medicare Should Negotiate With Drugmakers
Medicare could save billions if Congress overcame its reluctance to anger the drug industry and allowed the program to demand rebates or negotiate prices, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said Wednesday. He added that’s something polls show many Americans support. Expensive new blockbuster drugs, such as a $1,000-a-pill hepatitis C treatment called Sovaldi, highlight the need to […]
Lawsuit Accuses Anthem Blue Cross Of ‘Fraudulent’ Enrollment Practices
Consumer group alleges the insurer put out inaccurate information about benefits and providers to gain market share.
Retooling Hospitals, One Data Point At A Time
The University of Utah improved quality and reduced costs by tracking each patient’s care.
Premiums For Many In The Individual Market May Change Next Year
Health insurance premiums for people with subsidies could increase substantially in some markets – but consumers who shop around may not end up paying more, a new report out Thursday says. Shopping around may not be as likely, however, under proposed rules also released Thursday by the Obama administration which will automatically re-enroll the vast majority […]
Consumer Group Urges Hospitals To Stop Promoting Questionable Screenings
Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen on Thursday called on 20 hospital systems to stop partnering with companies that offer low-cost screenings for heart disease and stroke risk, saying the promotions are “unethical” and the exams are more likely to do harm than good. In recent years, more hospitals have paired with firms offering such testing packages, partly to […]
Survey: Most Buying On Insurance Exchanges Were Uninsured
The most satisfied were those who received subsidies; the least satisfied had their previous plans canceled.
Insurers Push Back Against Growing Cost Of Cancer Treatments
Many are encouraging the use of less-costly regimens and paying the same for drugs, whether they’re given in hospital outpatient settings or doctors’ offices.
‘National Dialogue’ Urged On Cost Of New Hepatitis C Drug
The outcry continues over the $1,000-a-pill hepatitis C drug made by California-based Gilead Sciences. While the drug is a significant advance over older treatments for the viral liver disease, the price set by the company “represents an abuse of market power,” said John Rother, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Health Care, which […]
7 Things You Should Know About The Next Big Benefit Change
“Reference pricing” has the blessing of the Obama administration. What is it and how might it affect your health insurance?
IRS Urged To Broaden Preventive Coverage In High-Deductible Plans
High deductible health plans paired with tax-free savings accounts — increasingly common in job-based insurance and long a staple for those who buy their own coverage – pose financial difficulties for people with chronic health problems. That’s because they have to pay the annual deductible, which could be $1,250 or more, before most of their medications […]
Who Should Get Pricey Hepatitis C Drugs?
Is it right to ask patients with early stage liver disease to wait for treatments that could cure them?
