Patients Turn To GoFundMe When Money And Hope Run Out
Medical fundraisers account for 1 in 3 of the website’s campaigns and bring in more money than any other GoFundMe category. Americans’ confidence they can afford health care is slipping, some say.
Funding For ACA Sign-Up Campaigns Varies Widely From State To State
States aren’t getting nearly as much federal money this year to explain and campaign for Affordable Care Act policies. Some are trying to make up the shortfall; others lack the cash or political will.
Health Insurers Try Paying More Upfront To Pay Less Later
Some health plans are beginning to offer free maintenance care for people with chronic health problems, hoping that spending a little more early on will save a lot of money in the long run.
Pseudoscience Fuels Fear Behind Minnesota Measles Outbreak
An outbreak of 34 cases of measles has hit Minnesota’s densely populated Somali-American neighborhoods, where 6 in 10 children are not vaccinated against the virus.
Drowning In A ‘High-Risk Insurance Pool’ — At $18,000 A Year
Minnesota had one of the most successful high-risk insurance pools in the country, and GOP leaders are eyeing this special insurance for sick people as an Obamacare replacement. But analysts say costs were high and many people in need were left out.
Could Minnesota Health Reforms Foreshadow Repeal And Replace?
The state passed a bailout to make ACA plans more affordable, defeated a plan to offer bare bones insurance and is floating a state-sponsored public option.
Alleged Scheme To Fix Generic Drug Prices Started At Dinners And ‘Girls Nights Out’
Investigators claim drugmaker employees met in secret at restaurants, golf outings and at “Girls Night Out” to raise generic drug prices.
Minnesota’s Largest Health Insurer To Drop Individual Plans
More than 100,000 Minnesotans will need to look for new insurance for 2017. Blue Cross Blue Shield is pulling back from the state’s market for individual policies, citing heavy losses.
With Special Tax Suspended, Medical Device Firms Reap Big Savings
The medical device industry is enjoying a two-year moratorium on a tax that was created to support the Affordable Care Act. Are firms using their savings to create more jobs, as many claim?
‘Critical Illness’ Insurance Grows As Out-Of-Pocket Health Costs Jump
A relatively obscure category of health insurance — “critical illness” insurance — is catching on because, increasingly, conventional health plans have consumers paying a lot of out-of-pocket costs. Mark Zdechlik of Minnesota Public Radio explains the pros and cons of critical care insurance in this story that aired on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Do You Speak Health Insurance? It’s Not Easy.
Even savvy consumers stumble over terms like “coinsurance.”
A Looming Tax On High-End Health Plans Draws Fire From Many Sides
A plan to tax high-value health insurance plans is meeting stiff resistance from both sides of the aisle in Congress despite calls to make employers more demanding health coverage shoppers – and the $87 billion in revenue the tax could generate over the next decade.
More Health Plan Choices At Work. What’s The Catch?
Despite the benefits to a company’s bottom line, and more choices for employees, John Henry Foster is one of relatively few businesses using a private health insurance exchange.
