Insurers Quitting Health Law Exchanges May Still Sell Plans To Individuals
KHN’s consumer columnist answers readers’ questions including whether recent announcements about plans pulling out of the health law’s exchanges could affect the access to coverage for consumers who don’t use those exchanges.
Health Coverage Rates For Lower Income Children Improving
Although Medicaid and CHIP were already helping many children get insurance, the implementation of the health law has improved coverage.
A May Health Affairs study examines how Medicare’s eligibility age affects spending and prices, as well as the volume of services used by patients.
Shortages Of Essential Emergency Care Drugs Increase, Study Finds
The problems persist even after Congress in 2012 gave the FDA enhanced powers to respond when drug levels are low.
Even As Birth Rates Fall, Teens Say They Are Getting Less Sex Education
A report by the Guttmacher Institute finds that the proportion of teenagers who are getting instructions in birth control methods is declining.
High Court Ruling May Hinder Plans’ Efforts To Recoup Consumers’ Legal Awards
When consumers who have been injured sue and win an award, insurance plans routinely demand that they be reimbursed for medical costs that they covered. The Supreme Court this term threw a small chink into that strategy.
More Exchange Plans Offer Patients Easier Access To Some Expensive Drugs: Report
The analysis by Avalere examines changes in how silver plans on the insurance marketplaces handle coverage for high-cost specialty drugs.
Free Clinics Expanding Mission To Help Insured Patients With High Expenses
Although many people thought the federal health law would nip the need for free clinics, they are still booming.
Rise In Oncologists Working For Hospitals Spurs Higher Chemo Costs: Study
Researchers found that the facility fees hospitals and their clinics routinely add to the bill helps drive the price increases.
Even Under Parity Rules, Plans May Charge Higher Specialty Copays For Counseling
A reader asks if it’s fair for his health plan to classify his son’s treatment by a psychologist as specialty care that requires a higher copayment.
Prices And Health Care Quality: Many Consumers Don’t See A Link
A study in the journal Health Affairs found a majority of people don’t associate price and quality in health care services.
Patients’ Assessment Of Their Health Is Gaining Importance In Treatment
As medicine moves to a patient-centered model, doctors and other health providers are slowly adding patients’ self-reports to the other tests and exams they use to determine care.
Workers’ Desire Grows For Wage Increases Over Health Benefits
A recent survey finds that the number of workers who say they would give up some health benefits to get a pay raise has grown from 10 to 20 percent since 2012.
Mortgages For Expensive Health Care? Some Experts Think It Can Work.
An MIT economist and Harvard oncologist propose offering loans to patients to cover the cost of expensive, curative drugs, financed by private sector investment in loan securities.
Study: Primary Care Doctors Often Don’t Help Patients Manage Depression
Physicians were less likely to use “care management processes” with patients who have depression than with those who had other chronic conditions, the researchers found.
Debate Arises Over HHS Plans For Privacy Rules On Addiction Treatment
The current guidelines, last updated in 1987, require patients to specify exactly who gets information about their care. But advocates of change say the new rule will fit in better in the era of sharing patient data through electronic medical records.
Coinsurance Trend Means Seniors Likely To Face Higher Out-Of-Pocket Drug Costs, Report Says
More Medicare Part D drug plans are requiring coinsurance rather than copayments for more types of medications, making beneficiaries’ costs less predictable.
Should Federal Retirees Opt For Medicare?
When people retire from federal government jobs, they can keep their federal plan as primary coverage but may face penalties for late Medicare sign-ups later on.
Prevention Experts, Eye Doctors Disagree On Vision Tests For Seniors
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says there is not enough evidence to know whether vision screening given by primary care doctors benefits patients.
FAQ: What Are The Penalties For Not Getting Insurance?
A consumer’s guide to the tax penalties for not having insurance.
