Push On To Make Transparent Medical Records The National Standard Of Care
Four foundations joined forces to provide $10 million in new funding to the OpenNotes project, which will help an estimated 50 million people nationwide gain access to clinical notes, and allow researchers to evaluate how it affects health outcomes and costs.
Despite Hopes Of Health Law Advocates, ‘Multi-State’ Health Plans Unavailable In Many States
The authors of the law mandated the program to try to generate more competition in areas where few plans were available. But the effort has stalled.
Mental Health Courts Are Popular But Effectiveness Is Still Unproven
The courts are designed as an alternative for people with mental health issues facing legal charges as a way to get help through community services outside of jail.
Many Hospitals Neglect Practices To Combat ER Overcrowding, Study Finds
Overcrowding in the emergency department can lead to worse outcomes for patients but too few hospitals implement successful programs.
Mom Left Me Money, But Does Uncle Sam Get It As Repayment For My Subsidy?
KHN’s consumer columnist answers questions about the effects a change of income can have on an individual’s subsidy for insurance premiums and dental care for Medicare beneficiaries.
New Guidelines Boost Diabetes Screening For Overweight Adults
The prevention task force also recommends that patients with high blood sugar levels be referred to nutrition and exercise counseling. Under the health law, the services would be covered by insurance without cost sharing.
End Of Medicare Bonus Program Will Cut Pay To Primary Care Doctors
A 10 percent bump in pay, a health law provision that sunsets at the end of the year, was designed to help balance the reimbursement levels between primary care providers and specialists.
Medicaid Denies Nearly Half Of Requests For Hepatitis C Drugs: Study
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that Medicaid turned down requests for new expensive drugs to treat hepatitis C 46 percent of the time, while private insurers barred them 10 percent and Medicare 5 percent.
New Health Plans Offer Discounts For Diabetes Care
Aetna is rolling out a special gold-level plan for 2016 that is aimed at providing better care for people with diabetes in the hopes of keeping them healthier—and their costs down. But it’s not clear the plans are a good buy.
Study Finds Marketplace Silver Plans Offer Poor Access To HIV Drugs
Only 16 percent of the popular plans cover all 10 of the most common drug regimens and charge less than $100 a month in consumer cost sharing, according to a report by Avalere Health.
Health Systems Dipping Into The Business Of Selling Insurance
These plans, which still are a minority in the marketplaces, can help drive consumers to use the system’s hospitals and doctors, but some also offer competitive prices.
Marketplace Plans Covering Out-Of-Network Care Harder To Find
Two studies analyze the decline in PPO plans that provide some coverage when patients seek care from doctors, hospitals and other providers that are not on the plan’s network.
Even In High-Deductible Plans, Some Service May Be Covered Without Cost To You
KHN’s consumer columnist answers readers’ questions about high deductible plans, out of network benefits and increases in premium costs.
Costs May Keep Low-Income Patients From Clinical Trials, Study Finds
Insurance generally covers routine costs patients encounter in a clinical trial, but the patients can still be responsible for co-payments and other expenses, such as lost wages and travel.
Marketplace Customers Could See Higher Premiums, No Coverage For Out-Of-Network Care
Enrollment for healthcare.gov plans for 2016 begins Sunday and consumers should carefully check their options to see what their costs will be, how much of a subsidy they qualify for and whether their doctors and hospitals are in the plan’s network.
Updated Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Unlikely To Affect Insurance Coverage
The American Cancer Society now recommends that women begin annual mammogram screenings at age 45 instead of age 40, and that providers reduce the frequency of screening to every two years after age 54.
Seniors Who Don’t Consider Switching Drug Plans May Face Steep Price Rise
For beneficiaries, staying in their current plans could prove costly so advocates urge them to check out the alternatives.
Dementia Also Takes Toll On Unpaid Caregivers, Study Shows
The research shows 77 percent of those with dementia receive routine help with household tasks or personal care such as bathing and dressing. Only 20 percent of the 33 million people without dementia received similar help.
Bipartisan Effort Revises Health Law Provision For Small Businesses
The new law, signed by President Barack Obama last week, eases some of the requirements for employers with 51 to 100 workers and counterintuitively may help bolster coverage.
Medical Prices Higher In Areas Where Large Doctor Groups Dominate, Study Finds
Researchers report that prices for a dozen procedures and tests were 8 to 26 percent higher in counties with the highest level of physicians concentrated in large group practices.
