How Much Does It Cost To Have A Baby? Hospital Study Finds Huge Price Range
According to a recent Health Affairs study, the price tag for low-risk births varies widely among hospitals and high-cost maternity care doesn’t necessarily lead to better outcomes.
N.Y. Law Offers Model For Helping Consumers Avoid Surprise Out-Of-Network Charges
Under the comprehensive law, patients are generally protected from owing more than their in-network copayment, coinsurance or deductible on bills they receive for out-of-network emergency services or on surprise bills.
Maryland Revamps Its In Vitro Coverage Mandate To Accommodate Same-Sex Couples
Requirements to prove infertility for two years and to use sperm from the husband have been eliminated for same-sex couples.
Study Finds Doctors Order Fewer Preventive Services For Medicaid Patients
Researchers report in the journal Health Affairs that doctors are less likely to include some preventive care services in appointments with women covered by Medicaid than in those with women who are privately insured.
Your Colonoscopy Is Covered, But Surprise! The Prep Kit May Not Be
KHN’s consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers questions from readers about the coverage of bowel prep kits for a colonoscopy, how travel insurance handles pre-existing conditions and prenatal screening coverage for tobacco, drugs and alcohol.
Study Finds Almost Half Of Health Law Plans Offer Very Limited Physician Networks
More than 40 percent of the plans included less than a quarter of the doctors in the area, University of Pennsylvania researchers found.
Controversies Made Preventive Services Panel Stronger, Says Retired Leader
Dr. Michael LeFevre, who has stepped down as chairman of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force after 10 years, describes how the health law changed the group’s work and the need to improve communication about it.
Congressional Bills Would Mandate Equal Coverage For Pills And IV Cancer Therapy
The legislation would require insurance companies to cover oral cancer meds as favorably as they do intravenous chemotherapy.
Even As Obamacare Seeks To Expand Women’s Coverage, Some Still Face Key Gap
Coverage for labor and delivery for young women who are on their parents’ health plan is not guaranteed under key health laws.
Medicare Drug Plans Favor Generic Opioids Over Those Designed To Avoid Abuse, Study Finds
The Part D plans have cut back coverage of a newer version of OxyContin that has been formulated to make it tougher for people to snort or inject it. That new version is 20 times more expensive than the generic.
Consumers In Grandfathered Plans Can Face Higher Costs For Preventive Benefits
The plans, which were in existence when the health law was enacted in 2010 and have not changed significantly, cover about a quarter of insured workers.
New Preventive Health Services Approved For No-Cost Coverage
Two new procedures have been added to the list of what should be covered by insurance without charge to consumers under provisions of the health law.
When Your Doctor Leaves Your Health Plan, You Likely Can’t Follow
KHN’s consumer columnist answers readers’ questions about options when physicians leave an insurer’s network, the lack of coverage for hearing aids and penalties linked to insurance subsidies.
Medicare Pays For Spouses To Get Grief Counseling Through Hospice
But a new study of Medicare beneficiaries finds that hospice services had little impact on depression suffered by individuals after the death of their spouses.
Second Opinions Often Sought But Value Is Not Yet Proven
Medical reviews are recommended for patients facing serious illnesses and some individuals glean important advice, but researchers do not have much data showing whether they lead to better outcomes.
Medicaid Expansion Helps Cut Rate Of Older, Uninsured Adults From 12 To 8 Percent
A study finds that in states that did not expand the health program for low-income residents, the rate of uninsurance among 50- to 64-year-olds is twice that of other states.
Telemedicine Under Attack As Abortion Rights Supporters Seek More Options For Women
Only two states offer telemed abortions, in which a woman confers with a doctor through an Internet video connection before being prescribed drugs to terminate a pregnancy. Supporters say the practice improves early access to abortion, thus cutting down expenses and complications, but opponents say it is dangerous.
Feds Say That In Screening Colonoscopies, Anesthesia Comes With No Charge
In an announcement this week, federal officials made clear that insurers should not charge patients for the anesthesia used in a screening colonoscopy, but some other routine charges are still in dispute.
Home Visits By Nurses For First-Time Mothers Help Reduce Government Costs
The Nurse-Family Partnership is one of more than a dozen programs that are eligible for funding under the federal health law. Congress renewed the spending this year.
Study: Cataract Surgery Fast And Safe, But Many On Medicare Get Costly Pre-Testing
Having blood work and other tests before cataract surgery isn’t usually recommended, but a study finds that more than half of Medicare beneficiaries get them.
