Pay Close Attention To The Enrollment Calendar To Avoid Penalties
Consumers can sign up on the health insurance marketplace from Nov. 15 to Feb. 15 but waiting can leave them exposed to not only medical bills but also the health law’s penalties.
Rate Of Premature Births Fall As Health Law Provisions Begin To Take Effect
March of Dimes official says one key factor was early implementation of the Medicaid expansion in some states.
Lack Of Understanding About Insurance Could Lead To Poor Choices
A recent poll points out that while three-quarters of Americans say they are confident about understanding their health coverage options, only 20 percent could calculate what they owed for a routine doctor’s appointment.
Hepatitis C Patients May Not Qualify For Pricey Drugs Unless Illness Is Advanced
Many insurers are restricting access to new drugs that promise higher cure rates because the price tags can run $95,000 or more.
Forget Ebola And Get A Free Flu Shot
Under the health law, insurers cover the immunizations with no out-of-pocket costs to consumers.
More Plans Setting Spending Limits For Some Medical Services
Insurers cap how much they will pay for certain routine procedures, such as knee replacements and lab tests, and if patients opt for an in-network facility that charges more, they must pick up the extra cost.
Consumers Whose Income Drops Below Poverty Get Break On Subsidy Payback
People who suffered a drop in earnings and fall below the poverty line don’t have to repay subsidies, but others who underestimated their income could be in for a surprise at tax time.
Modest Premium Hikes, Higher Consumer Costs Likely For Job-Based Plans
As many companies provide employees with their coverage details this fall, spousal surcharges and health savings accounts on the rise.
Long-Acting Contraceptives Still Often Not Free For Women
The health law called for all FDA-approved birth control methods to be completely covered by insurance, but research suggests that many women still pay for some of the costs for options such as IUDs and injectable contraceptives.
How Will Taxes Be Reconciled With Premium Subsidies?
KHN consumer columnist Michelle Andrews examines how subsidies for health insurance can be divvied up among family members choosing separate plans and how a miscalculation of the premium will be handled on your taxes.
Calif. Law Bolsters National Effort To Give Workers Paid Sick Time
Nearly 4 in 10 private sector workers lack paid sick leave, many of them women and low-wage earners.
Medicare Open Enrollment Is Fast Approaching — Here’s What We Know So Far
Kaiser Health News consumer columnist gives readers some basic information to help them weigh their Medicare options.
DEA: Vicodin, Some Other Pain Meds Will Be Harder to Get
The regulation, slated to take effect Oct. 6, is a response to the widespread misuse of these prescription medicines.
Insurers Hesitant To Cover Many Proton Beam Therapy Treatments
Supporters of the controversial — and high-priced — therapy say more routine coverage would help propel necessary research.
For Autistic Adults, Coverage Options Are Scarce
Although efforts by the federal and state governments are forcing insurers to cover costly treatments, patients who turn 21 “fall off a cliff.”
Health Law Tempers New State Coverage Mandates
Provisions in the Affordable Care Act seek to curb individual states from setting new mandates requiring insurers to cover specific care but many local legislators are trying to work around that.
Health Law Shows Little Effect In Lowering Children’s Uninsured Rate, Study Finds
Yet many uninsured kids would be eligible for coverage under Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Can I Buy Coverage After Accident Injuries? Who Pays The Cadillac Tax?
Kaiser Health News consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers readers’ questions.
Consumers To Hear Soon If Plans Are Canceled
Although the Obama administration has given insurers extra time to bring their plans into compliance with the health law, some may opt to drop substandard coverage this fall.
Infertility Patients Finding Creative Financing Help
Some clinics offer shared-risk programs that offer a set price and sometimes a money-back guarantee.
