Latest KFF Health News Stories
As Health Care Costs Rise, Workers At Low-Wage Firms May Pay A Larger Share
People at companies with large numbers of people earning $25,000 or less faced bigger deductibles for single coverage and were asked to pony up a larger share of their income in premiums than those at other firms.
Is New App From Feds Your Answer To Navigating Medicare Coverage? Yes And No
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched this month the “What’s Covered” app, designed to provide yes-or-no answers about what services are covered under traditional Medicare. KHN took it for a test drive with real consumers.
Bills, Bills, Bills: Readers And Tweeters Offer Solace, Solutions And Scoldings
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Insured But Still In Debt: 5 Jobs Pulling In $100K A Year No Match For Medical Bills
An Arizona couple played by the rules and bought employer-provided health insurance. But after they had a baby this year, their out-of-pocket hospital costs and doctors’ bills climbed to more than $12,000 — and medical debt now threatens their new family.
Health Insurance Costs Crushing Many People Who Don’t Get Federal Subsidies
The rising costs of premiums, deductibles and copayments have driven millions who don’t get a subsidy to drop their coverage or turn to cheaper, less comprehensive — and sometimes inadequate — insurance.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Some Things Old, Some Things New
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner discuss final action on bills in Congress to address the opioid epidemic and fund federal health agencies. They also look at new efforts by the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on teen nicotine use.
High-Deductible Health Plans Fall From Grace In Employer-Based Coverage
Once viewed as a promising cost-control tool, such insurance faces new competition on benefits menus from more traditional insurance. But, according to new research, none of those choices is getting less expensive.
Cut In Federal Subsidies Threatens Basic Health Programs In N.Y., Minn.
President Donald Trump’s decision to stop paying cost-sharing reduction subsidies means the federal government will reduce its funding of the Basic Health Program that provides low-cost coverage to more than 800,000 low-income people in those two states.
Desperate For Coverage: Are Short-Term Plans Better Than None At All?
As stopgap health plans gain attention as possible alternatives to Obamacare, consumers are advised to read the fine print.
Pacientes posponen tratamientos críticos por culpa de los deducibles altos
La evidencia está mostrando que los deducibles altos han obligado a la gente a retrasar atención que podría prevenir emergencias de salud más tarde, o mejorar su calidad de vida.
When High Deductibles Hurt: Even Insured Patients Postpone Care
The number of Americans with high-deductible health plans is growing, along with the fear that even insured people won’t get the care they need because it’s too costly.
Trump Plan Might Cut Expenses For Some Insured Patients With Chronic Needs
High-deductible health insurance plans linked to a health savings account cannot cover some care and drug expenses for chronic health conditions until the patient has met a deductible.
Reactions To The GOP Health Bill: Voices From The States
What will happen to people with preexisting conditions is one worry some Americans expressed; the high costs of insurance under Obamacare is another.
CHIP Offers Families With Seriously Ill Kids More Financial Protection Than ACA Plans
Out-of-pocket costs can rise dramatically for children with chronic health issues if a family changes marketplace coverage, according to a new study.
The Next Obamacare Battleground: Subsidies For Out-Of-Pocket Costs
Exchange enrollees and insurers fret over a lawsuit that could end federal help with copays and deductibles.
La próxima batalla del Obamacare: subsidios para gastos de bolsillo
Los subsidios que ayudan a las personas con sus copagos y deducibles, distintos a los créditos impositivos para pagar las primas, están en medio de una batalla legal luego de una demanda republicana.
Hitch Keeps Many High-Deductible Plans From Covering Chronic Care Up Front
IRS rules limit plans set up to link to health savings accounts from covering most care until the deductible is paid off, but proposed legislation would expand what’s allowed.
‘Simple Choice Plans’ To Debut In 2017 Marketplace Enrollment
The standardized policy options would provide a way for consumers to make apples-to-apples comparisons.
Three Changes Consumers Can Expect In Next Year’s Obamacare Coverage
The Department of Health and Human Services issues new rules designed to simplify health coverage consumers buy through Healthcare.gov.
Consumer Choices Have Limited Impact On U.S. Health Care Spending: Study
An analysis from the Health Care Cost Institute finds that less than half of health care costs are for services considered “shoppable,” and consumers’ out-of-pocket spending on that is just 7 percent of all spending.
