Latest News On Out-Of-Pocket Costs

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Bad Bedside Manna: Bank Loans Signed In The Hospital Leave Patients Vulnerable

KFF Health News Original

Hospitals increasingly team up with lending institutions to offer low- or no-interest loans to patients to make sure their bills get paid. But critics say the complexity of hospital pricing means consumers should be cautious.

Cut In Federal Subsidies Threatens Basic Health Programs In N.Y., Minn.

KFF Health News Original

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.

Study Gives Mixed Reviews On Laws To Equalize Cancer Patients’ Out-Of-Pocket Costs

KFF Health News Original

Most states have laws that require that cancer patients who get their treatment orally rather than by infusion in a doctor’s office not pay more out-of-pocket. A new study finds that the impact of those laws is mixed.

5 Outside-The-Box Ideas For Fixing The Individual Insurance Market

KFF Health News Original

As lawmakers look for ways to stabilize the health law marketplaces, a number of ideas — such as expanding who can “buy in” to Medicare and Medicaid or pushing young adults off their parents’ plans into the marketplaces — might come into play.

Too Few Patients Follow The Adage: You Better Shop Around

KFF Health News Original

Three-quarters of participants in a newly released study said they did not know of resources for comparing health care costs, while half said that if a website were available to provide such information, they would use it.