Weekly Edition: December 15, 2017
Why Do People Hate Obamacare, Anyway?
Julie Rovner
It’s not just ideology; a lot of people don’t understand what the law does or how it works.
Sign-Up Deadline Is Friday, But Some People May Get Extra Time
Michelle Andrews
Although in most states the insurance marketplace deadline is Friday, some consumers might be entitled to a special enrollment period if their 2017 plan is being discontinued or they are from states designated by the federal government as hurricane disaster areas.
Good Deals For Some, Sticker Shock For Others As ACA Enrollment Winds Down
Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR and Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
In Tennessee, an Obamacare consumer saw her rate go from $750 to just $5 a month. But a man in Maryland had to buy a less comprehensive plan to keep his costs under $1,000 a month. Income and geography determine prices for health insurance in the fifth year of Affordable Care Act coverage.
Consumers Who Froze Their Credit Reports Could Hit A Glitch Enrolling In Insurance
Julie Appleby
The federal marketplace generally uses credit reports to help verify identities, but that doesn’t work if consumers have put a security freeze on them — as some did after the Equifax breach this year. Workarounds for this issue exist, but they make the process more time-consuming.
Listen: Collins Plays Let’s Make A Deal On ACA Mandate Repeal
Patty Wight, Maine Public Radio
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) says she will vote for the GOP tax bill even though it repeals the ACA's mandate that everyone buy insurance. She's gotten trade offs that she says will stabilize the market, but not everyone agrees they will offset the damage of losing the mandate.
Sen. Collins’ Strategy To Stabilize Insurance Market Raises Doubts Among Analysts
Julie Rovner
Even if the Republican from Maine can get her party to go along, her suggestions to bolster the individual insurance market may be too little, too late.
Good Friends Might Be Your Best Brain Booster As You Age
Judith Graham
SuperAgers, men and women over age 80 with extraordinary memories, share a commitment to sustaining friendships.
These Annual Checkups Help Seniors Not Only Survive But Thrive
Melissa Bailey
Seniors are living longer and defying predictions of cognitive and functional decline. Wellness coaches guide them in setting goals for the year — whether physical, social, intellectual or spiritual.
Retirement’s Revolving Door: Why Some Workers Can’t Call It Quits
Bruce Horovitz
Baby boomers are deciding to return to the workplace because they miss the challenges, the accomplishments — and, most important, the people.
An Overlooked Epidemic: Older Americans Taking Too Many Unneeded Drugs
Sandra G. Boodman
Researchers estimate that 25 percent of people ages 65 to 69 take at least five prescription drugs to treat chronic conditions. But some doctors are trying to teach others about “deprescribing” or systematically discontinuing medicines that are inappropriate, duplicative or unnecessary.
Medicare Fails To Recover Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars In Lab Overcharges
Fred Schulte
Genetic testing firms declare bankruptcy and wipe out debt to the federal government.
Experts Tell Congress How To Cut Drug Prices. We Give You Some Odds.
Sarah Jane Tribble
Some of the nation’s most influential scientists recommend eight steps to lower drug prices. KHN takes the political temperature and tells you the chances of Congress acting on them.
In Era Of Increased Competition, Hospitals Fret Over Ratings
Jenny Gold
Hospitals are jockeying for patients and view the many different quality and safety ratings as a keen way to distinguish their services. But when those ratings nosedive, a hospital may retaliate.
Telemedicine For Addiction Treatment? Picture Remains Fuzzy
Emily Forman, Side Effects Public Media
One Indiana addiction specialist doesn't shy away from telemedicine, but he still requires in-person visits to begin and maintain his patients' Suboxone prescriptions.
Opioids After Surgery Left Her Addicted. Is That A Medical Error?
Martha Bebinger, WBUR
Doctors prescribed powerful opioids for a patient after back surgery but gave her little guidance on how to take them safely. Then, she says, they misdiagnosed her withdrawal symptoms. Some experts say this situation is akin to a hospital-acquired condition.
Fear Compromises The Health, Well-Being Of Immigrant Families, Report Finds
Anna Gorman
Interviews with immigrants from 15 countries and pediatricians in eight states reveal that fear of deportation is putting parents and children under heightened stress, impeding daily activities and jeopardizing long-term health.