Weekly Edition: December 8, 2017
Middle-Class Earners Weigh Love And Money To Curb Obamacare Premiums
By Rachel Bluth
Ineligible for subsidies, a Tennessee woman quit her job to get an affordable health care premium. Conventional steps — such as maxing out your 401(k) contribution each year — may also do the job, financial planners say.
Churning, Confusion And Disruption — The Dark Side Of Marketplace Coverage
By Jay Hancock
The Affordable Care Act has increased the number of people with insurance, but shopping around for plans puts a burden on patients, especially this year.
For Marketplace Customers Who Delay, Auto-Enrollment Could Be Nasty Wake-Up
By Michelle Andrews
People who have a plan from the health law’s marketplace and who don’t actively shop for a new one will be auto-enrolled on Dec. 16. But unlike past years, most people won’t be able to change those plans if they don’t like them.
Brokers Tout Mix-And-Match Coverage To Avoid High-Cost ACA Plans
By Julie Appleby
But buyer, beware. Cobbling together “packages” designed to cover gaps in high-deductible health plans could shortchange consumers, warn advocates.
‘I’ve Never Been This Busy’: As Marketplace Deadline Nears, Navigators Feel The Pinch
By Michelle Andrews
With less federal funding and marketing, local groups are feeling the pressure to keep up enrollment in the plans offered through the federal health law’s marketplace.
Facebook Live: A Status Check On Obamacare Enrollment
In this chat, KHN’s Julie Appleby offers a progress report on the 2018 sign up season.
Challenges Abound For 26-Year-Olds Falling Off Parental Insurance Cliff
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
Insurance has often been a tough-sell among these young people because they are often healthy and choosing a plan is complicated. A shorter enrollment and less outreach could dampen enthusiasm.
‘Rock Star’ Navigator On Mission To Clear Health Insurance Hurdles For Vietnamese
By Charlotte Huff
In Texas, the uninsured rate among Vietnamese immigrants is nearly double the national rate. Navigators there are working to reverse that.
Pace Of U.S. Health Spending Slows In 2016
By Phil Galewitz
Dramatic increases in spending that came with the influx of newly insured consumers in 2014 and 2015 appear to be moderating.
California Winces At Trump’s Turn Back To ‘Bad Old Days’ Of Health Plan Associations
By Pauline Bartolone
State leaders vow to protect consumers from a presidential order to resurrect a health plan model that they say could destabilize the insurance market.
Hospitals Find Asthma Hot Spots More Profitable To Neglect Than Fix
By Jay Hancock and Rachel Bluth and Daniel Trielli
Months of reporting and rich hospital data portray life in the worst asthma hot spot in one of the worst asthma cities: Baltimore. The medical system knows how to help. But there’s no money in it.
Attack On Asthma: Scrubbing Homes Of Allergens May Tame Disease And Its Costs
By Douglas Birch
A pilot program to asthma-proof homes in Baltimore shows that even without intensive professional cleaning services, families can learn to substantially reduce home allergens on their own.
CVS-Aetna Merger A Bid To Bring Down Costs, Gain Competitive Edge
What will the mega-merger mean for consumers and the health care industry? Senior correspondent Chad Terhune offers insight.
States — And 9M Kids — ‘In A Bind’ As Congress Dawdles On CHIP Funding
By Ashley Lopez, KUT and Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR
Congress let funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program expire in September, and despite bipartisan support for the program, states are facing the specter of having to prepare to wind down their programs.
Health Risks To Farmworkers Increase As Workforce Ages
By Sarah Varney
Harvesting U.S. crops has been left to an aging population of farmworkers whose health has suffered from decades of hard labor. Older workers have a greater chance of getting injured and of developing chronic illnesses.
Cities, Counties and Schools Sidestep FDA Canadian Drug Crackdown, Saving Millions
By Phil Galewitz
Medicines are up to 80 percent cheaper north of the border and overseas, so U.S. localities are greasing a pharmaceutical pipeline that the feds warn is illegal and possibly unsafe.
Stopping Opioid Addiction At One Key Source: The Hospital
By Shefali Luthra
Based on research conducted at the University of Michigan’s medical center, a group of surgeons developed a strategy to help post-surgical patients from misusing or abusing their prescription painkillers.
Treating The New Hep C Generation On Their Turf
By Pauline Bartolone
One Northern California physician is a foot soldier in the fight against a surge of hepatitis C, mainly among young drug users who share infected needles.
Your Plumber Offers A Money-Back Guarantee. Should Your Doctor?
By Michelle Andrews
Even though consumers don’t expect to pay for faulty service or goods, they are often forced to pay for bad health care. But a small number of hospitals and doctors are seeking to change that practice.
Dangling A Carrot For Patients To Take Healthy Steps: Does It Work?
By Anna Gorman
Many medical groups and state Medicaid programs are offering gift cards, cash and other rewards to low-income patients if they agree to get preventive screenings and make healthier lifestyle choices.