Medicare Spending Variations Mostly Due To Health Differences, Study Concludes
The finding challenges the notion that billions could be saved by making the health system more efficient.
All Coverage
-
-
-
Eye Lift Surgery Increasingly Billed To Medicare
Despite rules against Medicare coverage for cosmetic surgery, eyelid lifts billed to Medicare have more than tripled over a decade.
-
Coverage Gaps Can Hamper Access To Some Breast Cancer Screening, Care
Angelina Jolie’s announcement about her double mastectomy has raised interest in genetic testing. These expensive tests are generally covered for women with a family history, but other screenings and treatment needs may be limited by plans.
-
Obamacare Insurance Won’t Cover Weight-Loss Surgery In Many States
In more than two dozen states, obesity treatments
-
-
-
California Insurance Exchange Rates: Not Too High, Not Too Low
On Thursday, the state cleared 13 health plans to offer insurance in its Obamacare online marketplace – at prices that are lower than expected.
-
Can My Insurer Deny Coverage For Care At An Out-Of-Network Hospital?
Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about rules for emergency room care and out-of-network hospital costs under the health law.
-
-
-
-
Texas’ Struggling Rio Grande Valley Presses for Medicaid Expansion
Health providers and patients in Brownsville make do with one of the nation’s highest uninsured rates. With billions in federal funding on the line, Texas counties along the border with Mexico plead their case to Gov. Rick Perry.
-
Some Individual Policies Offer A Way To Shrink Deductibles
Under these plans, if a policyholder’s health costs don’t exceed the deductible, that deductible is trimmed the following year. But consumer advocates warn this may discriminate against sick people and run afoul of the health law.
-
How Will The ‘Unbanked’ Buy Insurance On The Exchanges?
One in five households in the United States has only a tenuous relationship with a traditional bank, and many of these people are also uninsured. It’s still an open question how the unbanked will buy insurance on the exchanges.
-
-
With High Deductible Health Plans, It Pays To Shop Around For Care
An increasing number of consumers have these plans with lower premiums, but they must cover the first $1,000, $5,000 or even $10,000 of care before insurance kicks in, providing an incentive to haggle with doctors and hospitals.
-
Feds Make It Easier For States To Enroll Poor Under Health Law
States will have the option to use data from food stamps, other programs, to enroll adults in Medicaid. Officials say the changes are geared to states that are expanding the program next year, but they may also be adopted by others.
-
-
The IRS’ Role In The Health Law Comes Under Scrutiny
As Republicans raise new questions about the IRS’ responsibilities in implementing and enforcing the health law, KHN’S Mary Agnes Carey talks to Joanna Kerpen, a partner at the law firm McDermott Will & Emery, about the job ahead for the agency.
