Enrollment 2018
Obamacare Shopping Is Trickier Than Ever. Here’s A Cheat Sheet.
This year, more than ever, it is important to know your options.
All Coverage
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Maine Voters Greenlight Medicaid Expansion, But Governor Says Whoa
A battle brews as Republican Gov. Paul LePage says he won’t implement the Medicaid expansion unless the Legislature funds Maine’s share. Other states, such as Idaho and Utah, are keenly watching.
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Breathing Fire: Health Is A Casualty Of Climate-Fueled Blazes
As the planet warms, wildfires such as the latest disastrous blazes in Northern California have increased in frequency and scope. Beyond the environmental effects, people suffer health repercussions that can be disabling and even deadly.
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Grass-Roots Network Of Doctors Delivers Supplies To Puerto Rico
Borrowing a plane is part of these doctors’ duties.
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Election Night Surprise: Health Care Galvanizes Voters
In Maine and Virginia, health care issues played on voters’ minds.
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For Active Seniors, Cohousing Offers A Cozier Alternative To Downsizing
Far from a commune or coop, these planned villages are no less about cooperation and community.
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California Cracks Down On Weed Killer As Lawsuits Abound
California has listed the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup as a cancer-causing agent and will require warning labels on it starting next year. The company says that the listing is unjustified and that science is on its side.
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Medicaid Nation
Medicaid Chief Says Feds Are Willing To Approve Work Requirements
Seema Verma, the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services tells state officials that she envisions changes that could include work requirements for Medicaid enrollees.
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Hospice Workers Who Care For The Dying Don’t Plan Ahead Themselves
Fewer than half of health care workers at a nonprofit Florida hospice had completed advance directives for end-of-life care.
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Ohio’s Drug-Pricing Ballot Question Triggers Voter Confusion
Millions of dollars in campaign spending and a media blitz of advertisements muddy public understanding of Issue 2, the Drug Price Relief Act.
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Beyond Stigma And Bias, Many Transgender People Struggle With Mental Health
New data show transgender people are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and to attempt suicide. Public hostility toward them, including efforts to ban them from public bathrooms and military service, is making things worse, researchers say.
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Liquid Gold: Pain Doctors Soak Up Profits By Screening Urine For Drugs
With the nation’s opioid crisis, urine testing has become a booming business and is especially lucrative for doctors who operate their own labs, a Kaiser Health News investigation finds. And dozens of practitioners have earned “the lion’s share” of their Medicare income exclusively from urine drug screens.
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Enriched By The Poor: California Health Insurers Make Billions Through Medicaid
Medicaid is rarely associated with getting rich. But some insurance companies are reaping spectacular profits off the taxpayer-funded program in California, even when the state finds their patient care is subpar.
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Sickle Cell Patients Suffer Discrimination, Poor Care — And Shorter Lives
People with the genetic blood disorder that mainly afflicts African-Americans can live into their 60s with competent care. So why is life expectancy slipping down to around age 40?
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Enrollment 2018
Insurer Tries A Soft Touch — Puppies! — For This Year’s Hard Sell Of Obamacare Plans
Open enrollment for health insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchanges started last week. Across the country, municipalities, insurers and grass-roots groups are working hard to help folks navigate the hoops.
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Health Companies Race To Catch UnitedHealth As Amazon Laces Up
UnitedHealth, a health industry goliath, has its hand in doctors’ offices, surgery centers, technology services and prescription drugs. It is the industry model, and CVS and Aetna, says one expert, are ‘wannabes.’
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New ‘Instructions’ Could Let Dementia Patients Refuse Spoon-Feeding
Patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias can say in advance if and when they want caregivers to stop offering food and fluids by hand.
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Enrollment 2018
Big Premium Hike? Blame It On The Kids
Premiums are rising for many reasons next year, and one is that insurers are charging a lot more for teenagers.
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House Tax Bill Would Scrap Deduction For Medical Expenses
About 9 million people claimed about $87 billion in medical deductions in 2015.
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House Republicans Aim To Yank Tax Credits For Orphan Drugs
House Republicans want to repeal federal tax credits that have helped spur a boom in orphan drugs for rare diseases.
