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When the big California health insurer Wellpoint sought rate increases up to 39 percent this year, some wondered if they were unusual. But in a new national survey consumers who buy their own policies report the most recent rate requests averaged 20 percent.
The Senate has passed a six-month payment increase for Medicare physicians but it is unclear if the House will pass that measure.
The Senate has passed a six-month payment increase for Medicare physicians but it is unclear if the House will pass that measure.
Insurance plans have a history of frequently changing
After a five-day legislative saga, Senate Democrats were unable to pass a tax extender bill that included provisions to prevent a 21 percent reduction in physicians’ Medicare payments and to extend enhanced federal Medicaid funding. But after a compromise with the GOP, the Senate passed just a Medicare pay fix.
The U.S. census’ estimates of how many people in the country don’t have health insurance won’t be done until late summer, but the CDC is out with a snapshot of its own. And the findings aren’t pretty.
The federal government is giving states until June 25 to say how they intend to run high-risk pools to insure people who have been denied coverage due to a pre-existing medical condition and have been uninsured for at least six months.
Consumer-directed health plans have been useful in controlling the rise of health costs over the last several years, but the survival of these plans is threatened by the new health overhaul law.
The number of people hospitalized or killed by serious heart attacks each year is down sharply, new studies show. The overall rate of hospitalization for heart disease is down, too. Experts attribute improving heart health to the decline in smoking, more people getting treated for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and the greater attention many people now give to eating healthier foods and getting exercise. Prevention clearly pays off for those who pay attention.
Experts say states can employ a variety of strategies to identify and enroll eligible children in the Medicaid and CHIP programs this year
Federally funded initiatives to enroll kids in Medicaid and CHIP hold lessons for enrolling adults once health overhaul goes into effect in 2014.
The “Walkers/Talkers” program in New Orleans sends workers into the poorest neighborhoods to find uninsured children and then helps sign them up for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
The Walkers/Talkers program in New Orleans sends workers into the poorest neighborhoods to help sign uninsured children up for government health insurance programs.
Doctors across the country find themselves
The Senate is debating ways to reverse a 21 percent cut in Medicare physician payments that began on June 1.
When it comes to “social mission,” traditionally high-ranked private medical schools are not as successful as public universities and historically black colleges.
Florida hospital administrators for years have said the state’s high rate of preterm births — and the infant health problems that result — are beyond their control. But that’s not true, as Tallahassee Memorial Hospital has proved.
The Senate is debating ways to reverse a 21 percent cut in Medicare physician payments that began on June 1. The legislation would also include additional Medicaid money for states.
After the bitter battle to get the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed, Democrats are on the defensive amid an expected increase in Americans’ health care costs.
A few years ago, federal officials began rating Medicare Advantage plans – using a scale of one to five stars – but seniors’ advocates, policy analysts, insurers and some top Medicare officials agree the ratings are flawed. Even so, the star system is about to become more significant.
