Uninsured Archives - Page 4 of 31

Missouri Takes Months to Process Medicaid Applications — Longer Than Law Allows

Missouri has more people waiting to have their Medicaid applications processed than it has approved since the expansion of the federal-state health insurance program. Although most states process Medicaid applications within a week, Missouri is taking, on average, more than two months. Patient advocates fear that means people will stay uninsured longer, leading them to postpone care or get stuck with high medical bills.

By Bram Sable-Smith and Phil Galewitz

Feb. 18, 2022

A stethoscope rests on top of a sheet of health insurance paperwork.

Why Millions on Medicaid Are at Risk of Losing Coverage in the Months Ahead

State Medicaid agencies for months have been preparing for the end of a federal mandate that has prevented states from removing people from the safety-net program during the pandemic.

By Rachana Pradhan

Feb. 14, 2022

The Spinal Tap

Federal Investigation Into Spine Surgeries Uses Mob Laws to Target Health Care Fraud

Investigators allege a Texas company that arranges spine surgery and other medical care for people injured in car crashes accepted bribes in violation of 1960s-era racketeering law.

By Fred Schulte

Feb. 8, 2022

Asking Never Hurts

Covered California’s Insurance Deals Range From ‘No-Brainer’ to Sticker Shock

Families of four with incomes of less than about $40,000 a year can pay no premiums and have low deductibles. For some others, health insurance in 2022 will cost more than in 2021 — in some cases, significantly more.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Dec. 21, 2021

New Health Plans Offer Twists on Existing Options, With a Dose of ‘Buyer Beware’

Fueled by consumer frustration with high premiums and deductibles, two new offerings promise a means for consumers to take control of their health care costs. But experts say they pose risks.

By Julie Appleby

Nov. 4, 2021

Direct Primary Care, With a Touch of Robin Hood

Some doctors, sick of mainstream health care’s red tape, are finding refuge in practices that combine concierge medicine with charity care.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Oct. 26, 2021

Death in Dallas: One Family’s Experience in the Medicaid Gap

Efforts to give 2.2 million Americans health insurance hang in the balance as Congress debates a massive spending bill. The so-called Medicaid gap is felt most acutely in Texas, where about half of those who stand to gain coverage live.

By Ashley Lopez, KUT

Sept. 30, 2021

Census: Insured Population Holds Steady, With a Slight Shift From Private to Public Coverage

The Census Bureau on Tuesday released its 2020 findings regarding Americans’ income, poverty and health insurance coverage.

By Victoria Knight and Julie Appleby

Sept. 14, 2021

Bill of the Month

How ERs Fail Patients With Addiction: One Patient’s Tragic Death

Two intractable failings of the U.S. health care system — addiction treatment and medical costs — come to a head in the ER, where patients desperate for addiction treatment arrive, only to find the facility may not be equipped to deal with substance use or, if they are, treatment is prohibitively expensive.

By Aneri Pattani

July 15, 2021

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: How to Expand Health Coverage

Democrats in Congress and the states are devising strategies to expand health coverage — through the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid and a “public option.” But progress remains halting, at best. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Washington may have to agree on how to control prescription drug prices if they wish to finance their coverage initiatives. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, Rovner interviews Michelle Andrews, who reported and wrote last month’s KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a very expensive sleep study.

June 24, 2021

COVID-19

At Texas Border, Pandemic’s High Toll Lays Bare Gaps in Health and Insurance

In Texas’ border communities, which are overwhelmingly Hispanic, covid-19 death rates for people under age 65 were double those in the rest of the state and three times the national average. They were also significantly higher than rates in New Mexico border areas.

By René Kladzyk, El Paso Matters, Phil Galewitz, and Elizabeth Lucas

June 23, 2021

Lots of Health Insurance Help in Covid Relief Law — But Do Your Homework First

Democrats’ $1.9 trillion covid relief package will offer some of the most significant help for Americans to pay for health insurance in a decade. But the temporary provisions are complicated. KHN offers tips for consumers.

By Michelle Andrews

March 24, 2021

Why Biden Has a Chance to Cut Deals With Red State Holdouts on Medicaid

The pandemic and economic crisis give states new incentives to extend health coverage to their uninsured residents.

By Noam N. Levey

Feb. 17, 2021

The ACA Marketplace Is Open Again for Insurance Sign-Ups. Here’s What You Need to Know.

On Monday, the federal insurance exchange reopened for an unusual midyear special enrollment period. People who are uninsured can buy a plan, and those who want to change their marketplace coverage can do so. Here are some answers about how it works.

By Michelle Andrews

Feb. 16, 2021

Illinois Is First in the Nation to Extend Health Coverage to Undocumented Seniors

As the pandemic hits Latino communities especially hard, Illinois is expanding public health insurance to all low-income noncitizen seniors. Advocates hope other states follow its lead.

By Giles Bruce

Jan. 7, 2021

COVID-19

Hospital Bills for Uninsured COVID Patients Are Covered, but No One Tells Them

The CARES Act provides funding that pays the bills for uninsured COVID-19 patients. But the death of a young man in Nashville shows some patients don't know about the program until it’s too late.

By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio

Oct. 29, 2020

Even With ACA’s Fate in Flux, Open Enrollment Starts Soon. Here’s What’s New.

The Affordable Care Act’s future is uncertain and there’s no end in sight to the pandemic. Still, the 2021 insurance year is marked by stability.

By Julie Appleby

Oct. 22, 2020

Refuge in the Storm? ACA’s Role as Safety Net Is Tested by COVID Recession

Relentlessly knocked around by politics and now headed again to the Supreme Court, the ACA is covering millions who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. But not everyone.

By Steven Findlay

Oct. 7, 2020