A Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance
Deciding when, or whether, to buy long-term care insurance can be complex. Here’s what to know.
Healthcare Costs
621 - 640 of 1,863 Results
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Perspective
From Hospital to Hospitality: Spin Doctors Brand Getting Sick as an Adventure. It’s Not.
At $1,000 a night for a private room, medical centers are offering fancy food and casting health care as a “journey.” Instead of creature comforts, how about helping us feel better?
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Why Long-Term Care Insurance Falls Short for So Many
The private insurance market has proved wildly inadequate in providing financial security for millions of older Americans, in part by underestimating how many policyholders would use their coverage.
By Jordan Rau and JoNel Aleccia -
Lost in the Mix of Medicaid ‘Unwinding’: Kentucky Cut Off Her Health Care Over a Clerical Error
The state canceled Beverly Likens’ coverage — days before surgery — without considering other ways she qualified for Medicaid, which experts say violated federal regulations.
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Out for Blood? For Routine Lab Work, the Hospital Billed Her $2,400
Convenient as it may be, beware of getting your blood drawn at a hospital. The cost could be much higher than at an independent lab, and your insurance might not cover it all.
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Extra Fees Drive Assisted Living Profits
The add-ons pile up: $93 for medications, $50 for cable TV. Prices soar as the industry leaves no service unbilled, out of reach for many families.
By Jordan Rau -
What to Know About Assisted Living
The facilities can look like luxury apartments or modest group homes and can vary in pricing structures. Here’s a guide.
By Jordan Rau -
New Social Security Report Shows Growing Overpayment Problem Tops $23B
Social Security has been overpaying recipients for years, then demanding the money back, leaving people with bills for up to tens of thousands of dollars or more.
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Beyond Insulin: Medi-Cal Expands Patient Access to Diabetes Supplies
California’s Medicaid program is making it easier for people with diabetes to obtain the supplies and equipment they need to manage their blood sugar, partly by relaxing preauthorization requirements that can cause life-threatening delays.
By Angela Hart -
Facing Financial Ruin as Costs Soar for Elder Care
The United States has no coherent system of long-term care, leading many to struggle to stay independent or rely on a patchwork of solutions.
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What Long-Term Care Looks Like Around the World
Most countries spend more than the United States on care, but middle-class and affluent people still bear a substantial portion of the costs.
By Jordan Rau -
A New RSV Shot Could Help Protect Babies This Winter — If They Can Get It in Time
Supply problems, a high price tag, and bureaucratic obstacles are slowing the distribution of a therapy that can protect infants from the respiratory syncytial virus. That will leave them unnecessarily at risk of hospitalization this winter, pediatricians fear.
‘Your Money or Your Life’: This Doctor Wrote the Book on Medical Debt
Season 10, Episode 5What happens when you can’t afford the health care you need? On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” hear from emergency medicine physician and historian Luke Messac about the history of medical debt collection in the United States.
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US to Cover HIV Prevention Drugs for Older Americans to Stem Spread of the Virus
The government has proposed that Medicare fully cover preexposure prophylaxis drugs that prevent HIV, a change that could help America catch up with nations in Europe and Africa that are on track to end new infections decades before the U.S. under its current approach.
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New California Law Offers Fresh Protection From Steep Ambulance Bills
The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, prohibits out-of-network ground ambulance operators from billing patients more than they would pay for in-network rides. It also caps how much the uninsured must pay.
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Children Who Survive Shootings Endure Huge Health Obstacles and Costs
A new study finds that young people who have been injured by firearms are more prone to psychiatric diagnoses and developing a substance use disorder than kids who have not been shot — and their families also suffer long-term ill effects.
By Liz Szabo -
Medicare Expands the Roster of Available Mental Health Professionals
Medicare is expanding access to mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists come Jan. 1. But the belief that seniors who suffer from mental health problems should just grin and bear it remains a troubling barrier to care.
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Biden Pick to Lead Social Security Pledges Action on ‘Heartbreaking’ Clawbacks
At a Senate confirmation hearing, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said he would address hardships the Social Security agency has caused by demanding money back from beneficiaries.
For ACA Plans, It’s Time to Shop Around
Episode 321It’s Obamacare open enrollment season, which means that, for people who rely on these plans for coverage, it’s time to shop around. With enhanced premium subsidies and cost-sharing assistance, consumers may find savings by switching plans. It is especially important for people who lost their coverage because of the Medicaid unwinding to investigate their options. Many qualify for assistance. Meanwhile, the countdown to Election Day is on, and Ohio’s State Issue 1 is grabbing headlines. The closely watched ballot initiative has become a testing ground for abortion-related messaging, which has been rife with misinformation. This week’s panelists are Mary Agnes Carey of KFF Health News, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News.