Latest KFF Health News Stories
UnitedHealthcare Expands Effort To Rein In Rising Costs Of Cancer Treatment
As part of an effort to pinpoint what’s driving up health expenditures, the insurer is broadening a pilot program to include about 500 more oncologists, bringing the total to 650 physicians in seven states.
Enrollment Guide: A Few Tips To Help You Shop For A New Marketplace Plan
Federal officials are promising that new healthcare.gov features – some of which are still being tested – will make the process of choosing coverage easier.
Health Law Increases Coverage Rates For Women Not Yet Pregnant
The Urban Institute and March of Dimes estimate 5.5 million women of childbearing age gained health insurance under the federal health law since 2013, but many still have unmet needs.
Marketplace Customers Could See Higher Premiums, No Coverage For Out-Of-Network Care
Enrollment for healthcare.gov plans for 2016 begins Sunday and consumers should carefully check their options to see what their costs will be, how much of a subsidy they qualify for and whether their doctors and hospitals are in the plan’s network.
Premiums For Key Marketplace Silver Plans Rising An Average Of 7.5 Percent, HHS Says
Federal officials say tax credits will blunt the impact of price increases in 2016 for most consumers buying the second-lowest silver health plan in 37 states.
Updated Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Unlikely To Affect Insurance Coverage
The American Cancer Society now recommends that women begin annual mammogram screenings at age 45 instead of age 40, and that providers reduce the frequency of screening to every two years after age 54.
HHS: Remaining Uninsured Worry About Costs Of Coverage
The Obama administration expects 1 million more people to be enrolled in marketplace coverage by the end of 2016.
A Looming Tax On High-End Health Plans Draws Fire From Many Sides
A plan to tax high-value health insurance plans is meeting stiff resistance from both sides of the aisle in Congress despite calls to make employers more demanding health coverage shoppers – and the $87 billion in revenue the tax could generate over the next decade.
Don’t Just Renew Your Medicare Plan. Shopping Around Can Save Money.
Enrollment for private Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans begins Oct. 15 and consumer advocates urge seniors to check out prices to find the best deals.
Bipartisan Effort Revises Health Law Provision For Small Businesses
The new law, signed by President Barack Obama last week, eases some of the requirements for employers with 51 to 100 workers and counterintuitively may help bolster coverage.
Most Who Leave California Exchange Get Other Insurance Coverage
A small percentage of people who drop coverage through Covered California become uninsured, perhaps because of cost concerns, according to new data.
Medical Prices Higher In Areas Where Large Doctor Groups Dominate, Study Finds
Researchers report that prices for a dozen procedures and tests were 8 to 26 percent higher in counties with the highest level of physicians concentrated in large group practices.
Consumers Can Shift Health Savings Accounts For Better Options
KHN consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers readers’ questions about trying to get a better return on a health savings account, the Cadillac tax’s impact on a marketplace plan and finding insurance for a grandchild.
Chronically Ill Pay More in Obamacare Plans Than Employer Coverage
Patients on typical silver plans pay twice as much as workers with job-based insurance for prescription drugs each year, researchers find.
Telemedicine Expands Despite Uncertain Financial Prospects
Apps and video chats are a part of many people’s days, so many industry leaders see big potential for medicine delivered remotely. But a lot of insurers still aren’t willing to pay for it.
Workplace Wellness Programs: Early Alarm For Workers’ Health Or A Recipe For Over-Testing?
Some experts worry that these programs encourage health screening that doesn’t necessarily comply with medical guidelines and is helping to drive up health care costs.
Adults With Insurance Often Still Have Unmet Dental Needs, Survey Finds
Dental care is the health service that people most frequently avoid because of cost, researchers at the Urban Institute found.
Newly Insured Treasure Medicaid, But Growing Pains Felt
People newly covered by the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion appreciate their insurance. But seeing specialists is still a hurdle for many.
Insurers Find Out-Of-Network Bills As Much As 1,400 Percent Higher
Insurers’ study points to the need for limits on out-of-network billing by doctors and hospitals. The American Medical Association calls the report “grossly misleading.”
Pecked By A Chicken? Sucked Into A Jet Engine? There’s a Code For That
Voluminous and sometimes wacky new medical diagnostic codes in “ICD-10” have staffers at hospitals and doctors’ offices reaching for bromides.
