Latest KFF Health News Stories
Catastrophic Insurance Could Help With Long-Term Care Expenses: Studies
Urban Institute researchers examine how such a plan could work and whether it would be better to make payments when people first need care or after they have used up much of their own money instead.
Ga., Calif. Hospitals Sue Blue Cross Plan For Sending ER Reimbursements To Patients
The lawsuits allege that the practice costs the hospitals money because the patients often spend the funds.
States Offer Privacy Protections To Young Adults On Their Parents’ Health Plan
Now that young people up to the age of 26 can stay on their family plan, it can be difficult for them to keep their medical information confidential.
For Many In Baltimore’s Growing Latino Community, Health Care Is A Challenge
Many immigrants lack access to affordable services due to lack of citizenship and legal residency.
Minnesota’s Largest Health Insurer To Drop Individual Plans
More than 100,000 Minnesotans will need to look for new insurance for 2017. Blue Cross Blue Shield is pulling back from the state’s market for individual policies, citing heavy losses.
Colon Cancer Screening: Five Things To Know
The U.S Preventive Services Task Force recently expanded the list of approved colorectal cancer screening tests. Here’s a primer on these various tests and how they might be covered now and in the future by health insurance.
California Insurance Commissioner Weighs In Against Aetna-Humana Deal
Commissioner says $37 billion deal would stifle market competition, raise health insurance rates and reduce access to care.
House Republicans Unveil Long-Awaited Plan To Replace Health Law
The proposal includes many details, but key questions about cost remain unanswered.
Boeing Contracts Directly With California Health System For Employee Benefits
Aerospace giant’s Southern California employees will have access to MemorialCare’s network of hospitals and clinics, in addition to UC Irvine Health and other providers.
HHS Targets Young Adults In 2017 Obamacare Enrollment Plan
The Obama administration’s strategy to attract young under-insured adults includes targeted direct mailings and discounted Lyft rides to open enrollment events this fall.
California Regulator Signs Off On $37 Billion Aetna-Humana Insurance Merger
Aetna to spend nearly $50 million on health initiatives, agrees to more rate review.
Senate Panel Kills Medicare Program That Offers Help On Enrollment, Billing Issues
It’s not clear yet if the full Senate or House will concur in the plan to cut funding for the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, which operates in all states and gives beneficiaries free advice on enrollment in drug and insurance plans, appealing coverage decisions and applying for financial subsidies.
California Insurance Commissioner Urges Feds To Block $54 Billion Anthem-Cigna Deal
Commissioner Dave Jones says the deal would further reduce competition in the state’s health insurance market and harm consumers.
Study Projects Sharper Increases In Obamacare Premiums For 2017
A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis forecasts rates could jump 10 percent next year in 14 major metro markets.
If Zika Concerns Might Derail A Trip, Consider ‘Cancel-For-Any-Reason’ Plans
Consumers planning a vacation who have worries about health issues may want to look into travel insurance that allows them to cancel the trip for any reason.
Customers’ Pot Smoking May Not Be A Deal Breaker For Life Insurers
A survey of officials at life insurance companies finds that many factor in marijuana use when considering coverage, but they are often concerned about the frequency of use.
HHS Announces Plans To Curtail Consumers’ Use Of Short-Term Insurance Policies
The plans, which do not qualify as coverage under the Affordable Care Act and put consumers at risk of a tax penalty, can siphon healthy people away from the online marketplaces because they are generally less expensive.
Regulators Probing Whether Health Net Is Stiffing Drug Treatment Providers
Insurance officials in California have received widespread complaints that the insurer has not paid rehab centers for months, as the company sifts claims for fraud.
Young People At Risk For STDs Often Don’t Get Tested: Study
A CDC survey of teens and young adults finds that nearly half who have had sex but not been tested for disease believe they are not at risk. Yet young people account for half of all new sexually transmitted infections.
UnitedHealth To Exit California’s Obamacare Market
Though United’s presence was small, its departure from the nation’s largest state underscores insurers’ ongoing dissatisfaction with Obamacare exchanges.
