Insurance Archives - Page 31 of 187

Trump Puts Obamacare Repeal Back on Agenda

Episode 324

Nov. 30, 2023

Although Republicans have never united behind a replacement for the Affordable Care Act, 2024 GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump said this week he wants to put the issue back on the national agenda. That delights Democrats, who have won at least two elections partly by defending the now-popular health law. Meanwhile, the Texas Supreme Court takes up a case brought by women who say their pregnancy complications further endangered their health due to the vagueness of Texas’ near-total ban on abortions. Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Victoria Knight of Axios News join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Rachana Pradhan, who reported and wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature.

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An Arm and a Leg

To Get Health Insurance, This Couple Made a Movie

Season 10, Episode 6

Nov. 30, 2023

On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” hear how a couple wrote and directed a short film, starring one of them — just to maintain health insurance through the actors union.

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Uncle Sam Wants You … to Help Stop Insurers’ Bogus Medicare Advantage Sales Tactics

The Biden administration wants to crack down on deceptive or misleading Medicare Advantage and drug plan sales tactics. It’s counting on beneficiaries to help catch offenders.

By Susan Jaffe

Nov. 30, 2023

A photo of a doctor examining an elderly patient's knee.

Medicare Advantage Increasingly Popular With Seniors — But Not Hospitals and Doctors

Some hospitals and physician groups are rejecting Medicare Advantage plans over payment rates and coverage restrictions, causing turmoil for patients.

By Julie Appleby

Nov. 29, 2023

The Health 202

Hospitals and Doctors Are Fed up With Medicare Advantage

By Julie Appleby

Nov. 29, 2023

Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Makes Other Public Assistance Harder to Get

The bottleneck caused by states’ reevaluation of Medicaid enrollees has swept up low-income families that rely on other safety-net services.

By Katheryn Houghton, Rachana Pradhan, and Samantha Liss

Nov. 29, 2023

The Health 202

Medicaid’s ‘Unwinding’ Can Be Especially Perilous for Disabled People

By Rachana Pradhan

Nov. 28, 2023

A digital illustration of Andy Miller in the center, with a doctor and a pill bottle to each side. Above him, text reads "THYROID PROBLEM"

Illustrated Report

How the Thyroid Gland Mystifies Doctors and Patients

This illustrated report has been adapted from a KFF Health News article, “Many Autoimmune Disease Patients Struggle With Diagnosis, Costs, Inattentive Care” by Andy Miller, with artwork by Oona Tempest.

By Oona Zenda and Andy Miller

Nov. 27, 2023

A digital illustration painted with colorful gouache in yellow and blue tones shows a woman with her head tilted back in exhaustion, exposing her neck. The thyroid gland, shaped like a butterfly, is painted black in the center of her neck. Dots of various sizes swirl around her. Flowing into the thyroid gland are pill symbols. Dots with money symbols flow out.

Many Autoimmune Disease Patients Struggle With Diagnosis, Costs, Inattentive Care

Despite the prevalence of autoimmune conditions, like the thyroid disease Hashimoto’s, sometimes finding help can prove frustrating as well as expensive. There are often no definitive diagnostic tests, so patients may rack up big bills as they search for confirmation of their condition and for treatment options.

By Andy Miller

Nov. 27, 2023

Two photos where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is picture on the left and California Gov. Gavin Newsom is on the right.

Health Care Is Front and Center as DeSantis and Newsom Go Mano a Mano

Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will square off in a first-of-its-kind debate on Nov. 30. KFF Health News compared the political rivals’ health care positions, showing how their policies have helped — or hindered — the health of their states’ residents.

By Daniel Chang and Angela Hart

Nov. 27, 2023

A person sits at a table with a phone, calculator and writes on paperwork on a clipboard.

1 in 3 People Dropped by Utah Medicaid Left Uninsured, a ‘Concerning’ Sign for Nation

About a third of the 130,000 people Utah has dropped from Medicaid this year say they now lack health insurance. It’s a glimpse into the fate of people caught up in Medicaid’s “unwinding.”

By Phil Galewitz

Nov. 22, 2023

A photo of an older woman looking at the camera with her adult daughter next to her.

Dying Broke: A KFF Health News-New York Times Project

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.

By Jordan Rau

Nov. 22, 2023

A photo of an elderly woman seated for a portrait with her adult daughter behind her.

Dying Broke: A KFF Health News-New York Times Project

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

Nov. 22, 2023

A photo of a woman standing for a portrait outside of her house.

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.

By Rachana Pradhan

Nov. 21, 2023

A woman sits on a couch with her hands folded in her lap and looks off-camera to her left.

Bill of the Month

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.

By Rachana Pradhan

Nov. 21, 2023

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Delve Into Open Enrollment, School Nurse Shortages, and More

KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Nov. 18, 2023

June Voros is sitting on a couch in her home. Her hands are placed on her knees and she looks towards the camera.

Faces of Medi-Cal

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

Nov. 17, 2023

Lalit Bajaj points to a computer screen, standing beside fellow emergency physician Julia Fuzak Freeman.

Why It’s So Tough to Reduce Unnecessary Medical Care

Treatments that don’t help patients, and may even harm them, are difficult to eliminate because they can be big sources of revenue.

By Markian Hawryluk

Nov. 13, 2023

Three ambulances are lined up outside of an emergency room of a children's hospital in Orange, CA.

Asking Never Hurts

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.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Nov. 7, 2023

What the Health? From KFF Health News

For ACA Plans, It’s Time to Shop Around

Episode 321

Nov. 2, 2023

It’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.

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