Insurance Archives - Page 38 of 185

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: On Government Spending, Congress Decides Not to Decide

Congress has once again decided not to decide how to fund the federal government in time for the start of the fiscal year, racing toward a midnight Sept. 30 deadline to pass a stopgap bill that would keep the lights on for two more months. However, it does appear the FDA’s program that gets drugmakers to help fund some of the agency’s review staff will be renewed in time to stop pink slips from being sent. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews filmmaker Cynthia Lowen, whose new documentary, “Battleground,” explores how anti-abortion forces played the long game to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Sept. 29, 2022

Letters to the Editor

Readers and Tweeters Take a Close Look at Eye Care and White Mulberry Leaf

KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Sept. 29, 2022

A photo shows Frankie and Russell Cook sitting on a porch swing together at home.

Bill Of The Month

Turned Away From Urgent Care — And Toward a Big ER Bill

Russell Cook was expecting a quick and inexpensive visit to an urgent care center for his daughter, Frankie, after she had a car wreck. Instead, they were advised to go to an emergency room and got a much larger bill.

By Sam Whitehead

Sept. 29, 2022

A digital illustration in watercolor and pencil. A woman with long, braided black hair sits in the center of the image. She looks towards the viewer out of the corner of her eye with a slightly concerned expression. Beside her is a doctor, whose body is transparent and face has completely faded into the background. Behind them is an urban landscape with buildings colored in magenta, yellow, and grey. It is night.

Podcast

‘American Diagnosis’ Episode 12: When Indigenous People Move to Cities, Health Care Funding Doesn’t Follow

When Indigenous people started moving to cities in large numbers after World War II, many found hardship and discrimination there … but not the health care they were entitled to. Episode 12, the season finale, explores the efforts of urban Indian health providers to close those gaps by providing affordable, culturally competent care.

Sept. 28, 2022

A close-up photo shows someone filling out an insurance form with a pen.

Medi-Cal Makeover

Health Plan Shake-Up Could Disrupt Coverage for Low-Income Californians

Four managed-care insurance plans may lose contracts with California’s Medicaid program, which would force nearly 2 million low-income residents to switch their health plans — and possibly their doctors. The plans are fighting back.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Sept. 27, 2022

A digital illustration in pencil and watercolor. A mother, painted in lively pinks and golds with vibrant red hair, holds a ghostly, colorless outline of her baby, who is wrapped in medical bills.

The Cruelest Bills

Shattered Dreams and Bills in the Millions: Losing a Baby in America

On top of fearing for their children’s lives, new parents of very fragile, very sick infants can face exorbitant hospital bills — even if they have insurance. Medical bills don’t go away if a child dies.

By Lauren Weber

Sept. 23, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Biden Declares the Pandemic ‘Over’

President Joe Biden, in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” declared the covid-19 pandemic “over,” stoking confusion for members of his administration trying to persuade Congress to provide more funding to fight the virus and the public to get the latest boosters. Meanwhile, concerns about a return of medical inflation is helping boost insurance premiums even as private companies race to get their piece of the health pie. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Lauren Weber of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories they think you should read, too.

Sept. 22, 2022

A photo shows a judge's gavel resting on a surface surrounded by shadows.

Centene to Pay $166 Million to Texas in Medicaid Drug Pricing Settlement

Texas is at least the 12th state to settle with St. Louis-based Centene Corp. over allegations that it overcharged Medicaid prescription drug programs.

By Andy Miller and Samantha Young

Sept. 19, 2022

A photo shows a medical professional giving a woman a mammogram screening.

Court Ruling May Spur Competitive Health Plans to Bring Back Copays for Preventive Services

The Affordable Care Act required that health insurers provide many medical screenings and prevention services at no out-of-pocket cost to health plan members. But insurers and employers may consider adding cost sharing for preventive services now that a federal court ruled the ACA’s mandate is unconstitutional.

By Harris Meyer

Sept. 15, 2022

A man in a black tank-top stands outside amongst trees and bushes, looking off-camera to his right.

Medical Coding Creates Barriers to Care for Transgender Patients

The codes used by U.S. medical providers to bill insurers haven’t caught up to the needs of trans patients or even international standards. Consequently, doctors are forced to get creative with what codes they use, or patients spend hours fighting big out-of-pocket bills.

By Helen Santoro

Sept. 13, 2022

A pink stethoscope is underneath a stack of 100-dollar bills. The background is a solid blue.

Many Preventive Medical Services Cost Patients Nothing. Will a Texas Court Decision Change That?

A federal judge in Texas issued a decision this week that affects the Affordable Care Act. It says one way that preventive services are selected for no-cost coverage is unconstitutional.

By Julie Appleby

Sept. 9, 2022

A photo shows an elderly woman looking at bills on paper and at a tablet.

Navigating Aging

‘It’s Becoming Too Expensive to Live’: Anxious Older Adults Try to Cope With Limited Budgets

Three women explain how life’s surprises can catapult their efforts to carefully manage limited budgets and lead to financial distress.

By Judith Graham

Sept. 7, 2022

A photo shows Suzanne BeHanna standing with a horse.

Rural Americans Have Difficulty Accessing a Promising Cancer Treatment

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy has eliminated tumors in some late-stage cancer patients, but the cost and complexity of care mean rural Americans have trouble accessing the treatment.

By Debby Waldman

Aug. 25, 2022

A photo shows Dani Yuengling holding up medical bills in front of her face.

Bill Of The Month

The $18,000 Breast Biopsy: When Having Insurance Costs You a Bundle

An online calculator told a young woman that a procedure to rule out cancer would cost an uninsured person about $1,400. Instead, the hospital initially charged almost $18,000 and, with her high-deductible health insurance, she owed more than $5,000.

By Lauren Sausser

Aug. 23, 2022

Letters to the Editor

Readers and Tweeters Place Value on Community Services and Life-Sustaining Care

KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Aug. 19, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Wrapping Up Summer’s Health News

President Joe Biden has signed the Inflation Reduction Act and Congress is gone until after Labor Day. But the administration and lawmakers left lots of health policy achievements behind, including new rules to facilitate the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids and a potential reorganization of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Aug. 18, 2022

Diagnosis: Debt

Sleepless Nights Over Her Children’s Future as Debts Pile Up

By Noam N. Levey

Aug. 18, 2022

A woman in a black shirt stands in front of a mantlepiece.

Patients for Profit: How Private Equity Hijacked Health Care

Buy and Bust: Collapse of Private Equity-Backed Rural Hospitals Mired Employees in Medical Bills

The U.S. Labor Department investigates Noble Health after former employees of its shuttered Missouri hospitals say the private equity-backed owner took money from their paychecks and then failed to fund their insurance coverage.

By Sarah Jane Tribble

Aug. 16, 2022

KHN On Air

Watch: How Nursing Homes Put Friends and Families on the Hook for Residents’ Debts

In pursuit of unpaid bills, nursing homes across Rochester, New York, have been suing relatives and friends of their residents. This CBS News report, done in partnership with a KHN-NPR investigation, takes a look at the practice and tells the stories of some of the people affected.

Aug. 12, 2022

Sen. Schumer Holds News Conference Discussing The Inflation Reduction Act

Inflation Reduction Act Contains Important Cost-Saving Changes for Many Patients — Maybe for You

The legislation, which the House is expected to pass Friday, would allow the federal government, for the first time, to negotiate the price of some drugs that Medicare buys. It also would extend the enhanced subsidies for people who buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

By Michael McAuliff

Aug. 12, 2022

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