Insurance Archives - Page 40 of 187

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

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A Big Week for Biden

Congress is leaving for its annual summer break having accomplished far more than many expected, including, barring unforeseen snags, a bill to address the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries and extend the enhanced subsidies for insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the abortion issue continues to roil the nation as Indiana becomes the first state to ban the procedure in almost all cases since the Supreme Court overruled the constitutional right to abortion in June. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

Aug. 11, 2022

KHN & PolitiFact HealthCheck

No, the Senate-Passed Reconciliation Bill Won’t Strip $300 Billion From Medicare

Under the Medicare drug negotiations provisions in the reconciliation bill, the federal government would see its outlays reduced by about $300 billion. That reduction wouldn’t result from cuts in benefits. Instead, Medicare would be empowered to leverage its market power to pay lower prices for certain drugs.

By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact

Aug. 11, 2022

A photo shows Gavin Newsom speaking at a press conference.

California Gov. Newsom Pins Political Rise on Abortion, Guns, and Health Care

As California Gov. Gavin Newsom claims the role as the national Democratic Party’s political attack dog, he is trolling red-state governors over their positions on guns and abortion. He’s also making a case for himself — with health care front and center.

By Angela Hart

Aug. 10, 2022

KHN On Air

Journalists Put Polio, Price Transparency, and a Personal Covid Battle in Perspective

KHN 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.

Aug. 6, 2022

A photo shows Mason Lester riding a bike down a country road. A white car is seen on the road in the distance.

They Lost Medicaid When Paperwork Was Sent to an Empty Field, Signaling the Mess to Come

Tennessee expects to soon disenroll about 300,000 people from its Medicaid program. But families like the Lesters have suffered when bureaucracy and clerical mistakes caused them to unfairly lose coverage under the same program.

By Brett Kelman

Aug. 3, 2022

A family stands together in a room painted dark blue.

Perspective

The Debt Crisis That Sick Americans Can’t Avoid

The federal government is stepping in to assist student loan borrowers. But little public attention has been focused on what is — statistically, at least — a bigger, broader debt crisis in our country: An estimated 100 million people in the U.S., or 41% of all adults, are saddled with pernicious health care debt.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

Aug. 2, 2022

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