Insurance Archives - Page 46 of 188

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Paging the HHS Secretary

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is drawing criticism for his hands-off handling of the covid crisis even though the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and FDA report to him. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor looks to enforce mental health “parity laws” that have failed to achieve their goals. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Noam N. Levey, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about a large emergency room bill for a small amount of medical care.

Feb. 3, 2022

Mental Health Therapists Seek Exemption From Part of Law to Ban Surprise Billing

Some practitioners object to the way upfront cost estimates are designed, saying they could affect access to care and are burdensome. Other experts disagree.

By Julie Appleby

Feb. 3, 2022

KHN On Air

Listen: Generous Deals, and a Few Unwanted Surprises, at Covered California

Southern California correspondent Bernard J. Wolfson answers questions about the health coverage deals available on California’s Affordable Care Act marketplace during Radio Bilingüe’s news program “Línea Abierta.”

Jan. 28, 2022

Medium shot of a elderly male patient in a wheelchair looking out a window at night

Medicare Patients Win the Right to Appeal Gap in Nursing Home Coverage

If federal officials accept a court’s decision, some patients will get a chance to seek refunds for their nursing home and other expenses.

By Susan Jaffe

Jan. 28, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Record ACA Enrollment Puts Pressure on Congress

Temporary subsidies helped boost enrollment under the Affordable Care Act to a record 14.5 million, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. But unless Democrats in Congress extend those subsidies, many of those new enrollees will be in for a rude surprise just ahead of midterm elections. Meanwhile, the need to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer further crowds an already tight legislative schedule. Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Diana Greene Foster, author of “The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having — Or Being Denied — An Abortion.”

Jan. 27, 2022

Bill of the Month

Watch: ER Charged $1,012 for Almost No Care

KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal weighs in on the January installment of KHN-NPR's Bill of the Month, in which a family gets burned over a visit to the emergency room.

Jan. 27, 2022

Pedestrians are seen walking in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Asking Never Hurts

What the Federal ‘No Surprises Act’ Means in California

The new federal law will provide protection against surprise medical bills for between 6 million and 7 million Californians who are not covered under state law.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Jan. 26, 2022

I Write About America’s Absurd Health Care System. Then I Got Caught Up in It.

A KHN reporter had written for years about the people left behind by the absurdly complex and expensive U.S. health care system. Then he found himself navigating that maze as he tried to get his insulin prescription filled.

By Bram Sable-Smith

Jan. 25, 2022

COVID-19

Why Medicare Doesn’t Pay for Rapid At-Home Covid Tests

The laws governing Medicare don’t provide coverage for self-administered diagnostic tests, which is precisely what the rapid antigen tests are and why they are an important tool for containing the pandemic.

By Michelle Andrews

Jan. 24, 2022

Bill of the Month

The Doctor Didn’t Show Up, but the Hospital ER Still Charged $1,012

A St. Louis-area toddler burned his hand on the stove, and his mom took him to the ER on the advice of her pediatrician. He wasn’t seen by a doctor, and the dressing on the wound wasn’t changed. The bill was more than a thousand dollars.

By Noam N. Levey

Jan. 24, 2022

COVID-19

5 Things You Should Know About ‘Free’ At-Home Covid Tests

Telling insurance companies to pay for rapid covid-19 tests is just the latest covid-related cost the federal government expects them to bear. But who really ends up paying for it?

By Damon Darlin

Jan. 19, 2022

HHS Proposal for Marketplace Plans Carries a Hefty Dose of Consumer Caution

The Department of Health and Human Services issued preliminary rules regarding health insurance marketplaces that aim to deter fraudulent sign-ups for coverage. Experts say the agency’s action indicates a problem exists.

By Julie Appleby

Jan. 19, 2022

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Dealing With Drug Prices

Medicare officials tentatively plan to restrict the use of a controversial Alzheimer’s drug to only those patients participating in clinical trials, while the Department of Health and Human Services looks into lowering the monthly Medicare Part B premium. Meanwhile, covid confusion still reigns, as the Biden administration moves, belatedly, to make more masks and tests available. Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

Jan. 13, 2022

South Dakota Voters to Decide Medicaid Expansion

Despite state Republican leaders’ rigid opposition to expanding the health program designed for low-income residents, advocates successfully gathered enough signatures to get the measure on the fall ballot.

By Phil Galewitz

Jan. 6, 2022

With Sexually Transmitted Infections Off the Charts, California Pushes At-Home Tests

A new law makes California the first state to require that health insurance plans, including Medicaid, cover home STI tests. But some details still need to be worked out.

By Rachel Bluth

Jan. 5, 2022

Still Cashing In

An Anesthesiology Practice’s Busy Day in Court Collecting on Surprise Bills

Legislative crackdowns on out-of-network bills haven’t kept specialists from hitting patients with unexpected charges running into thousands of dollars.

By Jay Hancock

Dec. 23, 2021

Record Number of Americans Sign Up for ACA Health Insurance

Nearly 14 million Americans have enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace health plans for next year — a record since the health law’s coverage expansion took effect in 2014. A boost in subsidies marketing and assistance in navigating the process increased the rolls of the insured.

By Phil Galewitz and Andy Miller

Dec. 23, 2021

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Manchin Blows Up Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) dealt a blow to congressional efforts to pass President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda bill, forcing Democrats to regroup starting in 2022. Meanwhile, the omicron covid variant spreads rapidly in the U.S., threatening the stability of the nation’s health care system. Joanne Kenen of Politico and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more, plus a look back at the year in health policy. Also this week, Rovner interviews Ceci Connolly, president and CEO of the Alliance of Community Health Plans.

Dec. 22, 2021

MEDI-CAL MAKEOVER

Layers of Subcontracted Services Confuse and Frustrate Medi-Cal Patients

Many of the 14 million patients in Medi-Cal are in managed care health plans that outsource their care to subcontractors or sub-subcontractors. For patients with difficult health care needs, it can be hard to know where to turn.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Dec. 22, 2021