Insurance Archives - Page 50 of 185

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Staffing Up at HHS

More than a month into the Biden administration, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services, finally got his confirmation hearings in the Senate, along with nominees for surgeon general and assistant secretary for health. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court announced it would hear a case challenging the Trump administration’s regulation that effectively evicted Planned Parenthood from the federal family planning program. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Tami Luhby of CNN and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews HuffPost’s Jonathan Cohn, whose new book, “The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage,” is out this week.

Feb. 26, 2021

Asking Never Hurts

New California Law Makes It Easier to Get Care for Mental Health and Substance Abuse

The measure, which took effect Jan. 1, removes loopholes that made it easy for insurers to use arcane company guidelines to avoid paying for care. Patients now have an easier way to challenge those denials.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Feb. 26, 2021

State capital building in Sacramento, California

New Single-Payer Bill Intensifies Newsom’s Political Peril

With the introduction of a single-payer bill Friday, a group of California Democratic lawmakers set the terms of the health care debate in the Capitol this year. The move puts Gov. Gavin Newsom in a delicate political position, threatening to alienate voters as he faces a likely recall election.

By Angela Hart and Rachel Bluth

Feb. 19, 2021

Why Biden Has a Chance to Cut Deals With Red State Holdouts on Medicaid

The pandemic and economic crisis give states new incentives to extend health coverage to their uninsured residents.

By Noam N. Levey

Feb. 17, 2021

The ACA Marketplace Is Open Again for Insurance Sign-Ups. Here’s What You Need to Know.

On Monday, the federal insurance exchange reopened for an unusual midyear special enrollment period. People who are uninsured can buy a plan, and those who want to change their marketplace coverage can do so. Here are some answers about how it works.

By Michelle Andrews

Feb. 16, 2021

Tech Companies Mobilize to Schedule Vaccine Appointments, But Often Fall Short

Techies and startups have thrown together vaccine appointment websites to address the chaotic rollout of covid shots. But software can’t replace vaccines, and for many people the sites are just another piece of the vaccination “Hunger Games.”

By Miranda Green

Feb. 11, 2021

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Long Road to Unwinding Trump Health Policies

President Joe Biden signed a pair of health-related executive orders this week that would, among other things, reopen enrollment under the Affordable Care Act and start to reverse former President Donald Trump’s anti-abortion policies. Meanwhile, Congress remains bogged down with taking up the next round of covid-19 relief. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Jan. 28, 2021

Bill of the Month

Baby Blues: First-Time Parents Blindsided by ‘the Birthday Rule’ and a $207,455 NICU Bill

Charlie Kjelshus needed neonatal intensive care for the first seven days of her life. The episode generated huge bills, and left her parents in a tangle of red tape that involved two insurers, two hospitals and two states.

By Cara Anthony

Jan. 27, 2021

Biden Promise Tracker

Health Issues Carried Weight on the Campaign Trail. What Could Biden Do in His First 100 Days?

KHN has teamed up with PolitiFact to track what becomes of President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign promises over the next four years. As he moves into the West Wing, what are his chances of making progress on health care?

By Victoria Knight

Jan. 22, 2021

After a Decade of Lobbying, ALS Patients Gain Faster Access to Disability Payments

In late December, then-President Donald Trump signed a law that eliminates — only for people with Lou Gehrig’s disease — the required five-month waiting period before benefits begin under the Social Security Disability Insurance program. Gaining SSDI also gives these patients immediate Medicare health coverage.

By Michelle Andrews

Jan. 21, 2021

Podcasts

‘An Arm and a Leg’: Host Dan Weissmann Talks Price Transparency on ‘Axios Today’

Host Dan Weissmann talked about a new federal rule — a requirement for hospitals to make public the prices they negotiate with insurers — with Niala Boodhoo for the daily-news podcast “Axios Today.”

By Dan Weissmann

Jan. 19, 2021

Even With Senate Control, Democrats Will Need Buy-In From GOP on Key Health Priorities

With a majority too small to eliminate the filibuster, Democrats will not have enough votes in the Senate to pass many of their plans without Republicans and will also have only a razor-thin majority in the House. This combination could doom many Democratic health care proposals, like offering Americans a government-sponsored public insurance option, and complicate efforts to pass further pandemic relief.

By Emmarie Huetteman

Jan. 11, 2021

Trump Administration Approves First Medicaid Block Grant, in Tennessee

The plan, long endorsed by conservatives, would give the state broad authority in running the health insurance program for the poor in exchange for capping its annual federal funding.

By Phil Galewitz

Jan. 8, 2021

Biden’s First Order of Business May Be to Undo Trump’s Policies, but It Won’t Be Easy

President Donald Trump made substantial changes to the nation’s health care system using executive branch authority. But reversing policies that Democrats oppose would take time and personnel resources, competing with other priorities of the new administration.

By Julie Rovner

Jan. 8, 2021

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Georgia Turns the Senate Blue

Democratic victories in two runoff elections in Georgia will give Democrats control of the Senate starting Jan. 20, which means they will be in charge of both houses of Congress and the White House for the first time since 2010. Meanwhile, covid continues to run rampant while vaccine distribution lags. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Jan. 7, 2021

Illinois Is First in the Nation to Extend Health Coverage to Undocumented Seniors

As the pandemic hits Latino communities especially hard, Illinois is expanding public health insurance to all low-income noncitizen seniors. Advocates hope other states follow its lead.

By Giles Bruce

Jan. 7, 2021

Podcasts

‘An Arm and a Leg’: A Look Back at 2020 — What We Learned and Where We’re Headed

T.K. Dutes — a former nurse who is now a radio host and podcast-maker — interviewed ‘An Arm and a Leg’ host Dan Weissmann about what he learned in 2020, and what’s ahead for the show.

By Dan Weissmann

Jan. 6, 2021

Many Health Plans Now Must Cover Full Cost of Expensive HIV Prevention Drugs

Most private insurance will be required to cover drugs, like Truvada, that offer protection against HIV infection, without making plan members share the cost.

By Michelle Andrews

Jan. 5, 2021

Hospital Prices Just Got a Lot More Transparent. What Does This Mean for You?

Under a rule that kicked in Jan. 1, hospitals are required to make public the prices they negotiate with insurers. That’s a lot more information than was previously required, which was only the posting of “chargemasters” — the hospital-generated list prices that few consumers or health plans actually pay.

By Julie Appleby

Jan. 5, 2021

Bill of the Month

Retiree Living the RV Dream Fights $12,387 Nightmare Lab Fee

A gynecologist in Carlsbad, New Mexico, tested the 60-year-old grandmother for various sexually transmitted infections without her knowledge. Her share of the lab fee was more than $3,000.

By Victoria Knight

Dec. 23, 2020

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