Insurance

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Why Some CEOs Figure ‘Medicare For All’ Is Good For Business

KFF Health News Original

While national business groups fight the single-payer concept, the founder and CEO of a large Pennsylvania picture frame manufacturer tries to convince other employers that it’s the only way to control costs and fix the U.S. health system.

Payroll Tax Is One State’s Bold Solution To Help Seniors Age At Home

KFF Health News Original

Under a program enacted in Washington state this spring, workers can get up to $36,500 to help pay for long-term health care and services such as installing grab bars in the shower or respite care for family caregivers.

Social Security Error Jeopardizes Medicare Coverage For 250,000 Seniors

KFF Health News Original

The problem affects private drug policies and Medicare Advantage plans that provide both medical and drug coverage and substitute for traditional government-run Medicare. It could leave plan members without coverage.

California Gov. Newsom Proposes Penalty To Fund Health Insurance Subsidies

KFF Health News Original

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to help an estimated 850,000 Californians pay their health insurance premiums and would fund his plan with a tax penalty on people who don’t have coverage. If he succeeds, California would be the first state to subsidize middle-income people who make too much to qualify for federal financial aid.

Churches Wipe Out Millions In Medical Debt For Others

KFF Health News Original

In a mission of forgiveness, churches around the country are buying up medical debt for pennies on the dollar then erasing the debts of strangers. Since the start of 2018, at least 18 churches nationwide have abolished more than $34 million burdening America’s most debt-ridden patients.

Mired In Medical Debt? Federal Plan Would Update Overdue-Bill Collection Methods

KFF Health News Original

More than half of Americans contacted about an overdue bill said it related to medical debt. A federal agency has proposed new guidance for what debt collectors are allowed to do when pursuing many types of overdue consumer bills, including medical debt. But some consumer advocates have panned the effort.

Lawmakers Push To Stop Surprise ER Billing

KFF Health News Original

Millions of Californians are vulnerable to hefty surprise medical bills from their trips to the emergency room. Now, state lawmakers are considering a measure to cap how much out-of-network hospitals can charge privately insured patients for emergency care, which could serve as a model for other states.