KFF Health News On NPR

‘Critical Illness’ Insurance Grows As Out-Of-Pocket Health Costs Jump

A relatively obscure category of health insurance — “critical illness” insurance — is catching on because, increasingly, conventional health plans have consumers paying a lot of out-of-pocket costs. Mark Zdechlik of Minnesota Public Radio explains the pros and cons of critical care insurance in this story that aired on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Connecticut Governor Targets Hospital Funds To Close Budget Gap

When Gov. Dannel Malloy pushed to tax Connecticut hospitals in 2012, he said the money would come back to the institutions through state funding. Now the hospital association says he is reneging, and they are threatening a lawsuit.

Patients Want To Price-Shop For Care, But Online Tools Unreliable

A tough diagnosis and a high-deductible insurance plan motivated one couple to shop carefully for care. But they hit a snag — inaccurate prices on online calculators. Who can comparison shop if the price tags are wrong?