Do You Speak Health Insurance? It’s Not Easy.
Even savvy consumers stumble over terms like “coinsurance.”
Single-Payer Health Care On Colorado Ballot In 2016
The group ColoradoCareYES gathered enough signatures — more than 100,000 — to put a single-payer health system on the ballot next fall. But the price tag is a worry to some.
You Can Buy Insulin Without A Prescription, But Should You?
Versions sold that way are based on older formulas and make tight control of blood sugar harder. But they are cheaper and might save the life of a diabetic patient whose alternative is to go without.
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.
Drug Cocktails Fuel Massachusetts’ Overdose Crisis
A state analysis reveals that the majority of overdose deaths in 2014 came from heroin or prescription opioids taken in combination with cocaine, anti-anxiety medications or alcohol.
Sweet Name Of Kids’ Clinic Gives Some People Heartburn
The Krispy Kreme Challenge Children’s Specialty Clinic gets its name from a student-run charity race in Raleigh, N.C., that has already raised $1 million for kids. Still, some find the name unhealthy.
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?
A Tale Of Two Obamacare Co-Op Insurers: One Standing, One Falling
Co-ops, the startup, nonprofit insurance companies ushered in by the health law, have failed in 12 states. But 11 co-ops are still hanging on.
Small Coastal California Town Fights To Keep Hospital Afloat
Tourists love the Mendocino coast for its redwoods, surf and charm. But the battle to keep one town’s only hospital afloat is pitting hospital administrators and doctors against each other.
A Sick Newborn, A Loving Family And A Litany Of Wrenching Choices
In deciding how far to go in treating their very sick and premature baby, one San Francisco couple acted out of hope, not always in sync with doctors and nurses.
Musicians Struggle To Buy Insurance In A City That Thrives On Music
The music industry generates $1.6 billion a year for Austin, Texas. But many musicians can’t afford the basics, including health insurance. The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians steps in to help.
It’s Never Too Soon To Plan Your ‘Driving Retirement’
Experts say families should re-think how seniors give up the car keys. Planning transportation options way ahead of time can avoid often painful conversations and confrontations.
Consumer Confusion Continues In Obamacare’s Third Year
Officials are reaching out to people who sat on the sidelines for the first two years of the health law, and they are finding the law is still not well understood – and, for some, insurance is still too expensive.
Texas’ Changing Relationship To Obamacare
For the moment, Texas Republicans still consider the Affordable Care Act to be political kryptonite, but the story on the local level is different: many moderates want the money that would come with expanding Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for the poor.
A Med School Teaches Science And Data Mining
At NYU medical school, students learn to access huge troves of data to become doctors who understand the health care system, and individual ailments, better.
Alaskans Face Tough Choices Because Of High Insurance Costs
The highest Obamacare insurance rates in the country are in Alaska. Though most people get a subsidy to help defray the cost, those who don’t are increasingly wondering if they should cancel their health insurance.
Fewer Black Men Apply To Medical School Than In 1978
Just 1,337 black men applied to medical school in 2014 and 515 enrolled. Why?
Suing A Nursing Home Could Get Easier Under Proposed Federal Rules
Many families must sign a binding arbitration agreement when a loved one is admitted to a nursing home, pledging not to sue if something goes wrong. Proposed rules would ban that requirement.
The North Carolina Experiment: How One State Is Trying To Reshape Medicaid
With legislation that passed last month, North Carolina is trying to build a hybrid managed care, accountable care model – with doctors, hospitals and insurance companies all sharing some risk. Advocates worry it could eclipse gains made by Medicaid in the state in the past.
A Looming Tax On High-End Health Plans Draws Fire From Many Sides
A plan to tax high-value health insurance plans is meeting stiff resistance from both sides of the aisle in Congress despite calls to make employers more demanding health coverage shoppers – and the $87 billion in revenue the tax could generate over the next decade.
