Health Insurance Startup Collapses In Iowa
Obamacare provided billions in seed money to help establish insurance companies called co-ops. One of the biggest has now gone under, and its state overseer is telling clients to switch carriers.
Rural Doctor Launches Startup To Ease Pain Of Dying Patients
Getting basic health care to rural areas has always been difficult, and delivering specialized care is even harder. One doctor is raising money to get palliative care to patients in rural California.
Medicaid’s Western Push Hits Montana
After sitting out the first full year of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, lawmakers in Montana have moved on to arguing — not about whether — but about how much federal cash to pull down.
When Home And Health Are Just Out Of Reach
Health insurance doesn’t pay for housing, but sometimes that is what a patient needs most. A Medicaid experiment, called Money Follows The Person, helps some elderly and disabled people move out of institutions into their own homes.
Too Little, Too Late For Many New Yorkers Seeking Hospice
Evidence shows hospice care can extend life and save money, but only if patients and doctors dare ask for the help. One New Yorker said hospice gave her back a normal life — at peace, pain subdued.
Alaska’s New Governor Sets Sights On Medicaid Expansion
Gov. Bill Walker, an Independent, campaigned on Medicaid expansion and now he has to pitch it to a reluctant Republican legislature.
In New York, Video Chat Trumps Quarantine To Combat TB
While Americans debate whether we should quarantine people who might have Ebola but clearly aren’t contagious, others wander among us who are infected with tuberculosis — another disease that’s highly communicable in some forms.
One Man Explains Why He Is Still Uninsured
Leaburn Alexander works two jobs and has a monster commute. There’s no wiggle room in his budget to pay a health insurance premium – and no time even to meet with an enrollment counselor.
School District Pays For Health Care But Can’t Get Itemized Bill
Like most big employers, the Miami-Dade County Public School system is self-insured, but finding out just how much they are expected to pay for many health care procedures for employees is proving difficult.
Researchers Campaign Against Americans’ Sweet Tooth With Public Health Initiative
The Sugar Science webpage spells out dangers from average consumption of sugar, including increased risks of diabetes, heart disease and liver problems.
Insurance Exchanges Launch With Few Glitches
More than 100,000 apply for coverage of federal marketplace as year-two health law enrollment period begins.
You Paid What? How Negotiated Deals Hide Health Care’s Cost
A patient’s portion of a health care bill is a complicated equation – but it’s simple compared to the deals between insurers and hospitals.
State Health Insurance Exchanges Hope To Woo Urban Minorities
Tomorrow it begins again – open enrollment for Obamacare. Two very successful state health insurance exchanges, Connecticut’s and California’s, are both intent on reaching people who avoided signing up last year – especially young Latinos and African-Americans. “The big takeaway for us last year was that the uninsured were really pocketed in a couple of […]
Network Blues: Big Bills Surprise Some E.R. Patients
Even when using hospitals in their insurance network, people often find that the doctors are not covered and they are responsible for those charges.
How Much Is That MRI, Really? Massachusetts Shines A Light
A state law now requires insurers to reveal prices of their medical tests, and the variation is amazing, bargain hunters say. An MRI of the back is $614 at one place; $1,800 at another.
Soda Tax Succeeds In Berkeley, Fizzles In San Francisco
The nation’s first tax on sugary drinks aims to combat obesity and diabetes, with a penny-per-ounce levy.
Home Health Workers Struggle For Better Pay And Health Insurance
Home health care aides often toil for low pay and in jobs without benefits, including health insurance. A million more home health care workers will be needed to meet demand over the next decade.
Oregon Has A Shortage Of Certified Medical Interpreters
Thirteen years ago, Oregon passed a bill requiring trained translators be available in health care settings for patients who speak little English. But there are still fewer than 100 qualified interpreters in the state.
With Good Hospital Practices, Emory Rises To Ebola Challenge
The same Atlanta hospital that treated the first U.S. Ebola patient in August discharged its fourth patient Tuesday. All survived. Patients in isolation need extra emotional support, the team says.
California Nurses’ Union Pulls Ebola Into Contract Talks
The powerful California Nurses Association has put Ebola on the bargaining table in its negotiations for a new contract with Kaiser Permanente.
