health insurance
Study shows uninsured children could increase with loss of pandemic-era coverage
A new study warns of a sharp rise in uninsured children in Ohio and across the country if pandemic-era coverage is allowed to fade away. The Georgetown University Health Policy Institute’s Center for Children and Families studied the impact of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid on bringing down state’s uninsured rate, finding […]
Time is running out. Get covered by January 15.
If you don’t have health insurance — or just want to explore your options — go to healthcare.gov on or before Jan. 15 to get covered with affordable health insurance now. Having and keeping good quality affordable health care is personal for me. The Affordable Care Act saved my life. In 2017, I walked into a doctor’s […]
Want a clue on health care costs in advance? New tools take a crack at it
This article was originally published in Kaiser Health News. Need medical treatment this year and want to nail down your out-of-pocket costs before you walk into the doctor’s office? There’s a new tool for that, at least for insured patients. As of Jan. 1, health insurers and employers that offer health plans must provide online […]
Government programs mostly responsible for record lows in child poverty, uninsured, report says
Despite all the economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, child poverty and uninsurance were at record lows last year, Census data show. And those lows are largely the result of large government interventions, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said in a statement that was published Tuesday. The percentage of Americans lacking health […]
Lives hang in the balance as time runs out for action on health insurance
Five years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Yet I’m the lucky one. I could afford to get treatment. Too many people in America don’t have the health care they need, even today. The 2021 American Rescue Plan included subsidies to make health insurance more affordable than ever, resulting in a record-breaking […]
100 million people in America are saddled with health care debt
Elizabeth Woodruff drained her retirement account and took on three jobs after she and her husband were sued for nearly $10,000 by the New York hospital where his infected leg was amputated. Ariane Buck, a young father in Arizona who sells health insurance, couldn’t make an appointment with his doctor for a dangerous intestinal infection […]
Record number of Americans sign up for ACA health insurance
By Phil Galewitz and Andy Miller, Kaiser Health News A record 13.6 million Americans have signed up for health coverage for 2022 on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, the Biden administration announced last month. President Joe Biden’s top health advisers credited the increased government subsidies, which lowered out-of-pocket costs, for the surge in enrollment. They […]
Insurance focused on virtual visits? The pros and cons of a new twist in health plans
By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, people often relied on telemedicine for doctor visits. Now, insurers are betting that some patients liked it enough to embrace new types of health coverage that encourages video visits — or outright insists on them. Priority Health in Michigan, for example, offers […]
Don’t want a vaccine? Be prepared to pay more for insurance.
By Elisabeth Rosenthal and Glenn Kramon, Kaiser Health News America’s COVID-19 vaccination rate is around 60% for ages 12 and up. That’s not enough to reach so-called herd immunity, and in states like Missouri — where a number of counties have vaccination rates under 25% — hospitals are overwhelmed by serious outbreaks of the more contagious delta variant. The vaccine […]
Chucking insurance
To a growing number of pharmacists, using insurance to pay for most generic drugs makes about as much sense as getting auto insurance to cover your oil changes. Problem is, if you try to buy generics without using your insurance card at the vast, vast majority of American pharmacies, you’re going to pay a “cash” […]
The ACA marketplace is open again for insurance sign-ups. Here’s what you need to know.
By Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News For people who’ve been without health insurance during the pandemic, relief is in sight. In January, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to open up the federal health insurance marketplace for three months as of Monday so uninsured people can buy a plan and those who want to change their marketplace coverage […]
Supreme Court hears arguments over states’ ability to regulate drug costs
How much leeway states have to control drug middlemen was at the heart of arguments Tuesday before the U.S. Supreme Court.