Latest Kaiser Health News Stories
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: More Covid Complications for Congress
Congress is back in session, but covid diagnoses for Vice President Kamala Harris and two Democratic senators have temporarily left the Senate without a working majority to approve continued covid funding. Meanwhile, opponents of the Affordable Care Act have filed yet another lawsuit challenging a portion of the law, and we say goodbye to the late Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, who left a long legacy of health laws. Rachel Cohrs of STAT News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Rebecca Adams of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Is My Drug Copay Coupon a Form of Charity — Or a Bribe?
Drug copayment assistance is a form of profitable charity — and, yes, that’s an oxymoron. Amid skyrocketing drug prices, it’s understandable that patients desperately need help affording medicine, especially when their health is on the line. But these programs create a mirage that perpetuates our health care system’s reckless spending.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: Need an Expensive Drug? Here’s What You Need to Know
Even a personal finance expert can get stuck with a huge unexpected bill for a drug. Listen up for what you need to know about “copay accumulators.”
Listen: How the New ‘No Surprises’ Law Tackles Unexpected Medical Bills
Years in the making, a new federal law against surprise medical bills took effect Jan. 1.
Suficiente para arruinar el descanso: le cobran $10,322 por un estudio del sueño
Por un estudio del sueño para resolver su apnea, recibió una factura que es seis veces superior a la que paga Medicare.
Enough to Wreck Their Rest: $10,322 for a Sleep Study
The University of Miami Health System charges a truck driver six times what Medicare would pay for an overnight test.
Durante la inscripción de ACA, elegir un plan genera nuevas complicaciones de COVID
Las personas que compran su propio seguro médico enfrentan desafíos, en particular los pacientes que tuvieron COVID-19 y que presentan problemas de salud persistentes.
During ACA Open Enrollment, Picking a Plan Invites New COVID Complications
COVID-19’s “long haulers” — patients with lingering effects of the disease — have joined the ranks of Americans with preexisting conditions. For those shopping for health coverage on the individual market, here’s help navigating an uncharted insurance landscape.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Am I Protected If I Need COVID-19 Care?
“An Arm and a Leg” is back sharing stories about the ways COVID-19 intersects with the cost of health care. To tackle a listener’s question about health coverage, Dan Weissmann spoke with one of the country’s top insurance nerds.
Trump Wrongly Said Health Insurers Will Pay For All Coronavirus Treatment
There are important distinctions between how insurance companies will cover the test and the treatment. This makes the president’s statement an exaggeration, at best.
Cómo elegir un seguro de salud de manera inteligente
Las estadísticas muestran que la mayoría de las bancarrotas ocurren a causa de cuentas médicas. Por eso hay que elegir bien, para evitar facturas de horror.
It’s Not Just You: Picking Health Insurance Is Hard. Here’s How To Be Smart About It.
It’s open enrollment season for health insurance. And choosing the best plan is tricky whether you have to buy insurance on your own or just figure out which plan to sign up for at work. Here’s what you need to know.
Analysis: Choosing A Plan From The Impossible Health Care Maze
In 21st-century US health care, everything is revenue, and so everything is billed.
Age-Old Health Care Debate Shifts From Insuring More People To Cutting Costs
U.S. political parties for years have argued about the role of government in providing health care and expanding coverage to more people. But as the cost of medical services continues to grow faster than most Americans’ incomes, even people with private insurance coverage are finding the cost of care becoming unaffordable, KHN’s Julie Rovner writes in a new article in BMJ.
Hospitals Chafe Under Medicare’s New Payment Rule For Off-Campus Clinics
Under the rule that took effect this year, Medicare will lower payments for clinic visits performed at hospital-owned facilities to a rate that is equivalent to what it pays an independent doctor. Federal officials expect the move will save the government $380 million this year.
Insured But Still In Debt: 5 Jobs Pulling In $100K A Year No Match For Medical Bills
An Arizona couple played by the rules and bought employer-provided health insurance. But after they had a baby this year, their out-of-pocket hospital costs and doctors’ bills climbed to more than $12,000 — and medical debt now threatens their new family.
Health Insurance Costs Crushing Many People Who Don’t Get Federal Subsidies
The rising costs of premiums, deductibles and copayments have driven millions who don’t get a subsidy to drop their coverage or turn to cheaper, less comprehensive — and sometimes inadequate — insurance.
Medicamentos de Medicare pueden costar menos pagando en efectivo
Beneficiarios de Medicare pueden conseguir medicamentos más baratos si pagan en efectivo… pero por reglas mordaza el farmacéutico no puede decirlo.
Looking For Lower Medicare Drug Costs? Ask Your Pharmacist For The Cash Price.
Sometimes a drug plan’s copayment is higher than the cash price, and under a little-known federal rule, pharmacists have to tell Medicare beneficiaries that — but only if they ask.
Benefit Change Could Raise Costs For Patients Getting Drug Copay Assistance
More health plans are refusing to count the copayment assistance offered by drug makers as part of the patients’ deductibles or out-of-pocket limits.
