Latest Kaiser Health News Stories
Feds Urge States To Encourage Cheaper Plans Off The Exchanges
Many insurers added surcharges to policies they sold to individuals last year to make up for a cut in federal funding. Now, federal officials suggest that states encourage insurers to sell policies without those surcharges outside of the marketplace to help people who don’t get a premium subsidy.
How Genetic Tests Muddy Your Odds Of Getting A Long-Term-Care Policy
Federal law bars insurers from using these test results for health coverage, but they can influence whether you get a plan covering long-term care.
For Many College Students, Hunger Can ‘Make It Hard To Focus In Class’
With rising college costs, up to half of college students’ finances are stretched so tight they report that they were either not getting enough to eat or were worried about it, studies find.
Hospitals Gear Up For New Diagnosis: Human Trafficking
Many people forced into labor or the sex trade seek medical help at some point, and health care workers are being trained to identify them to offer assistance.
Staggering Prices Slow Insurers’ Coverage Of CAR-T Cancer Therapy
Some state Medicaid programs are not paying for the procedures, and Medicare’s complicated payment rates have hospitals concerned that it will not cover all the costs.
Can Insurers Use Genetic Testing Results? A Reader Wants To Know
Other readers ask what can be done to challenge unexpected medical bills — whether the result of an emergency room visit or after a change in prescription drug coverage.
More Nurse Practitioners Now Pursue Residency Programs To Hone Skills
Proponents say the residencies provide help dealing with increasingly difficult cases, but some nursing groups contend that the programs are not necessary.
Thinking About An Association Health Plan? Read The Fine Print
Federal officials say loosening the regulation of these plans will offer small businesses a more affordable health insurance option, but critics are wary.
If You’ve Got Hep C, Spitting Can Be A Felony
About a dozen states have added hepatitis C to the list of medical conditions for which people can face criminal prosecution if they engage in certain activities like sex without disclosure, needle-sharing or organ donation.
The ‘Perfect Storm’: Redirecting Family Planning Funds Could Undercut STD Fight
Some public health officials fear that the Trump administration’s proposals to change how Title X funding is handled may impede the effort to cut the record number of sexually transmitted diseases.
A Hospital ER Charges An ‘After-Hours’ Fee. Who Has To Pay It?
Tacking on an after-hours surcharge to an emergency department bill strikes some consumers as unfair, since the facilities are open 24 hours a day.
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.
Are You And Your Primary Care Doc Ready To Talk About Your DNA?
The Pennsylvania-based health chain Geisinger plans to offer DNA sequencing as part of regular patient care.
Lack Of Insurance Exposes Blind Spots In Vision Care
As many as 16 million people in the United States have undiagnosed or uncorrected vision problems that could be fixed with eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery.
Medicare Beneficiaries Feel The Pinch When They Can’t Use Drug Coupons
Federal law prohibits them from using the coupons drugmakers offer to help patients cover their share of a medicine’s cost.
Telemedicine Opening Doors To Specialty Care For Inmates
Getting prisoners to a medical facility can be difficult, so corrections officials are increasingly setting up telemedicine programs for specialized needs, such as psychiatric, cancer and cardiac care.
4 New Ways You Can Avoid Fines For Not Having Health Insurance
Among changes by the Trump administration, new rules protect consumers living in areas with only one marketplace plan as well as those who oppose abortion and can’t find a plan that doesn’t cover the procedure.
Congress Urged To Cut Medicare Payments To Many Stand-Alone ERs
As free-standing emergency departments multiply, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommends a 30 percent reduction in some federal reimbursements for those within 6 miles of a hospital.
Can You Hear Me Now? Senate Bill Aims to Broaden Access To Hearing Services.
The measure would allow Medicare beneficiaries to visit an audiologist to get a hearing test to diagnose a hearing problem without first being referred by a physician or nurse practitioner.
Don’t Get Tripped Up By The IRS Tweak To Health Savings Accounts
A new federal calculation reduces by $50 the amount a family can put aside in 2018 in these accounts to pay medical bills. Anyone who has already funded the account at a higher level will need to adjust or deal with the tax consequences next year.
