Category: Health Insurance
State Laws Ban Surprise Medical Bills. She Got One for $227K And Fought Back.
“I wish I would have known. I would have said ‘no’ to life support,” said Debbie Moehnke, a former cocktail waitress. “We’ll lose everything.”
Health Plans For State Employees Use Medicare’s Hammer On Hospital Bills
Some states are moving to control costs by using Medicare reimbursement rates to calibrate how they pay hospitals, triggering alarm in the hospital industry.
New Health Plans Expose The Insured To More Risk
One plan warns that consumers may need to negotiate over charges from hospitals and doctors.
What can I do if my health insurer denies my claim?
If you want to file an appeal with your health plan, contact them and ask: “What do I need to do to file an appeal?”
What happens if I lose my health insurance?
Health insurance is available only during open enrollment. But certain events can qualify you for a special enrollment.
Big Pharma Gave Money To Patient Advocacy Groups Opposing Medicare Changes
By Sydney Lupkin and Elizabeth Lucas, Kaiser Health News, and Victoria Knight. Dozens of patient advocacy groups, like the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, recently appeared in national advertisements objecting to a…
Medicare Trims Payments To 800 Hospitals, Citing Patient Safety Incidents
By Jordan Rau, Kaiser Health News Eight hundred hospitals will be paid less by Medicare this year because of high rates of infections and patient injuries, federal records show. The number is the highest since the federal government five years…
Cancer’s Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls
By Anna Gorman, Kaiser Health News Carol Marley wants everyone to know what a life-threatening cancer diagnosis looks like in America today. Yes, it’s the chemotherapy that leaves you weak and unable to walk across the room. Yes, it’s the…
Beyond Beltway’s ‘Medicare-For-All’ Talk, Democrats In States Push New Health Laws
By Sarah VarneyKaiser Health News and PBS SAN FRANCISCO — Sandra Yamileth Lopez works at one of San Francisco’s most celebrated bakeries, Tartine. She fled horrific violence in Honduras and applied for asylum in California. She can work legally but, as for many…
Bipartisan interest to curb surprise medical bills
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressing optimism about attacking a problem that has affected 57 percent of American adults,
New app shows what Medicare covers
The new app lets people with Original Medicare, caregivers and others quickly see if Medicare covers a specific medical item or service.
Prices vary wildly from hospital to hospital
The price of a liter of basic saline solution ranged from $56 to $383, nearly seven times as much. A brain MRI with contrast ranged from $3,200 to $8,800.
Uninsured rate rises to four-year high, Gallup
The 2.8-percentage-point increase since that low represents a net increase of about seven million adults without health insurance.
Most Americans favor Medicare-for-All, poll
Seventy-four percent of those polled, including nearly half of Republicans (47%), favor a national government plan like Medicare that is open to anyone.
Can the states fix US healthcare?
For over a decade, we’ve been waiting for Washington to solve our healthcare woes. Now, with Washington in total dysfunction, states are looking for solutions.