Category: Cost and Quality

Workers Who Lost Jobs Due to COVID May Need Help Getting Coverage This Fall

Millions of people have lost their jobs and health insurance since March, and experts say many of those looking for a plan on the ACA marketplace may not be able to get the assistance they need.

Five Important Questions About Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine

The drugmaker says its mRNA vaccine worked in 90% of patients in its trial, but some observers question how long immunity will last and who will benefit.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: David vs. Goliath: How to Beat a Big Hospital in Small Claims Court

In a classic — and hilarious — David vs. Goliath story, Jeffrey Fox takes on a huge hospital over an outrageous bill, and wins.

App-Based Companies Pushing Prop. 22 Say Drivers Will Get Health Benefits. Will They?

Ride-sharing and delivery services such as Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart are bankrolling California’s Proposition 22, which would keep their drivers classified as independent contractors, not employees. But health benefits? That’s something of a stretch.

If Trump Wins, Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting for That ACA Replacement Plan

The administration seeks to have the Supreme Court overturn the federal health law but has not explained how it would ensure Americans’ health care coverage.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: Vetting TikTok Mom’s Advice for Dealing With Debt Collectors

We first learned about Shaunna Burns when her tips on medical bills went viral. In part two of our conversation with the so-called TikTok mom, we’re back for guidance about dealing with debt collectors. Then we fact-checked her advice with a legal expert, who said: Most of Burns’ advice totally checks out.

Job-Based Health Insurance Costs Are Up 4% This Year, 55% in Past Decade

A family plan costs, on average, more than $21,000 this year and workers pay nearly $5,600 toward that cost, the annual KFF survey of employers finds.

Refuge in the Storm? ACA’s Role as Safety Net Is Tested by COVID Recession

Relentlessly knocked around by politics and now headed again to the Supreme Court, the ACA is covering millions who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. But not everyone.

‘An Arm and a Leg’: TikTok Mom Takes On Medical Bills

Shaunna Burns went viral on TikTok, partly because of a series of videos dishing out real-talk advice on fighting outrageous medical bills.

Not Pandemic-Proof: Insulin Copay Caps Fall Short, Fueling Underground Exchanges

Although sharing prescription medicines is illegal, many people with diabetes are turning to underground donation networks when they cannot afford their insulin. Caps on insulin copays enacted in Colorado and 11 other states were designed to help. But the gaps between insulin costs and many patients’ financial realities are only widening amid the economic crisis of the COVID pandemic.