Category: Insurance

States Extend Medicaid for New Mothers — Even as They Reject Broader Expansion

Most of the dozen states that haven’t fully expanded eligibility for Medicaid have extended or plan to extend the postpartum coverage window for new mothers. That could mean improved maternal health, but it’s only part of the puzzle when it comes to reducing the number of preventable maternal deaths in the U.S.

100 Million People in America Are Saddled With Health Care Debt 

The U.S. health system now produces debt on a mass scale, a new investigation shows. Patients face gut-wrenching sacrifices.

Preventive Care May Be Free, but Follow-Up Diagnostic Tests Can Bring Big Bills

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurers cannot charge consumers for various preventive services that have been recommended by experts. But if those screenings indicate more testing is needed to determine whether something is wrong, patients may be on the hook for hundreds or even thousands of dollars for diagnostic services.

Lawmaker Takes on Insurance Companies and Gets Personal About His Health

State Sen. Scott Wiener opens up about a weeklong stint in the hospital last year and what it’s like to live with Crohn’s disease. The San Francisco Democrat is pushing a bill that would require insurance companies to cover certain medications while patients appeal denials.

Patients Seek Mental Health Care From Their Doctor But Find Health Plans Standing in the Way

Despite a consensus that patients should be able to get mental health care from primary care doctors, insurance policies and financial incentives may not support that.

California Wants to Slash Insulin Prices by Becoming a Drugmaker. Can it Succeed?

Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed spending $100 million to make insulin affordable to millions of people with diabetes under a new state generic drug label, CalRx. But state officials haven’t said how much the insulin will cost patients or how the state will deal with distribution and other challenges.

They Thought They Were Buying Obamacare Plans. What They Got Wasn’t Insurance.

Some consumers who think they are signing up for Obamacare insurance find out later they actually purchased a membership to a health care sharing ministry. But regulators and online advertising sites don’t do much about it.

AARP’s Billion-Dollar Bounty

With its latest venture into primary care clinics, is America’s leading organization for seniors selling its trusted seal of approval?

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Washington’s Slow Churn

Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on Acast. You can also listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. In the wake of three high-profile mass shootings in less than a month, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have renewed negotiations over legislation that could stem gun violence. […]

Computer Glitches and Human Error Still Causing Insurance Headaches for Californians

Covered California and Medi-Cal share a computer system for eligibility and enrollment. Nearly a decade since the Affordable Care Act expanded coverage options in the state, enrollees can be diverted to the wrong program — or dropped altogether — if erroneous information gets into the system.