Category: Insurance

Medicaid Vaccination Rates Founder as States Struggle to Immunize Their Poorest Residents

Efforts by states and the private health plans that many states pay to cover low-income Americans has been scattershot and hampered by a lack of data.

Jaw Surgery Takes a $27,119 Bite out of One Man’s Budget

A Seattle patient discovers the hard way that you can still hit a lifetime limit for certain types of care. And health plans can vary a lot from one job to the next, even if the insurer is the same.

Headed Away to School? Here’s What Students With Health Issues Need to Know

College and grad students with chronic health conditions as common as asthma and diabetes may need to clear hurdles to make sure their health needs are covered by insurance if they go to school far from home.

Readers and Tweeters Ponder Vaccines and Points of Fairness

Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Readers and Tweeters Ponder Vaccines and Points of Fairness

Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Why Doesn’t Medicare Cover Services So Many Seniors Need?

When the program began half a century ago, backers believed the benefits would expand over time, but politics and concerns about money have stymied most efforts. Now congressional Democrats are looking to add vision, dental and hearing care.

Analysis: Don’t Want a Vaccine? Be Prepared to Pay More for Insurance.

Health insurers could do more to encourage vaccination, including letting the unvaccinated foot their bills.

Diabetes Drug’s New Weight Loss Formula Fuels Cost-Benefit Debate

Health plans’ coverage of the medication, branded as Wegovy — which has a $1,300-a-month price tag — is not a sure thing.

Olympic Dream Dashed After Bike Crash and Nightmare Medical Bill Over $200K

A bicyclist from California competed in a Pennsylvania race that could have landed him in this month’s Tokyo Olympics. Instead, a crash on the velodrome track landed him in two hospitals where his out-of-state, out-of-network surgeries garnered huge bills.

Sign-Up Window for Free COBRA Coverage for Many Laid-Off Workers Closes This Week

The most recent covid relief law offered federal funding to pay insurance premiums for workers who lost their jobs and opted to keep their workplace insurance through COBRA. But the window to take advantage of the subsidized coverage is closing: Many workers would need to enroll in the program by July 31.