About Julie @Julie_Appleby
Julie Appleby reports on the health care law's implementation, health care treatments and costs, trends in health insurance, and policy affecting hospitals and other medical providers for Kaiser Health News.
Julie’s Recent Stories
Health Apr 27
Some insurers are rolling back waivers for COVID treatment feesInsurers voluntarily set the charges aside earlier in the pandemic — but that means those same health plans can decide to reinstate them.
Health Apr 23
Michigan’s outbreak worries scientists. Will conservative outposts keep pandemic rolling?Will pockets of COVID denialism and vaccine resistance like that in Hillsdale serve as reservoirs for a wily virus, which will resurface to cause outbreaks in nearby cities and states?…
Health Jan 05
Hospital prices just got a lot more transparent. What does this mean for you?Hospitals face the new year with new requirements to post price information they have long sought to obscure: the actual prices negotiated with insurers and the discounts they offer their cash-paying customers.
Health Dec 03
6 tips for navigating ACA open enrollment if you’re a COVID-19 ‘long hauler’"Long haulers” — patients with lingering effects of COVID-19 — have joined the ranks of Americans with preexisting conditions.
Health Sep 01
Why it’s especially important to get your flu shot this yearA robust sign-up for flu shots could help head off a nightmare scenario in the coming winter of hospitals stuffed with both COVID-19 patients and those suffering from severe effects of influenza.
Health Feb 08
This year’s Affordable Care Act open enrollment numbers buck expectationsWith all states now reporting, ACA plan enrollment ticked downward this year, a report out Wednesday shows, but states running their own marketplaces saw slight gains and did better than those relying on the federal exchange.
Health Oct 13
Analysis: What you need to know about Trump’s changes to the health lawApparently frustrated by Congress’ inability to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, President Donald Trump this week decided to take matters into his own hands. Late Thursday evening, the White House announced it would cease key payments to insurers.
Health Dec 02
Health law’s experiment that tests new ways to pay for care could offer tool for GOP ideasEconomists and policymakers think the U.S. may be overpaying for many medical services, and the health law has a program to test that. But with the ACA up for potential repeal, what happens to that testing now? One of the…
Health Oct 05
Prostate cancer patients are paying hefty price for controversial new treatmentMen hoping to avoid some side effects of prostate cancer treatment are shelling out tens of thousands of dollars for a procedure whose long-term effects are unknown and insurers, including Medicare, won’t pay for.
Health Sep 15
The ads say, ‘Get your flu shot today,’ but it may be wiser to waitThe start of flu season is still weeks — if not months — away. Yet marketing of the flu shot has become an almost year-round effort.