Sep 26 Your employer could be considering a health plan with no hospital benefits By Jay Hancock, Kaiser Health News Numerous large, low-wage employers are considering health plans that do not include hospital benefits. Continue reading
Sep 10 Employer-provided health care costs saw only modest increases in 2014 By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News While both critics and supporters of the Affordable Care Act are likely to find fodder for their positions, the report portrays 2014 as a relatively stable year for employer coverage, with little change in the type of plans offered or… Continue reading
Sep 08 Rural Americans in danger of being left behind by health coverage By Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News Though millions of people signed up for private insurance or Medicaid in the first year of the Affordable Care Act, millions of others did not. Many live in rural areas where people “face more barriers,” said Laurie Martin, a RAND… Continue reading
Sep 05 Surprise health insurance cancellation notices on their way to some consumers By Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News Last year, many consumers who thought their health plans would be canceled because they didn’t meet the standards of the health law got a reprieve. Following stinging criticism for appearing to renege on a promise that people who liked their… Continue reading
Sep 03 First-time health care enrollees often don’t understand how coverage works By Marissa Evans, Kaiser Health News Even after signing up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act, advocates find that explaining to clients that they will still have to pay out of their own pockets each time they go to the doctor or get lab tests… Continue reading
Aug 18 Hospitals reconsider free healthcare for those who could now be insured By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News If a patient is eligible to purchase subsidized coverage through the law’s online marketplaces but doesn’t sign up, should hospitals “provide charity care on the same level of generosity as they were previously?” asks Peter Cunningham, a health policy expert… Continue reading
Aug 11 Feds spend billions to kickstart health care innovation By Jay Hancock, Kaiser Health News A federal office you’ve probably never heard of is supposed to fix health care for everybody else. Continue reading
Aug 07 Free health clinics shift gears as their patients qualify for insurance By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News While a few free health clinics have shut their doors in Arkansas and Washington, most expansion-state non-profit free clinics are reassessing their business strategies. Medicaid offers the potential to give their patients better access to specialists, diagnostic testing and hospital… Continue reading
Aug 04 Are health care costs skyrocketing, or not? It depends on who you ask By Jay Hancock, Kaiser Health News Analysts who fear health spending is accelerating got plenty of evidence in Wall Street's second-quarter results to support their thesis. But so did folks who hope spending is still under control. Now everybody's trying to sort out the mixed message. Continue reading
Jul 28 Marketplace shoppers discover new health plans have many limitations By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News Nationally, regulators and insurance agents are inundated with complaints, while state lawmakers are considering rules to ensure consumers’ access to doctors. For 2015 plans which will be on sale beginning in November, the federal Department of Health and Human Services… Continue reading