Jul 21 Column: ‘The Medicare Maven’ on Ivy’s health insurance horror story By Philip Moeller The U.S. provides the world’s most expensive health care. And what do we get for all this money? Health outcomes that place America and its residents solidly in the ranks of developing nations. Continue reading
Jul 20 Column: ‘Maddeningly complex’ health care costs force patients to become detectives By Elisabeth Rosenthal We are constantly told we should be better consumers of health care, that we should shop for insurance and high-value care. Well, how can we be expected to do that if the prices are unknowable and we get contradictory answers… Continue reading
Jul 15 Major insurance groups call part of health bill ‘unworkable’ By Alan Fram, Associated Press Two of the insurance industry's most powerful organizations say a crucial provision in the Senate Republican health care bill allowing the sale of bare-bones policies is "unworkable in any form."… Continue reading
Jul 10 Survey: U.S. uninsured up by 2 million this year as gains erode By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. adults without health insurance has grown by some 2 million this year, according to a major new survey that finds recent coverage gains beginning to erode. Continue reading
Jul 03 Watch 5:27 Opioid addiction rates far exceed growth of medically assisted treatment, report finds By PBS News Hour A new report offers striking revelations about opioid use in the U.S. When insurance giant Blue Cross Blue Shield analyzed 30 million medical records, it found that roughly 20 percent of patients filled at least one prescription for opioid painkillers… Continue watching
Jun 17 Watch 8:52 Alabama residents left with one insurance option under ACA By Christopher Booker, Connie Kargbo The Affordable Care Act mandated that all Americans obtain health insurance and created marketplaces, also known as exchanges, to facilitate coverage for the uninsured. But now, enrollees in five states, including Alabama, have only one option for insurance. PBS NewsHour… Continue watching
May 25 Insurers continue to hike prices, abandon ACA markets By Tom Murphy, Associated Press People shopping for insurance through the Affordable Care Act in yet more regions could face higher prices and fewer choices next year as insurance companies lay out their early plans for 2018. Continue reading
May 24 Watch 4:07 Less healthy, older Americans would pay more under GOP health bill By PBS News Hour The Congressional Budget Office released its cost estimate for the American Health Care Act Wednesday, 20 days after the bill passed the Republican-led House of Representatives. The prognosis? About 23 million Americans are expected to lose their coverage by 2026. Continue watching
May 24 How Trump’s proposed budget could affect the health care safety net By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press Trump's budget was silent on bargaining with the pharmaceutical industry to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, a topic the president has often touched on. But the budget repeated Trump's previous proposals for double-digit percentage cuts to the National Institutes… Continue reading
May 17 How Maine got high-risk pools to work By Patty Wight, Maine Public One option touted by House Republicans borrows an idea that Maine used just before the Affordable Care Act went into effect. It’s called an “invisible high-risk pool” — invisible because people in it didn’t even know they were. Continue reading