Jan 07 Progress on reducing rate of uninsured Americans stalled in 2015 By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Going into President Barack Obama's last year in office, progress has stalled on reducing the number of uninsured Americans under his signature health care law, according to a major survey out Thursday. Continue reading
Dec 21 Why health plans’ drug coverage can be confusing for consumers By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News Patients getting chemotherapy or other complex medications may have a sudden panic when shopping for health insurance: Their drugs often don’t appear to be covered. Continue reading
Oct 29 Everything you need to know about the health care open enrollment period By Mary Agnes Carey, Kaiser Health News Open enrollment for the health law’s 2016 marketplace plans begins Sunday, and federal officials caution consumers to check out premium prices because in many places they may be higher. But officials are planning to offer new features to make the… Continue reading
Sep 16 Nearly 9 million people gained health insurance after exchange’s first year By Julie Rovner, KFF Health News The percentage of Americans without health insurance dropped by nearly three percentage points between 2013 and 2014, according the U.S. Census Bureau, from 13.3 to 10.4 percent. Put another way, 8.8 million more people were insured in 2014 than the… Continue reading
Aug 17 Watch 6:18 How the growing cost of drugs might affect your employer’s health plan By PBS News Hour More than half of large U.S. employers will more tightly manage their employees' use of prescription drugs next year, according to a new survey. The increased expenses from costly drugs threaten to push some employer health care plans over a… Continue watching
Jul 26 State health insurance markets grapple with high costs By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press State-run health insurance markets that offer coverage under President Barack Obama's health law are struggling with high costs and low enrollment, challenges that could lead more of them to turn over operations to the federal government or join forces with… Continue reading
Jul 21 7.5 million Americans paid fine for having no health insurance in 2014 By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News About 7.5 million Americans paid an average penalty of $200 for not having health insurance in 2014 — the first year most Americans were required to have coverage under the Affordable Care Act, the Internal Revenue Service says. Continue reading
Jul 03 Watch 2:48 News Wrap: Syrian government troops fight militant attack in Aleppo By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Friday, more than a dozen Islamic militant groups, including al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria, launched an assault on government positions in the Syrian city of Aleppo. Also, Aetna announced it’s buying rival health insurance company Humana for… Continue watching
May 13 Don’t make this Medicare mistake: COBRA is not like employer health insurance By Philip Moeller COBRA can provide continuation of health insurance for 18 months up to 36 months and can be a literal lifesaver for people who lose their jobs and health coverage. What it does not do, however, is take the place of… Continue reading
Apr 01 What Medicare could do to get you lower drug prices By Philip Moeller Medicare has zillions of rules. But there's one more that columnist Philip Moeller would like to see adopted. Right now, Medicare beneficiaries are pawns in the drug pricing system, and plenty of Americans don't take the drugs they need because… Continue reading