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 NewsHour 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 NewsHour 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
May 14 In swing districts, voters vent over health care, fear Trump By Bill Barrow and Sara Burnett, Associated Press Americans vented similar frustrations this past week in Republican districts crucial to GOP majority control of the House, sounding off about health care and President Donald Trump's abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey. Continue reading
May 14 6 ways Medicaid cuts under GOP health care overhaul could impact schools By Sally Ho and Carolyn Thompson, Associated Press For school districts still getting their financial footing after the Great Recession, the Medicaid changes being advanced as part of the health care overhaul are sounding familiar alarms. Continue reading
May 10 Column: What Medicare can teach the GOP about this basic rule of insurance By Philip Moeller The very nature of insurance itself seems to have escaped many critics of Obamacare. Continue reading