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The column, which began in 2010 shortly after the federal health law was signed, helps explain how that law affected Americans. Michelle Andrews, the author, will continue to report for KHN.
Critics worry about the message federal officials are sending by approving a new birth control option, which uses a mobile phone app for women to track their body temperature and menstrual cycle to avoid pregnancy. But the more choices the better, some reproductive health experts say.
Many insurers added surcharges to policies they sold to individuals last year to make up for a cut in federal funding. Now, federal officials suggest that states encourage insurers to sell policies without those surcharges outside of the marketplace to help people who don’t get a premium subsidy.
Federal law bars insurers from using these test results for health coverage, but they can influence whether you get a plan covering long-term care.
With rising college costs, up to half of college students’ finances are stretched so tight they report that they were either not getting enough to eat or were worried about it, studies find.
Many people forced into labor or the sex trade seek medical help at some point, and health care workers are being trained to identify them to offer assistance.
Some state Medicaid programs are not paying for the procedures, and Medicare’s complicated payment rates have hospitals concerned that it will not cover all the costs.
Other readers ask what can be done to challenge unexpected medical bills — whether the result of an emergency room visit or after a change in prescription drug coverage.
Proponents say the residencies provide help dealing with increasingly difficult cases, but some nursing groups contend that the programs are not necessary.
Federal officials say loosening the regulation of these plans will offer small businesses a more affordable health insurance option, but critics are wary.
About a dozen states have added hepatitis C to the list of medical conditions for which people can face criminal prosecution if they engage in certain activities like sex without disclosure, needle-sharing or organ donation.
Some public health officials fear that the Trump administration’s proposals to change how Title X funding is handled may impede the effort to cut the record number of sexually transmitted diseases.
Tacking on an after-hours surcharge to an emergency department bill strikes some consumers as unfair, since the facilities are open 24 hours a day.
More health plans are refusing to count the copayment assistance offered by drug makers as part of the patients’ deductibles or out-of-pocket limits.
The Pennsylvania-based health chain Geisinger plans to offer DNA sequencing as part of regular patient care.
As many as 16 million people in the United States have undiagnosed or uncorrected vision problems that could be fixed with eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery.
Federal law prohibits them from using the coupons drugmakers offer to help patients cover their share of a medicine’s cost.
Getting prisoners to a medical facility can be difficult, so corrections officials are increasingly setting up telemedicine programs for specialized needs, such as psychiatric, cancer and cardiac care.
Among changes by the Trump administration, new rules protect consumers living in areas with only one marketplace plan as well as those who oppose abortion and can’t find a plan that doesn’t cover the procedure.
As free-standing emergency departments multiply, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommends a 30 percent reduction in some federal reimbursements for those within 6 miles of a hospital.
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