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The Trump administration finalized a rule that embraces new types of Obamacare coverage, including 30% higher out-of-pocket costs for some plans, and a more novel approach that allows insurers to offer coverage without set networks of doctors and hospitals.
The debate over expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits has given Republicans room to resurface old criticisms 鈥 such as blaming the ACA for mergers and consolidation within the health care industry.
Patients sometimes find themselves scrambling for affordable care when a contract dispute causes a hospital 鈥 and most of the doctors and other clinicians who work there 鈥 to be dropped from an insurance network. Here are six things to know if that happens to you.
A federal probe of Medicare and Medicaid plans run by private insurance companies found that the plan operators often overstated how many mental health providers were available in their networks. In some cases, investigators found providers had never had contracts with plans they were listed on.
It鈥檚 a difficult rite of passage for young adults without job-based insurance. Here are some tips for getting started.
Young adults without jobs that provide insurance find their options are limited and expensive. The problem is about to get worse.
The No Surprises Act, which was signed in 2020 and took effect in 2022, was heralded as a landmark piece of legislation that would protect people who had health insurance from receiving surprise medical bills. And yet bills that take patients by surprise keep coming.
Why are patients facing bigger bills than they expect for out-of-network care? In this episode of 鈥淎n Arm and a Leg,鈥 the show explains the hidden mechanics of MultiPlan, a data firm that helps health insurers set these rates and make bigger returns.
For the patient, it was a quick and inexpensive virtual appointment. Why it cost 10 times what she expected became a mystery.
The No Surprises Act has helped rein in out-of-network medical bills, but ground ambulances are a costly exception. Hear why this service can still hit patients with big bills and what to do if you get one.
The president used broad language to say that Americans no longer needed to worry about surprise bills, but there are exceptions to the new law that could cost unsuspecting consumers.
Years in the making, a new federal law against surprise medical bills took effect Jan. 1.
Legislative crackdowns on out-of-network bills haven鈥檛 kept specialists from hitting patients with unexpected charges running into thousands of dollars.
Congress last year shielded consumers from unexpected out-of-network charges, but hospitals and doctors have decried the arbitration plan put forward by the Biden administration for negotiating these bills as favoring insurers. More than 150 members of the House agree.
Health plan network changes occur all the time as doctors retire, relocate or leave networks. Unfortunately, patients may be the last to find out about such changes because there are often few requirements that either providers or insurers inform them.
UnitedHealthcare is dropping hundreds of physicians from its New Jersey Medicaid network, separating patients from longtime doctors. Physicians charge the insurer is using its market power to shift business to practices it controls.
As the Democratic primary campaign nears pivotal voting, important aspects of health care policy are being overlooked.
It鈥檚 open enrollment season for health insurance. And choosing the best plan is tricky whether you have to buy insurance on your own or just figure out which plan to sign up for at work. Here鈥檚 what you need to know.
On average, 16% of inpatient stays and 18% of emergency visits left a patient with at least one out-of-network charge, most of those came from doctors offering treatment at the hospital, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
New research shows how an experience with surprise medical bills can guide patients鈥 future decision-making.
漏 2026 KFF