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Employers saw their healthcare premiums rise 5% this year ā and some passed on that burden to workers ā as the cost of family coverage in job-based insurance exceeds $28,000 for family plans.
The Trump administration pushed back a rule ā until after the midterm elections ā that would complicate Americansā access to less expensive medication imports from Canada and other countries.
Oregon passed a law to require hospitals to proactively screen patients to see if they qualify for financial aid. Patients got immediate relief. Hospitals pushed to roll back the law following federal cuts to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
The anti-fraud efforts highlight a broader political fight ahead of the midterms. Republicans say theyāre protecting taxpayer dollars by going after bad actors. Democrats contend the administration is ā with insufficient evidence ā targeting blue states to cut programs the GOP has long sought to shrink.
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The Trump administration has provided few details about its process for canceling hundreds of thousands of Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollments ā even as the next stage of the anti-fraud effort is underway.
As early voting begins in some states, the Trump administration is working to keep its crackdown on healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse in the headlines. Also, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has unveiled a new initiative to identify vaccine injuries. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law, and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Sun join Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more. Also, Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā Julie Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann, host of the podcast āAn Arm and a Leg.ā
Hospitals can prevent medical debt by offering financial help before sending big bills. A Tradeoffs investigation found that nearly half of nonprofit facilities in Texas say they will bill patients before screening them for aid. And most will not offer refunds to patients who pay and are later found to qualify for free care.
Hospitals can prevent medical debt by preemptively wiping out a patientās bill. But a Tradeoffs analysis finds that few nonprofit facilities in Texas use this tool to the maximum benefit of patients.
An initiative on the California ballot would levy the nationās first wealth tax on billionaires. Supporters say the proceeds would help offset President Donald Trumpās sweeping healthcare cuts. But critics argue that the temporary infusion of cash is a giveaway to politicians.
Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Hereās a collection of their appearances.
A new KFF poll suggests that health costs are still a top concern for voters and that Democrats have the edge over Republicans on the issue. And in an apparent attempt to close the gap, President Donald Trump is sending checks to millions of Medicare and Affordable Care Act enrollees. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Sun join Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Michelle Andrews, who wrote the latest Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News āBill of the Month.ā
At a time when more than 100 million Americans carry medical debt, itās easy to get behind a promise of free, or free-ish, no-hassle health care. But turning an inspirational slogan into law gets gnarly.
In Los Angeles County, the nationās most populous, a new system could screen hospital patients for financial aid, preventing hundreds of thousands from getting bills they canāt pay.
The idea of scrapping the U.S. health insurance system for a massive expansion of government-funded healthcare isnāt new. But voters hit by ballooning private health insurance costs are rallying behind midterm candidates calling for universal coverage.
At least 2 million seniors will receive notice this fall that their Medicare Advantage plans will disappear at yearās end, some without a comparable alternative. Hereās a look at this increasingly common problem with Medicare Advantage, and what it says about Medicare as a whole.
While Democratic congressional candidates are floating the restoration of federal Affordable Care Act subsidies and Medicaid funding, Oregon officials are crafting a more ambitious plan to implement universal coverage in their state.
The Make America Healthy Again movement held a shindig in Washington, D.C., this week. But rather than moms arguing to get chemicals out of their kidsā food, the room was full of Trump administration officials and industry representatives looking to promote health-related products. Meanwhile, the administration for the second year in a row is refusing to spend money Congress appropriated. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Rachana Pradhan of Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Aaron Carroll of AcademyHealth.
Getting financial assistance from hospitals often involves filling out cumbersome forms. Some states now require hospitals to identify and automatically enroll patients eligible for charity care.
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