Medicare Surprise: Drug Plan Prices Touted During Open Enrollment Can Rise Within a Month
Even the savviest Medicare drug plan shoppers can get a shock when they fill prescriptions: That great deal on medications is no bargain after prices go up.
Out-Of-Pocket Costs
61 - 80 of 225 Results
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After Medical Bills Broke the Bank, This Family Headed to Mexico for Care
The Fierro family owed a Yuma, Arizona, hospital more than $7,000 for care given to mom and dad, so when a son dislocated his shoulder, they headed to Mexicali. The care was quick, good, and affordable.
By Paula Andalo -
鈥楢n Arm and a Leg鈥: Need an Expensive Drug? Here’s What You Need to Know
Even a personal finance expert can get stuck with a huge unexpected bill for a drug. Listen up for what you need to know about "copay accumulators."
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Listen: How the New ‘No Surprises’ Law Tackles Unexpected Medical Bills
Years in the making, a new federal law against surprise medical bills took effect Jan. 1.
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Suit by Doctors, Hospitals Seeks Change in How Arbitrators Settle Surprise Billing Cases
The American Medical Association and American Hospital Association are not arguing to halt the law that protects patients from unexpected bills from providers they didn鈥檛 know were outside their insurance network. Instead, they want to change the rules for the mediators who will settle the dispute between insurers and providers.
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Patients Get Stranded Out of Network as Insurer-Hospital Contract Talks Fall Apart
As hospital systems and insurers adjust to the pandemic, their contract negotiations grow increasingly fraught. Contracts for in-network care are ending without a new deal, leaving patients suddenly with out-of-network bills or scrambling to find new in-network providers.
By Andy Miller -
Your Out-of-Pocket Health Care Costs Need Not Be a Mystery
A new California law requires health insurance companies to notify consumers how much remains on their deductibles and how close they are to their annual out-of-pocket spending limits.
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Despite Restraints, Democrats鈥 Drug Pricing Plan Could Still Aid Consumers
A last-minute agreement among lawmakers restored a provision seeking to hold down rising costs of prescription medicines. Although details on which drugs will be targeted remain sketchy, the legislation would help patients buying insulin and cap Medicare beneficiaries鈥 out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 a year.
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Jaw Surgery Takes a $27,119 Bite out of One Man鈥檚 Budget
A Seattle patient discovers the hard way that you can still hit a lifetime limit for certain types of care. And health plans can vary a lot from one job to the next, even if the insurer is the same.
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Data Visualizations
Caring for an Aging Nation
The number of Americans 65 and older is expected to nearly double in the next 40 years. Finding a way to provide and pay for the long-term health services they need won't be easy.
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Enough to Wreck Their Rest: $10,322 for a Sleep Study
The University of Miami Health System charges a truck driver six times what Medicare would pay for an overnight test.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: 2020 in Review 鈥 It Wasn鈥檛 All COVID
The coronavirus pandemic colored just about everything in 2020. But there was other health policy news that you either never heard or might have forgotten about: the Affordable Care Act going before the Supreme Court with its survival on the line; ditto for Medicaid work requirements. And a surprise ending to the 鈥渟urprise bill鈥 saga. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
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Surprise! Congress Takes Steps to Curb Unexpected Medical Bills
A long-debated measure to stop doctors, hospitals and other health care providers from billing patients for charges not covered by their insurance will gain congressional approval as part of the sweeping government spending package.
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During ACA Open Enrollment, Picking a Plan Invites New COVID Complications
COVID-19鈥檚 鈥渓ong haulers鈥 鈥 patients with lingering effects of the disease 鈥 have joined the ranks of Americans with preexisting conditions. For those shopping for health coverage on the individual market, here鈥檚 help navigating an uncharted insurance landscape.
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Surprise Federal Drug Rule Directs Insurers to Reveal What They Pay for Prescription Drugs
A provision the Trump administration tucked into its final rule on health plan price transparency requires telling consumers what they will pay out-of-pocket for drugs and showing them what the plan paid.
By Harris Meyer -
Savvy Patient Fought for the Price She Was Quoted 鈭 And Didn鈥檛 Give Up
A California woman thought the discount on her coinsurance before an operation sounded too good to be true. Turns out, she was right.
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Promises Kept? On Health Care, Trump’s Claims of 鈥楳onumental Steps’ Don鈥檛 Add Up
The president entered office seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act, revamp Medicaid and drive down prescription drug prices, among other things. He鈥檚 hit some stone walls.
By Julie Rovner and Phil Galewitz -
With No Legal Guardrails for Patients, Ambulances Drive Surprise Medical Billing
Studies show that at least half of ground ambulance rides across the nation leave patients with 鈥渟urprise鈥 medical bills. And a $300-a-mile ride is not unusual. Yet federal legislation to stem what鈥檚 known as balance billing has largely ignored ambulance costs.
By Laura Ungar -
Health Insurers Prosper As COVID-19 Deflates Demand For Elective Treatments
With most nonemergency procedures shelved for now, many health insurers are expected to see profits in the near term, but the longer view of how the coronavirus will affect them is far more complicated and could well impact what people pay for coverage next year.
By Julie Appleby and Steven Findlay -
鈥楢n Arm And A Leg鈥: Am I Protected If I Need COVID-19 Care?
鈥淎n Arm and a Leg鈥 is back sharing stories about the ways COVID-19 intersects with the cost of health care. To tackle a listener鈥檚 question about health coverage, Dan Weissmann spoke with one of the country鈥檚 top insurance nerds.