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The presidentâs directive, which he said is designed to give beneficiaries more choices in their health care, could lead to higher costs for seniors. Final rules are to be written by the Department of Health and Human Services.
After a test to rule out cancer, Brianna Snitchler faced a $2,170 facility fee for the hospitalâs radiology room used that day.
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Tennessee wants to convert its Medicaid program to a block grant. But is its plan legal? Meanwhile, Congress continues to struggle with legislation to rein in prescription drug prices and surprise medical bills. This week, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHNâs Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Rovner also interviews Dr. Marty Makary, author of the new book âThe Price We Payâ about why health care costs so much.
Nearly 2 million more Americans were uninsured in 2018 than in the previous year, according to the Census Bureauâs annual report. Plus, the Trump administration announced plans to ban flavored vape liquids, and Congress is back and working to address high prescription drug prices and âsurpriseâ medical bills. This week, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call join KHNâs Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Almost 80% of Americans support efforts in Congress to protect patients from bills that come from doctors or hospitals that were outside their insurance network.
Wyoming is taking on expensive air ambulance bills by trying to expand Medicaid to cover transport for all patients. This is a big change: a red state seeking to control what's been a growing free-market bonanza.
A case of questionable logic.
A House committee approved its version of legislation to solve the problem of surprise medical bills. But the measure includes a key provision thatâs got less support in the Senate.
Most patients donât argue when their health insurance wonât cover treatment or medication, but they should: Consumers win about half of their appeals. The process can sometimes be overwhelming, but there are ways to prepare and get help.
California lawmakers on Wednesday pulled legislation that would have protected some patients from surprise medical bills for emergency care, citing opposition from hospitals. They vowed to resurrect the bill next year.
Democratic presidential candidates disagreed on how to fix health care in their first debate Wednesday, although they all called for boosting insurance coverage and lowering prices. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is keeping health care in the news, too, with a new plan to make medical prices more available to the public. Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KHNâs Julie Rovner to discuss this, plus the latest in news about bipartisan progress on catch-all legislation to address âsurpriseâ medical bills. Plus, Rovner interviews NPRâs Jon Hamilton about the latest KHN-NPR âBill of the Monthâ installment.
The measure also includes a range of provisions designed to address health care costs.
How big an issue will health really be in the 2020 election? Will the Republicans find their political footing on the issue? In this episode of KHNâs âWhat the Health?â Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times report from the Aspen Ideas: Health festival in Aspen, Colo. Joining them are Chris Jennings, who advised Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama on health policy, and Lanhee Chen, who advised GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio.
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.
A legislative package from Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) would handle surprise medical bills by having insurers pay them the âmedian in-network rate,â meaning the rate would be similar to what the plan charges other doctors in the area for the same procedure.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is scheduled next week to mark up a massive legislative package on curbing health costs, but some of the details remain unresolved, including what formula to use to pay doctors and hospitals involved in surprise medical bills.
A new state law says hospitals and insurers will have to work it out among themselves when they canât agree on a price -- instead of sending huge bills to patients. âBill of the Monthâ patient Drew Calver galvanized attention on the issue after he told his story to KHN, NPR and "CBS This Morning."
The median cost of an air ambulance bill is more than $36,000 and seldom covered by insurance, sparking many consumer complaints. Yet none of the proposals introduced or circulating in Congress to fix surprise medical bills address these services.
Lawmakers and patients want to eliminate âsurpriseâ out-of-network medical bills. Hospitals, doctors and insurers say they want to eliminate them, too, but their opposition to one anotherâs proposals could complicate legislative efforts. Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHNâs Julie Rovner to discuss this, plus the latest in news about reproductive health and health care sharing ministries.
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