The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
Michelle Andrews is a contributing writer and former columnist for Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News. She has been writing about health care for more than 15 years. Her work has appeared frequently in The New York Times, where she wrote the Money and Medicine column and contributed regular news and features. Her work has also been published in Money, Fortune Small Business, National Geographic and Women’s Health magazines, among others. Michelle previously worked as a senior writer at U.S. News & World Report and at SmartMoney magazines. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University.
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Some insurers have already altered their plans to reflect the law. But starting this month, a number of provisions become mandatory for insurance plans, including a ban on lifetime benefit limits and the ability to keep adult children on parents' plans.
The health law calls for a demonstration program to test covering hospice treatments for patients still seeking to fight their illness.
Think twice before signing up for a new credit card to cover some doctor or dentist's services. Regulators and consumer advocates warn that many of these special deals are deceptive.
In the past, many patients who opted for experimental treatments for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses found that their insurance companies stop covering all routine care for their illness. The health overhaul mandates that insurers continue to pay for doctor visits, hospital stays, test and other routine treatments.
In addition, beneficiaries will get free annual wellness visits that include a health risk assessment and a review of functional and cognitive abilities.
A look at the new health law's long-term-care program and the plan to close the Medicare drug doughnut hole.
The Obama administration issues regulations that will set some minimum requirements for the process, including allowing patients to appeal the insurer's decision to an independent outside panel.
The health overhaul prohibits new insurance plans from charging higher copayments or coinsurance amounts for out-of-network emergency services or from imposing other coverage limitations that wouldn't apply to in-network care.
A new Medicare demonstration program sends doctors to see chronically ill patients at home
The new overhaul law says health plans should provide certain preventive services at no cost to patients. Women's advocates say that free contraceptives would reduce unwanted pregnancies, but opponents say birth control doesn't belong on the list of services, which is being developed by federal officials.
The new health care law promises to make it easier for part-time workers to find and buy affordable coverage, starting in 2014. Until then, they don't have a lot of options.
High deductible health plans and the associated health saving accounts that allow people to put aside money tax-free to cover medical expenses get mixed reviews from many consumers. But supporters of the plans worry that the health overhaul may hamper their use.
New health plans must cover tests, supplements for pregnant women, and home visits for young mothers.
Michelle Andrews' latest consumer column explores the health care tax credit for small businesses, which is designed to help employers pay for insuring workers. But the credit has several conditions, and some are worried that it won't provide enough help.
College health plans - used by students who aren't covered by family insurance plans or whose parents are uninsured - can offer only limited protection. The new health law may help.
In a new KHN feature, Michelle Andrews writes about the coming changes to health care. The new law offers relief for people who can't get insurance because they are sick or have been sick. States can set up their own pools, or let the federal government do it.
A much-publicized provision of the new health overhaul law would give parents the option of keeping adult children on their insurance plans until age 26, but many details affecting eligibility and timing remain to be worked out.
To encourage people to buy long-term care insurance, more states are starting programs that allow people to keep some assets if they exhaust insurance benefits and need to go on Medicaid. Without such an arrangement, they would have to "spend down" assets to qualify for Medicaid. But, experts warn, the policies need strong inflation protections.
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