Hospital Deductibles Are For Admitted Patients Only
KHN consumer columnist Michelle Andrews also answers reader questions about how insurance-provider networks function and parents鈥 responsibility to provide coverage for children who are not yet 26.
All Coverage
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Wellness In The Workplace
Pregnancy 鈥 A Touchy Subject In Employee Wellness Health Assessments
Pregnancy questions included in many wellness program questionnaires hit a nerve, and advocates are asking the Obama administration to ban these types of queries as part of a pending Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rule.
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Half Of Nation鈥檚 Hospitals Fail Again To Escape Medicare鈥檚 Readmission Penalties
The fines, in their fourth year, are assessed on hospitals that have patients frequently return and will cost nearly 2,600 hospitals $420 million in total.
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Advocates Say Mental Health 鈥楶arity鈥 Law Is Not Fulfilling Its Promise
A landmark federal law requiring insurers to cover mental illness as they would any other disease is not being followed or enforced, say patient advocates and attorneys. Insurers say they have taken “tremendous steps.”
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Fetal Tissue Attack Is Latest Tactic In Long GOP Fight Against Planned Parenthood
Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood date back to 1982, while fetal tissue research had bipartisan support until the release of secret camera videos.
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Prevention Task Force Recommends Depression Screenings For Pregnant Women, New Moms
Less than 20 percent of those diagnosed with perinatal depression report their symptoms, research shows.
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Meet The California Family That Has Made Health Policy Its Business
On Medicare’s 50th birthday, two brothers who helped get it off the ground tell their stories. A younger member of the Lee family is at the helm of Covered California, the state insurance exchange.
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California Survey: Newly Insured Satisfied With Coverage, More Financially Secure
Formerly uninsured California residents no longer rank paying for health care as their primary financial concern. But some still see cost and access to care as a problem.
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No Easy Feat: Promoting The PrEP Pill For HIV Prevention Among Latinos
The drug Truvada, used to halt HIV infection, has been shown to be more than 90 percent effective when used correctly. But many Latinos haven鈥檛 heard of it or are deterred by the cost and the stigma associated with being gay or bisexual.
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Congress Overwhelmingly Approves Bill Bolstering Medicare Patients’ Hospital Rights
Medicare patients must be told when they’re in “observation” status but not admitted in a hospital, under legislation expected to be signed into law by the president.
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Big Push: Hospitals Turn To 鈥楲aborists鈥 For Safer Deliveries
More hospitals are hiring OB-GYNs to help handle births and obstetrical and gynecological emergencies.
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Covered California Reports Modest Rate Increases, Regional Variation
Premiums for the state鈥檚 1.3 million people in the state’s Obamacare marketplace will rise an average 4 percent, with average increases as low as 1.8 percent in Los Angeles and as high as 13 percent in Santa Cruz.
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To Boost Patient Health, Rehab Sometimes Starts Before Cancer Treatment
鈥淧rehabilitation鈥 may help patients recover more quickly, early research suggests, but insurance coverage can be tricky.
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5 Challenges Facing Medicaid At 50
The federal-state health care program covers nearly half of all births, one-third of children across the country and two-thirds of people in nursing homes.
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California Judge Dismisses Aid-In-Dying Lawsuit
A California woman sued to allow her doctor to prescribe life-ending medication without fear of prosecution; a decision is expected Monday.
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Medicare Turns 50 But Big Challenges Await
Medicare provides coverage to one in six Americans, and federal officials hope to trim the increasing cost and improve how the program operates.
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Health Law Experiment Failed To Show Savings
An ambitious demonstration to transform clinics into 鈥渕edical homes鈥 treating patients in the community instead of the hospital didn鈥檛 save money. Some blame the test, not the idea.
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Having A Baby? Big Differences Noted In Hospital Quality Across Mass.
WBUR compiles a database for pregnant women to compare hospitals in Massachusetts.
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Consumers鈥 Satisfaction With Coverage Linked To Out-Of-Pocket Expenses
People with traditional health insurance plans are happier with their coverage than those with high-deductible plans, but the groups also say the quality of their coverage is similar.
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Good News, Bad News In Medicare Trustees Report
Trust fund solvent until 2030, but some seniors may see a big spike in Part B premiums.
