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Health News Results - 79
Insurer Anthem Rescinds Anesthesia Policy Change After Backlash
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- December 6, 2024
- Full Page
After facing weeks of pushback, health insurer Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said Thursday it will not go ahead with a policy change that would have limited reimbursements for anesthesia during medical procedures.
If the proposed policy had taken effect, it would have o...
American Seniors Struggle to Pay Medical Bills More Than Peers in Other Wealthy Countries
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- December 4, 2024
- Full Page
American seniors still pay more for health care than their counterparts in most other wealthy countries do, despite coverage by Medicare, a new study finds.
They are also more likely to postpone or skip needed care because of cost concerns.
“In the U.S., near...
1 in 4 Americans Now Struggling to Cover Medical Costs
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- November 21, 2024
- Full Page
U.S. health care costs are among the world's highest, and 1 in 4 adults with health coverage struggle with high out-of-pocket costs, a new survey shows.
The survey -- by the Commonwealth Fund, a health-care focused think tank -- finds that most people have coverage offer...
Four Million Americans Could Lose Health Coverage Once ACA Credits Expire
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- November 20, 2024
- Full Page
If Congress lets healthcare tax credits established during the pandemic expire, 4 million Americans will become uninsured, a new analysis warns.
The tax credits, which have significantly lowered out-of-pocket costs for millions of Americans, are set to expire at the end ...
Surgeon General Says U.S. Smoking Rates Have Tumbled, But Not for Everyone
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- November 20, 2024
- Full Page
Although the United States has made significant headway in curbing cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, a new report finds deep divisions remain and they run along predictable fault lines.
Disparities in tobacco use continue to persist by income and occupatio...
Childbirth Can Bring Worrying Medical Bills, Even With Insurance
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- November 8, 2024
- Full Page
Having a child can cause significant and ongoing financial hardship for new parents, even if they are covered by health insurance, a new study shows.
More than half of people with private insurance spent more than $1,000 out of pocket on
Only 1 in 5 Large Companies' Health Plans Cover New Weight-Loss Meds for Employees
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- October 9, 2024
- Full Page
When it comes to coverage for the pricey GLP-1 weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound, only a fifth of large U.S. companies cover the medications in their health insurance plans, a new survey shows.
Minority Patients More Likely to Be Denied the Free Preventive Care Mandated by Obamacare
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- October 7, 2024
- Full Page
Two new studies show insurers continue to deny claims for preventive care that is supposed to be free under Obamacare.
And insurers are more apt to reject claims from patients who are Asian, Black or Hispanic as well as those with low incomes, researchers recently report...
U.S. Health Care System Ranks Last Among Wealthy Nations, Report Finds
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- September 19, 2024
- Full Page
Americans have the worst health care among the world’s wealthy nations, a new report says.
People in the United States die the earliest and live the sickest lives out of 10 developed countries, even though the United States spends the most on health care, according...
Unexpected Medical Bill? Challenging It Often Brings Results, Study Finds
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 30, 2024
- Full Page
People who challenge an unexpected medical bill often get some form of financial relief, a new study says.
About 1 in 5 people say they’ve recently received a medical bill they disagreed with or couldn’t afford to pay, according to a survey published Aug. 30 ...
Insurance Coverage Could Impact Survival of Patients After Spinal Cord Injury
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- August 26, 2024
- Full Page
The care of people seriously harmed by spinal cord injury can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and a new analysis suggests that ability to pay influences how long a patient remains on life support.
In a study of more than 8,400 U.S. adults with severe spinal cord i...
Cost of Health Care Is Big Concern for Voters Over 50
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 14, 2024
- Full Page
Older voters are keenly interested in the cost of health care, a new survey has found.
Five of the top six health issues among older adults have to do with health care costs, according to new data from the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging.
Tougher State Insurance Laws Get Kids Needed Mental Health Care
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- August 13, 2024
- Full Page
Kids more often get the psychiatric care they need if they live in states that mandate insurance coverage for child mental health care, a new study confirms.
Parents and caregivers were 20% less likely to say they'd had trouble getting mental health services for a child ...
Obamacare Boosted New Moms' Access to Mental Health Care
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 12, 2024
- Full Page
Pregnant women and new moms have better access to treatment for mood disorders, thanks to Obamacare, a new study finds.
Number of Uninsured Americans Rose to 8.2% in 2024
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- August 6, 2024
- Full Page
Following several years of record low rates of uninsured Americans, a new survey finds more folks are once again without health insurance.
More than 8% of Americans did not have health coverage during the first few months of 2024, according to
Common Medical Billing Errors Keep Many Americans From Care: Report
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 1, 2024
- Full Page
Insured working-age adults are frequently being hit with medical bills for services that should have been covered, a new Commonwealth Fund survey has found.
Close to half (45%) of insured workers have received a bill or copay in the past year for a service they thought s...
Need a Good Medicare Advantage Plan? They're Tough to Find for Poorer Americans
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- July 25, 2024
- Full Page
Medicare Advantage plans are touted as a great alternative to traditional Medicare, offering seniors easier access to doctors, hospitals and prescription drugs.
But access to a good Medicare Advantage plan relies heavily on where a person lives, a new study finds.
...
Money Worries Keep Depressed Americans From Mental Health Care
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- July 22, 2024
- Full Page
Medical debt is significantly more common among people with a mood disorder, and these money woes can keep them from getting the help they need, a new study says.
Among people with depression or anxiety, those with medical debt were twice as likely to delay or forego
Race, Insurance Stop Many Hispanics From Getting Post-Stroke Care
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- July 18, 2024
- Full Page
Hispanic people -- particularly those without insurance -- are less likely to get the additional care needed to recover from a stroke, a new study finds....
Black, Hispanic Americans More Likely to Be Dropped From Medicaid
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- June 4, 2024
- Full Page
Following the end of temporary pandemic-era rules expanding access to Medicaid, about 10 million Americans have lost that coverage.
But a new report finds that most folks who've lost coverage have done so because of paperwork issues, and they're far more likely to be peo...
Lack of Insurance Keeps Many Americans From Best Cancer Meds
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- June 3, 2024
- Full Page
A cutting-edge class of drugs is saving and extending the lives of cancer patients.
But the drugs, called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), are so expensive that some uninsured Americans can't access them, a new report finds.
New policies are needed "to improve ...
Cancer Patients Get Poorer Care at Hospitals Serving Minority Communities
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- May 30, 2024
- Full Page
Cancer patients receive less effective treatment at hospitals that mainly serve minority communities, a new study shows.
More than 9% of cancer patients are treated at hospitals...
Almost 1 in 4 People Disenrolled From Medicaid Are Now Uninsured
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- April 12, 2024
- Full Page
Nearly a quarter of Americans who lost their pandemic-era Medicaid coverage say they're now without any health insurance, a new survey finds.
More than half (54%) of these currently uninsured adults cited cost as the reason keeping them from having coverage.
The <...
Medicare to Cover Wegovy When Patients Also Have Heart Disease
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- March 22, 2024
- Full Page
Medicare will now cover the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy if patients using it also have heart disease, U.S. officials announced Thursday.
The move comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved drugmaker Novo Nordisk's application to add
Cyberattack Leaves Health Care Providers Reeling Weeks Later
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- March 13, 2024
- Full Page
Following a cyberattack on the largest health insurer in the United States last month, health care providers continue to scramble as insurance payments and prescription orders continue to be disrupted and physicians lose an estimated $100 million a day.
Higher Premiums for Employer-Sponsored Insurance Keep Wages Low: Study
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- January 16, 2024
- Full Page
Ever glance at your paycheck and wonder why your take-home pay is so much less than you'd expect?
The rising cost of employer-sponsored health insurance is a major reason why, a new study argues.
The cost of employer-sponsored health benefits increased much faster ...
Record Number of Americans Choose Obamacare
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- December 22, 2023
- Full Page
Over 15 million Americans have signed up for health insurance using the Affordable Care Act's federal marketplace, a 33% increase from the year before, preliminary government data shows.
On Dec. 15, the deadline for coverage that starts Jan. 1, a whopping 745,000 people ...
Compared to Other Wealthy Nations, Americans More Likely to Skip Medical Care Due to Cost
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- November 16, 2023
- Full Page
If you need medical care, you're more likely to skip it due to cost issues if you're American than if you're Australian, Canadian, British or French, a new report finds.
Rising costs aren't just causing poorer Americans to forgo needed care: The Commonwealth Fund report ...
Biden Administration Says Insurance Issues With COVID Shots Mostly Fixed
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 29, 2023
- Full Page
Despite reports of trouble last week where some people may have been denied insurance coverage while seeking COVID shots at pharmacies, the Biden administration said Thursday those issues have been ironed out.
That issue is "largely, if not completely," resolved after U....
Many Americans Frustrated in Search for Low-Cost COVID Boosters
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- September 22, 2023
- Full Page
Americans seeking out the new COVID boosters are finding themselves held back by insurance entanglements and supply delays.
Some insurers have balked at covering the vaccines, with people arriving at shot appointments only to be told that they'll have to pay $100 or more...
Too Much Paperwork Is Delaying Cancer Patients' Care, Study Finds
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- September 1, 2023
- Full Page
Red tape is getting in the way of cancer patients receiving the treatment they crucially require, a new study has found.
Patients were 18% more likely to experience cancer care delays or be unable to stick to a treatment plan if they had to fill out a lot of paperwork, c...
Nearing Retirement, America's Lower-Middle Class Faces Increasingly Bad Health
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 24, 2023
- Full Page
The American middle-class squeeze has grown even worse in recent years, with many in the "forgotten middle"facing financial pressure and poor health as they near retirement age, a new study reports.
Essentially, the U.S. middle class has split in two, and those relegated...
Too Few Kids Are Getting Regular Eye Tests, and Insurance Is Key
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 23, 2023
- Full Page
Eye tests are an important way to catch potential eye-related issues in children, but more than two-thirds of kids in the United States are not receiving them at their checkups.
Those with Medicaid and other public health insurance were far less likely to receive these v...
Biden Moves to Lower Health Care Costs, Limit Insurance Junk Fees
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- July 10, 2023
- Full Page
When they need health care, Americans can be slapped with surprise medical costs because of loopholes in the law and "junk fees,"according to the White House.
The Biden administration is taking action on several fronts to deal with these unexpected costs.
"Evading ...
Most Americans Face Hassles With Their Insurance Plans, and It's Harming Care: Poll
- Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
- June 15, 2023
- Full Page
A majority of insured Americans have struggled with a wide array of stumbling blocks when trying to get coverage for their health care needs, a new national survey shows.
Couples Age 55 or Older Can Soon Contribute $10,000 a Year to Health Savings Accounts
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- May 19, 2023
- Full Page
New IRS guidance will allow older couples in the United States to contribute more than $10,000 to tax-free health savings accounts (HSA) next year.
Under the new guidelines announced this week, for folks under 55, individuals can contribute up to $4,150 annually to their...
Ranks of U.S. Uninsured Fell by 18% During COVID Pandemic
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- May 16, 2023
- Full Page
Public health officials announced Tuesday that a lot fewer Americans were without health insurance after the COVID-19 pandemic than before it.
The uninsured rate dropped 18% between 2019 and 2022, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Pr...
Record 16.5 Million Americans Have Signed Up for Obamacare
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- January 25, 2023
- Full Page
More than 3 million new people signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, this year, swelling enrollment numbers to a record 16.3 million Americans.
"On the 10th anniversary of the ACA Marketplaces, the numbers speak for themselves:...
Hundreds of Hospitals Could Close Across Rural America
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- January 16, 2023
- Full Page
Hundreds of rural hospitals across the United States are teetering on the edge of closure, with their financial status increasingly in peril, a new report reveals.
More than 200 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closure because they aren't making enough money to c...
Many Insured Americans Are an Injury Away From Bankruptcy: Study
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- November 15, 2022
- Full Page
One in 5 privately insured American adults hospitalized for a traumatic injury end up with medical bills they can't pay, a new study finds.
Among more than 3,100 working-aged insured adults who suffered a traumatic injury, the risk of incurring co-pays and deductibles th...
U.S. Immigrants' Premiums, Taxes Exceed Health Care Expenditures: Study
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- November 10, 2022
- Full Page
In a finding that challenges the notion that immigrants are freeloaders in the American health care system, a new study shows they are paying a lot more through health care premiums and related taxes than they actually use in care.
In fact, the amount that immigrants pa...
Out-of-Pocket Costs for Cancer Care Keep Climbing
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 14, 2022
- Full Page
Cancer patients already have a lot to deal with emotionally and physically. But research shows that insured patients under 65 are also paying more for their treatments out-of-pocket ...
Countries With Universal Health Care Had Better Child Vaccination Rates During Pandemic
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 18, 2022
- Full Page
Countries that are closer to achieving universal health coverage saw smaller declines in routine childhood vaccinations during the pandemic, a new study reveals.
Childbirth Now Costs Nearly $3,000 for Insured Americans
- Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling HealthDay Reporter
- July 21, 2022
- Full Page
Better have some savings stored up before you rush to the delivery room: A new analysis shows the average out-of-pocket expense for delivering a child in the United States is nearly $3,000, even if you're insured.
Other studies have looked at the costs for specific serv...
Health Care Plans Keep Allergy Rescue Injectors Pricey for Some
- By Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling HealthDay Reporter
- July 15, 2022
- Full Page
Despite now having more choices for lifesaving emergency allergy injectors like EpiPens, the cost is still proving prohibitive...
How Much Will That Hip Replacement Cost? Many Hospitals Still Aren't Saying
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- June 28, 2022
- Full Page
Since January 2021, hospitals have been required to list online the prices for 300 common medical services, but new research has found that only 32% of hospitals have been fully compliant when it comes to
The High Cost of Living With Sickle Cell Disease
- By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
- May 23, 2022
- Full Page
Americans with sickle cell disease who have private insurance face average out-of-pocket costs of $1,300 a year and a lifetime total of $44,000, new research reveals.
That means that their out-of-pocket expenses are nearly four times higher compared to people without the...
Obamacare Helped Extend Lives of People With Cancer
- By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
- May 19, 2022
- Full Page
Cancer survival rates rose more in states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare than in those that did not, and rates increased most among Black patients and those in rural areas, according to a new study.
High Medical Bills Tied to Worse Outcomes for Younger Cancer Survivors
- By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
- April 27, 2022
- Full Page
U.S. cancer survivors under age 65 with medical-related financial struggles have an increased risk of early death, a new study finds.
House Passes Bill To Limit Insulin Costs to $35 a Month
- By Cara Murez and Robin Foster HealthDay Reporters
- April 1, 2022
- Full Page
Americans who use insulin to control their diabetes could soon save hundreds of dollars every year on the medicine, after the House passed a $35-a-month cap on insulin costs Thursday.
The bi...