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Biden Administration Moves to Boost Health Care to the Homeless

A new rule allows health care providers to be reimbursed for treating homeless people wherever they are, rather than just in hospitals or clinics.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began al...

1 in 4 Older, Low-Income Americans Are Uninsured

As people age, health issues tend to mount, but roughly a quarter of low-income adults over 65 have no medical insurance.

That's the age when most Americans become eligible for Medicare, the federal health insurance for seniors. But many of the uninsured seniors are Hispanic Americans who aren't eligible for that coverage, or lower income people who may not be able to afford Medicare prem...

Tech 'Glitch' Is Causing Kids to Lose Medicaid Coverage

A Medicaid “glitch” is removing health care coverage for potentially millions of children, U.S. health officials warned Wednesday.

Automated systems involved in a large-scale eligibility review are causing entire households to be removed from Medicaid coverage, according to a

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • August 31, 2023
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  • Paperwork Causing Many Americans to Lose Medicaid Coverage, White House Warns

    Large numbers of Americans who were dropped from Medicaid this spring lost their coverage because of paperwork problems, and not because they weren't still eligible for the public health insurance program.

    “I am deeply concerned about high rates of procedural terminations due to ‘red tape' and other paperwork issues,” Health and Human Services Secretary

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • July 31, 2023
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  • With New Proposed Rules, Biden Administration Pushes Insurers to Boost Mental Health Coverage

    President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that his administration is seeking new rules to push insurance companies to increase coverage of mental health treatment.

    The new rules, which still must go through a public comment period, would require insurers to study if customers have the same medical and mental health benefits and fix any disparities if they don't.

    "You know, we can all ag...

    Biden Moves to Lower Health Care Costs, Limit Insurance Junk Fees

    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 the law and playing games to charge crazy, outrageous prices has to end,” President Joe Biden said in remarks o...

    Appeals Court Ruling Keeps Obamacare Preventive Health Care Coverage in Place for Now

    Americans will continue to be able to get free preventive health care services -- at least for now.

    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans temporarily blocked a lower court decision on Monday, pausing a ruling that challenged an Affordable Care Act provision that all health plans cover certain care, the New York Times reported.

    The earlier ruling i...

    Ranks of U.S. Uninsured Fell by 18% During COVID Pandemic

    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 Prevention. That meant 5.6 million more people were insured last year.

    Why the big change?

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • May 16, 2023
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  • Moderna Will Offer Free COVID Shots to Uninsured After Emergency Ends

    American adults who have no health insurance or those who are underinsured will still be able to get free COVID vaccines from Moderna, even after government-purchased supplies run out, the company announced Monday.

    "Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines will continue to be available at no cost for insured people whether they receive them at their doctors' offices or local pharmacies. For uninsured ...

    Big Changes Are Coming to U.S. Health Care as Pandemic Emergencies Expire

    Americans received unprecedented access to health care during the pandemic, including hassle-free public insurance and free tests, treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.

    Now, they need to prepare for most of that to unwind, experts say.

    “Essentially, Congress and the administration moved to a model of universal health coverage for COVID vaccines, treatments and tests” during the ...

    Pregnant Women in Rural America Often Lack Health Insurance, Upping Risks

    New research suggests that pregnant women and new moms in rural U.S. areas are at greater risk of adverse outcomes, including death, because they are more likely to be uninsured.

    Women living in rural communities had lower rates of uninterrupted health insurance before, during and after pregnancy compared to those in urban areas, a University of Michigan study found.

    “Being uninsu...

    Record 16.5 Million Americans Have Signed Up for Obamacare

    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: More people signed up for plans this year than ever before, and the uninsured rate is at an all-time low,"

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • January 25, 2023
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  • It's Getting Tougher to Afford Health Care, Even With Employer-Sponsored Insurance

    Most working-age Americans get health insurance through their employer, but even they are finding it tougher to afford medical care these days, a new study shows.

    Researchers found that over the past 20 years, a growing number of Americans with job-based health insurance have been skipping medical care due to costs. Women have been particularly hard-hit.

  • Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
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  • December 29, 2022
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  • Higher Price Tag Doesn't Guarantee Better Quality Joint Replacement: Study

    The prices that health insurers agree to pay for joint replacement surgery vary widely and are unrelated to conventional measures of the quality of care.

    That's the conclusion of a new study that found who is footing the bill is the biggest influence on the price tag.

    Total joint replacements (TJR) — especially of knees and hips — are the most common in-hospital surgeries for U....

    Paxlovid Soon Won't Be Free for Americans

    The antiviral Paxlovid has kept people from getting really sick and dying from COVID-19 since it became available -- at no cost to them.

    But by the middle of next year, the U.S. government will stop subsidizing the medication. Instead, it will be billed for like many other medications.

    While the Biden administration has paid about $530 for each course of the medication by buying 2...

    High Deductibles Keep Some Women From Follow-Up After Troubling Mammogram

    Out-of-pocket costs may make as many as 1 in 5 women forgo additional screening when an initial mammogram finds an abnormality, a new U.S. study finds.

    The Affordable Care Act improved access to mammograms, but high-deductible insurance plans appear to keep women from important follow-ups, according to the findings.

    "The ACA removed out-of-pocket costs for screening mammograms unde...

    When a Parent Is Jailed, Children's Health Care Suffers

    Children's health is jeopardized when they have a parent in prison, new research finds.

    In the United States, 5 million kids have an incarcerated parent. Those children have worse access to primary, dental and mental health care than their peers, the investigators found.

    And that puts the kids at risk of worse mental and physical health outcomes, according to the study.

    “...

    Medical Debt Can Crush Even the Insured, Study Shows

    Weeks after a stay in the hospital, your bill arrives and you can barely believe the amount due. How is this even possible if you have good health insurance and, more importantly, how will you pay it?

    Unfortunately, you're not alone. More than one in 10 American adults and nearly one in five U.S. households have

  • Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
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  • September 19, 2022
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  • Many Who Need Opioid OD Antidote the Most Can't Afford It

    Naloxone is a lifesaving antidote to an opioid overdose, but it may be priced too high for those most vulnerable to opioid-related death, a new study finds.

    Between 2014 and 2018, naloxone costs rose 500% for those without insurance, while out-of-pocket costs for the medication dropped 26% for people with i...

    Countries With Universal Health Care Had Better Child Vaccination Rates During Pandemic

    Countries that are closer to achieving universal health coverage saw smaller declines in routine childhood vaccinations during the pandemic, a new study reveals.

    The World Health Organization describes universal health coverage as "all individuals and communities receive the health services...

    Just 8% of Americans Lack Health Insurance, a Record Low

    The number of Americans without health insurance continues to drop, reaching 8% in 2022 -- a record low.

    That leaves about 26 million people living in America without health insurance.

    The announcement was made Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

    "Every American has the right to the peace of mind that comes with access to affordable, quality health ...

    8/8 -- Inflation Has Many Americans Cutting Back on Health Care, Poll Finds

    Inflation is putting Americans' health at risk, with nearly 2 in 5 struggling to pay for the care they need, according to a new West Health-Gallup poll.

    About 38% -- which translates to an estimated 98 million Americans -- said rising health care prices had caused them to skip treatments, delay buying prescription drugs or pay for their care by borrowing money or cutting back on driving, ...

    Cancer in Uninsured Often Diagnosed at More Advanced, Lethal Stage

    Not having health insurance can be deadly if cancer strikes: A new study shows that people without it are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancers and face lower survival rates than their insured peers.

    The difference was particularly marked for six cance...

    Annual Health Care Costs Rise by $2,000 for Americans Who Vape

    Think vaping is cheap?

    A study from the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing reports that annual health care costs for users of electronic cigarettes were $2,024 more per person than for those who use no tobacco products.

    <...

    The High Cost of Living With Sickle Cell Disease

    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 inherited blood disorder, the

  • By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
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  • May 23, 2022
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  • Pandemic Medicaid Rules Allowed More Women to Stay Insured After Childbirth

    Far fewer U.S. women lost health insurance coverage after giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic than in previous years, likely due to a federal law that prevented Medicaid from dropping people, researchers say.

    But they noted that the Fa...

    COVID Hospital Stays Leave Some Survivors With Big Medical Bills

    Severe COVID can inflict heavy physical damage on patients, but many recovering from their infection also take a financial hit, a new study finds.

    Up to 10% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are billed $2,000 or more six months after leaving the hospital, even when insurance providers waive their charges, researchers report.

    "Bills for post-discharge care can be large for some...

    Crowdfunding for Medical Costs Almost Always Fails

    You have almost certainly seen the pleas while scrolling through social media: Called crowdfunding, folks try to raise money to pay for their sick loved one's mounting medical bills.

    But new research shows these grassroots campaigns rarely raise enough money to make a difference.

    According to GoFundMe, which corner...

    Calif. Universal Health Care System Bill Faces Monday Deadline

    California lawmakers must vote by Monday on whether to keep a bill to create a universal health care system moving forward.

    Monday, Jan. 31, is the last chance for California Democrats in the Assembly to keep the

  • Robert Preidt and Robin Foster
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  • January 31, 2022
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  • 1 in 3 U.S. Children Lack Adequate Health Insurance

    Though they live in one of the world's richest nations, a growing number of young Americans are without ample health insurance.

    A new study reports that 34% of U.S. kids age 17 and under were "...

    Racial Disparities Persist With Childhood Cancers

    Black kids and Hispanic kids with cancer fare worse than their white counterparts, a large, nationwide study finds.

    "This study suggests that improving health insurance coverage and access to care for children, especially those with low [socioeconomic status], may reduce racial/ethnic survival disparities," Jingxuan Zhao, an associate scientist at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, a...

    Millions Who Joined Medicaid During Health Emergency Could Soon Lose Coverage

    When the COVID-19 public health emergency ends, a new crisis in insurance coverage in the United States may begin.

    Fifteen million Americans who enrolled in Medicaid during the pandemic could lose their coverage when the emergency declaration ends, according to an analysis by the Urban Institute, a social policy think tank.

    Its researchers said states can minimize disenrollment by k...

    Turning 65 Brings Big Health Care Cost Savings, Study Finds

    When Americans are eligible for Medicare at age 65, they see a significant drop in their out-of-pocket medical costs.

    Lowering the eligibility age would save even more, especially for people with the highest out-of-pocket costs, according to a new study.

    "Me...

    Obamacare's Medicaid Expansion Helped Americans' Blood Pressure

    With the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare, fewer Americans are uninsured and more are getting their blood pressure and blood sugar under control, a new study finds.

    The gains are especially strong among Black and Hispanic patients, according to Boston University researchers.

    "Our results suggest that over the longer-run, expanding Medicaid eligibility may improve key chronic di...

    Little Change in Number of Uninsured in  Pandemic's First Year

    While the COVID-19 pandemic has had a big impact on the economy and jobs, it didn't result in fewer Americans having health insurance.

    The number of 18- to 64-year-olds in the United States without health insurance held steady at 11% between March 2019 and April 2021, according to a survey by the Urban Institute, a social policy research organization.

    "Unlike the last recession, los...

    Did Obamacare Expand Access to Insurance for Minorities? In Some U.S. States, Hardly at All

    The Affordable Care Act (ACA) reduced the ranks of uninsured Americans, but a recent study shows that many U.S. states did little to close racial gaps in health coverage.

    Researchers found that in the two years after the ACA came into force, some U.S. states showed large reductions in the number of Black, Hispanic and low-income residents who were uninsured.

    Other states, however, s...

    Patients of Color Less Likely to Get Specialist Care Than White Patients

    People of color are consistently less likely to see medical specialists than white patients are, a new U.S. study finds, highlighting yet another disparity in the nation's health care system.

    Researchers found that compared with their white counterparts, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans had significantly fewer visits to doctors of various specialties -- ranging from...

    Gap in Breast Cancer Survival for Black, White Patients Shrinks, But Not by Enough

    Racial disparities in breast cancer survival have narrowed in recent years, but Black women with the disease still have double the death rate of white women.

    That's according to a study that tracked breast cancer trends in Florida between 1990 and 2015. Overall, deaths from the disease declined among Black, Hispanic and white women alike -- with the improvement being greater among minorit...

    Cost a Barrier to Cervical Cancer Screening for Many U.S. Women

    Many women in the United States aren't screened for cervical cancer because they can't afford it, a new study finds.

    Screening helps reduce cervical cancer cases and deaths, but disparities in screening rates exist based on income, insurance status, race and ethnicity.

    "Low-income women need greater access to insurance coverage options, Medicaid eligibility, or free screening progra...

    Out-of-Pocket Costs Delay Cancer Follow-Up Care, Even for the Insured

    About 1 in 10 U.S. cancer survivors delays follow-up care because they can't afford associated medical bills, even if they're insured.

    That's the conclusion from an analysis of data from more than 5,400 survivors of various cancers. Most were insured, college-educated and had annual incomes above the national average. Their average age was 67, and most were female and white.

    Up to 1...

    It's Still Tough to Find Prices on Most U.S. Hospital Websites

    U.S. hospitals have been required to make their prices public since 2019, but 18 months into the rule more than half weren't doing it, a new study finds.

    In 2018, the Trump administration issued a rule requiring hospitals to publish their "chargemasters" on their websites. A chargemaster is a rundown of a hospital's services, along with their list prices - something akin to the manufactur...

    For the Poor, Even a Small Medical Bill Can Trigger Coverage Loss

    WEDNESDAY, May 12, 2021 (HealthDay News) - When people with low incomes are asked to help pay for their health insurance, some drop their coverage, even when bills as low as $20 per month arrive.

    That's the upshot of a new study of Medicaid expansion in the state of Michigan.

    Leaving the insurance plan means people may miss out on preventive care or timely treatment of illnesses. It...

    Fear of Losing Health Insurance Keeps 1 in 6 U.S. Workers in Their Jobs

    Many American workers remain in jobs they'd rather leave -- simply because they don't want to lose their health insurance, a new Gallup poll reveals.

    That's the situation for 16% of respondents in a nationwide poll of more than 3,800 adults conducted March 15-21.

    The fear is strongest among Black workers. Pollsters found they are more likely to keep an unwanted job at 21% than Hispa...

    Buying Your Own Health Insurance Just Got Way Less Expensive

    Tens of millions of Americans will find it substantially more affordable to buy their own health insurance starting this month, thanks to generous financial help included in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) signed by President Joe Biden in March.

    That includes many people who've already bought a plan for this year, as well as people who don't have insurance right now.

    Health poli...

    Pandemic Unemployment Has Taken Its Own Deadly Toll

    With U.S. deaths from COVID-19 passing the grim milestone of a half-million, a new study suggests that another 30,000-plus Americans have died due to pandemic-related unemployment.

    Using various data sources, researchers estimated that number of deaths between April 2020 and March 2021 could be attributed to pandemic-fueled job losses.

    And in a pattern that's been repeatedly seen, B...

    Segregation, Poverty Tied to Worse Outcomes for Black Lung Cancer Patients

    Racial segregation may help explain why Black Americans with lung cancer do more poorly than their white counterparts, a new study suggests.

    For years, U.S. studies have documented racial disparities in lung cancer. Black Americans are less likely to receive surgery for early-stage lung cancer -- the standard of care -- and they typically die sooner.

    The reasons, however, are not fu...

    Support for Obamacare Grows as Biden Takes Control: Poll

    The popularity of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, continues to grow, with nearly two-thirds of Americans saying they want the law to remain as is or be improved, a new Harris/HealthDay poll shows.

    About 34% of U.S. adults think the Affordable Care Act should remain in place, and another 28% believe it should stay but have some parts changed, according to poll results taken...

    Obamacare Boosts Colon Cancer Diagnosis, Care: Study

    Colon cancer treatment for low-income Americans has improved with Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, a new study says.

    That includes earlier diagnosis, increased access to treatment and better surgical care, according to the researchers.

    They compared data for more than 4,400 patients in 19 states that expanded Medicaid in January 2014 and more than 6,000 patients in ...

    Obamacare Helped More Americans Spot Cancers Early: Study

    As the Affordable Care Act faces scrutiny once more from the U.S. Supreme Court, new research shows it may be helping to save American lives otherwise lost to cancer.

    The study found that expansions of health insurance coverage through Medicaid -- a feature of Obamacare -- appeared tied to a rise in the number of cancers spotted via screening when they were still early in development. Can...

    Health Coverage Takes Big Hit With Pandemic-Related Job Cuts

    Up to 7.7 million U.S. workers lost jobs with employer-sponsored health insurance during the coronavirus pandemic, and 6.9 million of their dependents also lost coverage, a new study finds.

    Workers in manufacturing, retail, accommodation and food services were especially hard-hit by job losses, but unequally impacted by losses in insurance coverage.

    Manufacturing accounted ...