Health Insurance

Nonprofit RIP Medical Debt buys up unpaid hospital bills plaguing low-income patients and frees them from having to pay.

Medical breakthroughs mean cancer is less likely to kill, but survival can come at an extraordinary cost as patients drain savings, declare bankruptcy or lose their homes, a KHN-NPR investigation finds.

MRIs done early for uncomplicated low back pain and routine vitamin D tests "just to be thorough" are considered "low-value care" and can lead to further testing that can cost patients thousands.

Some consumers sign up for Obamacare and find out later they actually purchased a membership to a health care sharing ministry. But regulators and online advertising sites don't do much about it.

Insurers say prior authorization requirements are intended to reduce wasteful and inappropriate health care spending. But they can baffle patients waiting for approval. And doctors say that insurers have yet to follow through on commitments to improve the process.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 increased and enhanced premium tax credits for marketplace insurance coverage, but they will expire after 2022.

The WA Cares Fund would help alleviate the financial burden of long-term care by providing workers a lifetime benefit of $36,500. The program was delayed while lawmakers addressed equity issues.

Though the majority of Medicaid recipients have smartphones, most states - including Florida - will rely on snail mail and email to tell people their coverage is at risk with the end of the COVID public health emergency.

The Biden administration has asked Congress to allocate $22.5 billion more for pandemic relief. But the funding is stalled and the effects are already being felt.

UnitedHealthcare members in Broward could lose in-network access to Broward Health’s hospitals and ambulatory care facilities if the entities fail to reach an agreement by the end of the month.