How to Avoid Surprise Bills — And the Pitfalls in the New Law
Patients are no longer required to pay for out-of-network care given without their consent when they receive treatment at hospitals covered by their health insurance since a federal law took effect at the start of this year. But the law’s protections against the infuriating, expensive scourge of surprise medical bills may be only as good […]
Cómo evitar facturas médicas sorpresa… y las “trampas” de la nueva ley
Los pacientes ya no están obligados a pagar por la atención médica que hayan recibido por fuera de la red de su plan de salud sin su consentimiento, al ser tratados en hospitales que están dentro de su cobertura. Esto es así desde que entró en vigencia una ley federal a principios de este año. […]
‘American Diagnosis’: A Fuller Moon Rising — Revised ‘Violence Against Women Act’ Offers Hope
Editor’s note: This episode includes descriptions of violence that some might find disturbing. Intimate partner violence, also known as domestic violence, can take the form of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse. If you or someone you know is experiencing intimate partner violence, help is available. StrongHearts Native Helpline provides culturally appropriate support and advocacy for […]
‘An Arm and a Leg’: Need an Expensive Drug? Here’s What You Need to Know
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen. Click here for a transcript of the episode. Lillian Karabaic teaches personal finance to millennials through a podcast and community called Oh My Dollar! — and she needs an expensive drug to treat a chronic condition. That makes her an expert on one of the most complex arrangements in the […]
Medicare Advantage Plans Send Pals to Seniors’ Homes for Companionship — And Profits
Widowed and usually living alone, Gloria Bailey walks with a cane after two knee replacement surgeries and needs help with housekeeping. So she was thrilled last summer when her Medicare Advantage plan, SummaCare, began sending a worker to her house in Akron, Ohio, to mop floors, clean dishes, and help with computer problems. Some days, […]
Want Vulnerable Californians to Have Healthier Pregnancies? Doulas Say the State Must Pay Up.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — This was supposed to be the year that low-income Californians could hire a doula to guide them through pregnancy and advocate for them in the hospital. But the new benefit for people enrolled in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid health insurance program, has been delayed twice as the state and doulas — nonmedical […]
Despite Seniors’ Strong Desire to Age in Place, the Village Model Remains a Boutique Option
Twenty years ago, a group of pioneering older adults in Boston created an innovative organization for people committed to aging in place: Beacon Hill Village, an all-in-one social club, volunteer collective, activity center, peer-to-peer support group, and network for various services. Its message of “we want to age our way in our homes and our […]
More Black Americans Are Buying Guns. Is It Driving Up Black Suicide Rates?
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. When Russell and Sharis Lewis want to unwind, they pack up their guns and drive from their home in a suburb north of St. Louis to an indoor […]
Pandemic Medical Innovations Leave Behind People With Disabilities
Divya Goel, a 35-year-old deaf-blind woman in Orlando, Florida, has had two telemedicine doctors’ appointments during the pandemic. Each time, she was denied an interpreter. Her doctors told her she would have to get insurance to pay for an interpreter, which is incorrect: Under federal law, it is the physician’s responsibility to provide one. Goel’s […]
Listen: What We’ve Learned After Two Years of the Pandemic
CNN’s Brian Stelter marks the two-year anniversary of the pandemic on his “Reliable Sources” podcast in conversation with KHN Editor-in-Chief Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal and James Hamblin, a former staff writer at The Atlantic. The journalists discuss how society grappled with the trauma of the covid-19 pandemic and the governmental missteps that compounded that trauma. “Everyone […]