Aging
A Former ‘Young Invincible’ Looks Forward to Health Insurance
Bad Stevens, 54, from Lakeport, Calif., used to think vitamins and exercise would keep him healthy. After a battle with thyroid cancer, Stevens doesn’t consider himself invincible anymore (Photo by Heidi de Marco/KHN). This post has been updated to reflect the subject’s 2014 insurance coverage. Click here to read. Have you heard of the young […]
Costliest 1 Percent Of Patients Account For 21 Percent Of U.S. Health Spending
This KHN story was produced in collaboration with A 58-year-old Maryland woman breaks her ankle, develops a blood clot and, unable to find a doctor to monitor her blood-thinning drug, winds up in an emergency room 30 times in six months. A 55-year-old Mississippi man with severe hypertension and kidney disease is repeatedly hospitalized for […]
Seniors Cautioned To Pay Close Attention To Details As Enrollment Begins In Medicare Plans
This KHN story was produced in collaboration with The seven-week enrollment period for next year’s Medicare prescription drug and managed-care plans begins Tuesday, but seniors shouldn’t simply renew their policies and assume the current coverage will stay the same. There’s a likely payoff for those who pay close attention to the details. Among the top […]
Options For Consumers When COBRA Coverage Runs Out
Q: I am a widow receiving medical coverage through COBRA and reimburse my husband’s former employer for the premium. Is it possible to continue “buying” my coverage through the company once the maximum 36 months are over? A: That’s probably not going to be possible. Under the federal law known as COBRA, you’re entitled to […]
Key Senate, House Committee Chairmen Offer Plan To Fix Medicare Doctor Payments
The Democratic and Republican leaders of two key congressional committees have agreed on a framework to scrap the problematic Medicare payment formula for physicians and replace it with one that would link physician reimbursement to the quality of care provided, a step that could put an end to the annual “doc fix” debate. The discussion draft […]
Table: Medicare Spending By State And Category
One out of every five dollars Medicare spends goes to nursing homes, home health services or other post-acute facilities and services. The spending varies greatly between states: Louisiana spends 31 percent on post-acute services while Hawaii spends 12 percent. This chart breaks down Medicare’s 2011 spending into five broad categories. The totals may not add […]
Medicare Seeks To Curb Spending On Post-Hospital Care
This KHN story was produced in collaboration with After years of trying to clamp down on hospital spending, the federal government wants to get control over what Medicare spends on nursing homes, home health services and other medical care typically provided to patients after they have left the hospital. Researchers have discovered huge discrepancies in […]
UnitedHealthcare Dropping Hundreds Of Doctors From Medicare Advantage Plans
This KHN story was produced in collaboration with Dorathy Senay’s doctor had some bad news after her last checkup, but it wasn’t about her serious blood disorder called amyloidosis. Her Medicare Advantage managed care plan from UnitedHealthcare/AARP is terminating the doctor’s contract Feb. 1. She is also losing her oncologist at the prestigious Yale Medical […]
When Palliative Care Is The Best Care
This KHN story was produced in collaboration with SEATTLE — Leanne Henry winced. Five weeks had passed since her liver transplant, and she hurt just lying still. Katie Schlenker softly touched her leg. “Are you still in a lot of pain?” Henry, a petite mother of five who has been hospitalized since early September, closed […]
How Palliative Care Helps: One Iowa Family’s Journey
When palliative care specialist Dr. Tim Ihrig crosses the threshold of the Avelleyras home, he steps over a doormat that says, “One nice person and one old grouch live here.” It doesn’t take long to figure out who the nice person is. Phyllis Avelleyra grew up on a farm in western Iowa and met her […]