Those 65 and older joining Medicare for the first time can buy a supplemental, or "Medigap," policy, which covers many out-of-pocket costs, such as deductibles and copays, which can be substantial.
In an attempt by the Biden administration to help reduce sepsis-caused deaths, a specific treatment regimen must be followed for all patients with suspected sepsis, otherwise hospitals could lose funding.
Timing and cost of new vaccines vary by virus and health insurance status, but for COVID shots, including the updated ones expected to be available this fall, most people will still be able to get the vaccines for free.
While 70% of hospitals are compliant with the federal price transparency rule, the feds have sent more than 900 warning letters to hospitals about their posted data, with four hospitals fined for non-compliance.
While Biden's proposed regs on short-term plans are likely to go into effect this year or early next, the House-passed CHOICE Arrangement Act – a "cash for coverage" option — is unlikely to win favor in the Senate.
Hospitals, insurers like Aetna-CVS Health and corporate giants like Amazon are on a buying spree, snapping up primary care practices, furthering a move away from the neighborhood doctor.
Insurers and employers are expected to be reluctant or even unable to immediately begin charging copays or deductibles for the affected preventive care for certain services, such as screening for diabetes, hepatitis and certain cancers.
Many insurers are offering smaller networks of doctors and hospitals, and problems arise when patients cannot find local in-network providers and must pay more for out-of-network care or travel farther for in-network care.
If half of adults get COVID boosters at the new, higher prices, insurers, employers, and other payors would shell out $12.4 billion to $14.8 billion a year, a recent KFF report estimated.
The latest twist in a long-running dispute between the drug industry and insurers over which group is more to blame for rising costs to patients. And patients are, again, caught in the middle.