‘Free’ Screening? Know Your Rights to Get No-Cost Care
By Julie Appleby
Even a decade in, the Affordable Care Act’s recommendations to simply cover preventive screening and care without cost sharing remain confusing and complex.
How Much Health Insurers Pay for Almost Everything Is About to Go Public
By Julie Appleby
New government rules force health insurers to publicly disclose what they pay for just about every service. That information could help consumers and employers know whether they’re getting a fair deal.
New Weight Loss Treatment Is Marked by Heavy Marketing and Modest Results
By Julie Appleby
Approved as a device, not a drug, Plenity contains a plant-based gel that swells to fill 25% of a person’s stomach, to help people eat less. Results vary widely but are modest on average.
Nuevo tratamiento para adelgazar: mucho marketing y resultados discretos
By Julie Appleby
Plenity está aprobado por la FDA como un dispositivo que contiene granos de un hidrogel absorbente de origen vegetal. Cada grano se “infla” hasta 100 veces su tamaño, llenando una cuarta parte del estómago de una persona.
Judge’s Decision Would Make Some No-Cost Cancer Screenings a Thing of the Past
By Julie Appleby and Michelle Andrews
A U.S. District Court ruling overturned the section of the Affordable Care Act that makes preventive health services — from colonoscopies to diabetes screenings and more — available at no cost to consumers.
Decisión de un juez haría que algunas pruebas de detección de cáncer sin costo fueran cosa del pasado
By Julie Appleby and Michelle Andrews
La decisión podría afectar los exámenes de detección sin copago y servicios preventivos similares que la mayoría de los estadounidenses con seguro tienen como parte de sus planes de salud.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Congress Punts to a Looming Lame-Duck Session
Congress left Washington for the campaign trail this week, but not before approving a spending bill that expires shortly before Christmas. Lawmakers will be busy after the election working on not just the legislation needed to keep the government running, but also several health programs set to expire. Meanwhile, Republicans continue to downplay abortion as Democrats press it as a campaign issue. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
As Red Cross Moves to Pricey Blood Treatment Method, Hospitals Call for More Choice
By Julie Appleby
The nation’s largest supplier of platelets is moving to a method it says is easier for hospitals, but one that sharply raises costs, leading some centers to demand more options.
Sweeping, Limited, or No Powers at All? What’s at Stake in the Mask Mandate Appeal
By Julie Appleby
Dictionaries, public comments, and even an old court case that involved underwear pricing could play a role as the government appeals a ruling that sharply limits federal authority during pandemics.
ACA Sign-Ups for Low-Income People Roll Out Amid Brokers’ Concerns About Losing Their Cut
By Julie Appleby
The Biden administration unveiled a new special enrollment option aimed at signing up low-income Americans for Affordable Care Act coverage — even if it is outside of the usual annual open enrollment period. But insurers are cutting broker commissions at the same time.
