Your Out-of-Pocket Health Care Costs Need Not Be a Mystery
By Bernard J. Wolfson
A new California law requires health insurance companies to notify consumers how much remains on their deductibles and how close they are to their annual out-of-pocket spending limits.
Readers and Tweeters Find Disadvantages in Medicare Advantage
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
How Low Can They Go? Rural Hospitals Weigh Keeping Obstetric Units When Births Decline
By Charlotte Huff
Many small hospitals have shuttered their labor and delivery units as births decline. For those who resist the trend, some studies suggest that hospitals with low deliveries are more likely to see complications for patients. Doctors and public health experts say there is no magic number to determine when it is best to close an obstetrics unit.
Tu gasto de bolsillo en atención médica no debe ser un misterio
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Una ley de California firmada por el gobernador Gavin Newsom en octubre puede ayudar a clasificar una maraña de facturas médicas para entender qué cubre el plan de salud y cuándo comenzará la cobertura.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Why Health Care Is So Expensive, Chapter $22K
Congress is making slow progress toward completing its ambitious social spending bill, although its Thanksgiving deadline looks optimistic. Meanwhile, a new survey finds the average cost of an employer-provided family plan has risen to more than $22,000. That’s about the cost of a new Toyota Corolla. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Rebecca Love, a nurse academic and entrepreneur, about the impending crisis in nursing.
Daily Edition for Thursday, November 11, 2021
Thursday’s California health news summaries cover covid vaccination rates, boosters, winter worries, flu, vaping, mental health and more.
Researcher: Medicare Advantage Plans Costing Billions More Than They Should
By Fred Schulte
Some insurers pocketed ‘eye-popping’ overpayments, billing records show.
As Workers Struggle With Pandemic’s Impact, Employers Expand Mental Health Benefits
By Michelle Andrews
Many job-based health plans broadened their mental health and substance use coverage to make sure workers had the support they needed this year as pandemic stress lingered, the annual KFF survey finds. Also, the proportion of employers offering health insurance to their workers remained steady, and increases for premiums and out-of-pocket health expenses were moderate.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Wednesday’s California health news summaries cover the LAPD mandate, Newsom’s winter warning, covid costs, vaccines, jails, schools and more.
Hormone Blocker Sticker Shock — Again — As Patients Lose Cheaper Drug Option
By Sydney Lupkin, NPR News
Kids who need a hormone-blocking drug to delay puberty have lost an off-label option. The nearly identical drug the company still sells costs eight times more.
