Latest California Healthline Stories
In Combating Surprise Bills, Lawmakers Miss Sky-High Air Ambulance Costs
The median cost of an air ambulance bill is more than $36,000 and seldom covered by insurance, sparking many consumer complaints. Yet none of the proposals introduced or circulating in Congress to fix surprise medical bills address these services.
Readers And Tweeters: No Rush To Judge Patients Who Leave The ER Without OK
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Forget The Shakedown. To Get Paid, Hospitals Get Creative.
An unexpected hospital bill can bust the family budget. That leaves lots of people with bills they can’t pay. Turns out, that’s a crisis for hospitals too, and some are getting creative about collecting debt.
Social Security Error Jeopardizes Medicare Coverage For 250,000 Seniors
The problem affects private drug policies and Medicare Advantage plans that provide both medical and drug coverage and substitute for traditional government-run Medicare. It could leave plan members without coverage.
Error del Seguro Social pone en riesgo cobertura de Medicare de 250,000 adultos mayores
El problema abarca a la cobertura de medicamentos recetados (Medicare parte D) y a los beneficiarios que tienen planes médicos de Medicare Advantage.
¿Es legal que cancelen tu cobertura de salud sin previo aviso?
Como le ocurrió a ésta, muchas familias olvidan el pago de una prima y son removidas de sus planes de salud sin recibir un alerta previa o claras notificaciones.
Dropped From Health Insurance Without Warning: Was It Legal?
People who buy insurance on their own may have little notice when something goes amiss. It’s a quirk in health policy at the heart of the next episode of ‘An Arm and a Leg’ podcast.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Expecting A Baby And Unexpectedly Dropped By Insurer
Health care — and how much it costs — is scary. But you’re not alone with this stuff, and knowledge is power. “An Arm and a Leg” is a podcast about these issues, and its second season is co-produced by KHN.
Newsom Proposes Penalty To Fund Health Insurance Subsidies
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to help an estimated 850,000 Californians pay their health insurance premiums and would fund his plan with a tax penalty on people who don’t have coverage. If he succeeds, California would be the first state to subsidize middle-income people who make too much to qualify for federal financial aid.
The Unexpected Perk Of My Group Pregnancy Care: New Friends
Group prenatal visits are catching on — they save money and reduce the risk of premature births. It turned out to be the best decision one couple made during their pregnancy.