Long-Term Disability Insurance Gets Little Attention But Can Pay Off Big Time
People who become disabled because of accident, injury or illness can turn to long-term disability insurance to pay a portion of their income.
Michelle Andrews
Michelle Andrews is a contributing writer and former columnist for ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News. She has been writing about health care for more than 15 years. Her work has appeared frequently in The New York Times, where she wrote the Money and Medicine column and contributed regular news and features. Her work has also been published in Money, Fortune Small Business, National Geographic and Women’s Health magazines, among others. Michelle previously worked as a senior writer at U.S. News & World Report and at SmartMoney magazines. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University.
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Hepatitis C Drug’s Lower Cost Paves Way For Medicaid, Prisons To Expand Treatment
The drug, sold under the name Mavyret, can cure all six genetic types of the liver disease in eight weeks at a cost of $26,400, well below other options.
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Out-Of-Pocket Costs Often Keep Pricey New Cholesterol Drugs Out Of Reach, Study Finds
Research published this week by JAMA Cardiology analyzed pharmacy claims data related to a new class of cholesterol-lowering drugs.
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Need An MRI? Anthem Directs Most Outpatients To Independent Centers
The insurer says hospital-based imaging services are too expensive and the independent facilities provide high-quality care.
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Narrow Networks Get Even Tighter When Shopping For Mental Health Specialists
The average provider network includes only 11 percent of all the mental health care providers in a given market, according to a study this month in the journal Health Affairs.
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Bemoaning Budget Cuts, Navigators Say Feds Don’t Appreciate Scope Of The Job
The Trump administration has dramatically trimmed money for the groups that help people enroll in marketplace plans, but those navigators say federal officials have unrealistic assessments of the tasks involved.
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Prevention Experts Propose Easing Advice On Number Of Cervical Cancer Screenings
A draft recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says women between ages 30 and 65 should get a Pap test every three years or an HPV screening every five years, but they don’t need to do both.
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If You’re Blindsided By Health Plan Changes, Learn The Root Causes — And Your Rights
Insurers can reduce benefits or change cost sharing, but they are generally supposed to tell enrollees about the change beforehand. And although plans must tell patients when they are denied coverage, sometimes treatment is affected for other reasons.
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Mayo Pain Expert: Holistic Approach Helps Patients Ditch Opioids
Painkillers were never designed to be used over the long term, says the head of the Mayo Clinic’s pain rehabilitation center. Instead, patients should try other approaches, including relaxation therapies. But getting insurers to cover them might take coaxing.
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Oregon, Texas Are Latest States To Put Down Markers On Abortion Coverage
The governors of both states signed abortion legislation last week. Texas will restrict insurance coverage while Oregon will require that it be covered.
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Too Few Patients Follow The Adage: You Better Shop Around
Three-quarters of participants in a newly released study said they did not know of resources for comparing health care costs, while half said that if a website were available to provide such information, they would use it.
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Insurers Can Bend Out-Of-Network Rules For Patients Who Need Specific Doctors
Individuals who require very specialized care for their health are advised to make their case when a plan doesn’t cover their doctor.
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S.C. Taps Private Donors To Expand In-Home Services For At-Risk Moms
The expansion of the Nurse-Family Partnership, financed initially by the federal government and several philanthropies, must meet specific goals to get state contributions. Officials hope to add 3,200 women to the program.
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Florida Law Will Let Patients Get All Their Drug Renewals At The Same Time
The new law will help people with chronic conditions that require multiple prescriptions cut down on their shuttles to the drug store and could improve adherence to their drugs.
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Many Still Sidestep End-Of-Life Care Planning, Study Finds
Only about a third of U.S. adults have advance directives in place to guide the care they receive in the event that they are unable to make their own decisions about life-sustaining medical treatments.
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Over-The-Counter Devices Hold Their Own Against Costly Hearing Aids
In a head-to-head comparison, several of the cheaper devices performed nearly as well as the expensive hearing aids. The study lends credence to lawmakers’ efforts to get the FDA to set standards for over-the-counter versions.
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Trump Plan Might Cut Expenses For Some Insured Patients With Chronic Needs
High-deductible health insurance plans linked to a health savings account cannot cover some care and drug expenses for chronic health conditions until the patient has met a deductible.
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Unpaid Premiums? Switching Plans? What Changes Are Coming For 2018 Coverage
Readers have a variety of concerns about what’s going to happen with 2018 marketplace coverage.
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GOP Seeks To Sweeten Health Savings Account Deals. Will Consumers Bite?
A new study found that fewer than half of people with health savings accounts deposited any money in them in 2016.
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Your Credit Score Soon Will Get A Buffer From Medical-Debt Wrecks
Starting in September, the three main agencies will wait 180 days before including a medical debt on a credit report.
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