The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
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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A study by health consultant Avalere finds that three-quarters of those eligible for the highest levels of premium help enrolled in marketplace plans, but many others with only slightly higher incomes did not.
The financial consequences of not getting insurance and the effort to reconcile premium subsidies with income are new dynamics in the current tax season.
A survey by benefits consultant Mercer finds that most large employers already met the law’s requirement to provide coverage to those who work 30 hours or more.
Except for a few insurers in Albany and the western part of the state, all the policies sold in the individual market are HMOs that will not pay anything toward routine expenses from doctors or hospitals not in their networks.
Under the agreement, medical bills will not be added to a consumer’s credit report for six months to give the patient and insurer time to pay.
Employment experts say firms can require workers to take the coverage that is offered.
The rule guarantees legally married same sex couples can take unpaid time off to care for a spouse or sick relatives, even if they live in a state that doesn’t recognize the marriage.
A new regulation takes effect in April that expands the circumstances that enable people to sign up or switch health coverage, even though open enrollment officially ended Feb. 15.
KHN consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers readers’ questions about enrolling at this point in marketplace plans, CHIP enrollment and Medicare disability.
A recent survey found that 44 percent of people who could be hit with penalties for not getting covered don’t know the consequences they face.
Consumers struggle with the lack of transparency. For example, some physicians can be in-network when they are working at one office or hospital but not when they are at another. Or they may belong to a medical group that is affiliated with your plan, but they don’t participate.
Many people will find out about the penalties for not having insurance in 2014 only when they file their taxes, but by then it will be too late to enroll and avoid the same problem in 2015. Advocates want the government to offer them a special enrollment period.
The request ran afoul of the official policy against allowing most insurers to join the statewide exchange for three years that didn't choose to sell there when it opened in 2014. But officials last month also made some exceptions for insurers that want to operate in poorly served areas.
The health overhaul mandated that insurers cover all costs for FDA-approved methods of birth control, but advocates and consumers say some plans have placed certain generic birth control pills among classes of drugs that require cost sharing.
About 400,000 beneficiaries have until the end of this month to reconsider their Medicare Part D plan choices after Aetna incorrectly identified some pharmacies as being in-network, dropped others and removed some from "preferred" network status.
Health insurance marketplace customers who received too much in tax credits in 2014 won’t face a late penalty if they don’t pay back the money by April 15, but they still face interest charges.
KHN’s consumer columnist answers questions from readers about premiums, the health law’s tax credits and penalties.
Healthcare.gov only allows insurance plans to list cost sharing details for four drug tiers, but many plans on the website have more than that, potentially leading to consumer confusion, according to an analysis by Avalere Health.
Hospitals in the state are among the leaders in developing new medical liability initiatives and a recently enacted law helps consumers who want to challenge hospitals and doctors.
The majority of people choosing the private plans for Medicare coverage were switching out of the traditional program, research in the journal Health Affairs finds.
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