Kaiser Health News
Four companies running urgent care centers in New York have agreed to disclose more fully which insurance plans they accept, following an inquiry by the state's attorney general that found unclear or incomplete information on their websites that could result in larger-than-expected bills for consumers.
Medicaid spending soared nearly 14 percent last year--its biggest annual increase in at least two decades--as a result of millions of newly eligible low-income enrollees signing up under the Affordable Care Act, according to a report released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Opponents of the tax fear that more out-of-pocket costs for consumers will add to the difficulty many Americans already have paying their medical bills, now that high-deductible health plans are commonplace.
The monthly cost is increasing an average 26 percent for UnitedHealthcare's AARP MedicareRx Saver Plus while the First Health Value Plus plan is dropping an average 13 percent, according to an analysis of the 10 most popular drug plans by Avalere Health, a research firm.
President Barack Obama signed legislation last week that makes a significant change in the health law's small business rules, following a rare bipartisan effort to amend the health law.
There are nearly 4 million births a year in the U.S. and 98 percent still arrive in hospitals, but the increase in birth centers run by midwives has obstetricians, health insurers and hospitals taking notice.
Although larger practices may have the resources to provide benefits to patients through better care coordination or access to new technologies, among other things, these practices' greater market power may enable them to charge higher prices than smaller practices, the study authors said.
Private Health Management, a Los Angeles based company that - for a substantial fee - helps patients figure out what's wrong with them, often after an array of doctors have failed to do so.
According to an analysis released Wednesday, it can pay to shop around for women's health care, with mammograms and other routine services often costing far more in one office than in another.
Last month Broward Health agreed to pay $70 million to settle allegations that it engaged in "improper financial relationships" with doctors under laws prohibiting kickbacks in return for patient referrals.