The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
Michelle Andrews is a contributing writer and former columnist for ³Ō¹Ļ²»“ņģČ. 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 Womenās Health magazines, among others. Michelle previously worked as a senior writer at U.S. News & World Report and at SmartMoney magazines. She has a bachelorās degree from the University of Wisconsin and a masterās in journalism from Columbia University.
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Medicare doesnāt pay for an annual physical, but it does cover an annual wellness visit focused on preventing disease and disability by coming up with a āpersonalized prevention planā for future medical issues. It is important to use the correct term when scheduling a doctorās visit.
How "noncompete" clauses in contracts between doctors and hospitals or clinics prevent patients from seeing their longtime doctors.
More than 275 people ā mostly in Orthodox Jewish communities ā have been infected since the disease began spreading in October. Thatās about half of the confirmed cases in 11 states that were reported nationwide by the federal officials since January 2018.
New Mexico is one of several states looking at offering consumers a government-sponsored plan. The proposals would typically have benefits similar to what is available in Medicaid, the state-federal health plan for low-income people.
Medicare and many private insurers view prescribing drugs to improve sexual function as a lifestyle issue thatās not medically necessary to pay for.
As the number of people who inject drugs has soared, the rate of hepatitis C infection has climbed steeply, too, because the disease can be tied to sharing needles. Yet many drug patients are not checked for the virus that can damage the liver.
Enrollment is lagging compared with last yearās pace. But experts say sign-ups tend to accelerate as the deadline nears, and many people will be automatically re-enrolled, so the final numbers could approach last yearās totals.
Plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces for 2019 are on sale now. Consumers should check them out soon, because in many states most sales end on Dec. 15.
If a popular app used by many farmers markets to process federal supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits is no longer offered next spring, consumersā access to fresh produce may be stalled.
Fighting cancer often involves toxic therapies that can cause infertility. In the past couple of years, five states have moved to require that plans pay for services such as egg removal and storage.
The wide-ranging law has the potential to blindside many consumers whose health care comes from company and union health plans that are āself-funded,ā meaning they pay claims out of their own funds.
The column, which began in 2010 shortly after the federal health law was signed, helps explain how that law affected Americans. Michelle Andrews, the author, will continue to report for KHN.
Critics worry about the message federal officials are sending by approving a new birth control option, which uses a mobile phone app for women to track their body temperature and menstrual cycle to avoid pregnancy. But the more choices the better, some reproductive health experts say.
Many insurers added surcharges to policies they sold to individuals last year to make up for a cut in federal funding. Now, federal officials suggest that states encourage insurers to sell policies without those surcharges outside of the marketplace to help people who donāt get a premium subsidy.
Federal law bars insurers from using these test results for health coverage, but they can influence whether you get a plan covering long-term care.
With rising college costs, up to half of college studentsā finances are stretched so tight they report that they were either not getting enough to eat or were worried about it, studies find.
Many people forced into labor or the sex trade seek medical help at some point, and health care workers are being trained to identify them to offer assistance.
Some state Medicaid programs are not paying for the procedures, and Medicareās complicated payment rates have hospitals concerned that it will not cover all the costs.
Other readers ask what can be done to challenge unexpected medical bills ā whether the result of an emergency room visit or after a change in prescription drug coverage.
Proponents say the residencies provide help dealing with increasingly difficult cases, but some nursing groups contend that the programs are not necessary.
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