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News Articles: Policy-ish

The No Surprises Act is intended to stop surprise medical bills. It could also slow the growth of health insurance premiums.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Coming soon, a surprise billing law may have unintended effects on health care

The new law means patients can't get hit with pricey, unexpected medical bills. Some experts say the regulation could also slow the growth of health insurance premiums.

October 14, 2021
|
By:
  • Julie Appleby
National Institutes of Health  Director Francis Collins is stepping down by the end of the year.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

As he steps down as the head of NIH, he has a warning about future pandemics

Francis Collins has served longer than any other director of the National Institutes of Health since 1971. He tells NPR he did not anticipate the culture wars taking over scientific fact.

October 05, 2021
|
By:
  • Nell Greenfieldboyce and
  • Scott Neuman
Democratic lawmakers are proposing a way to offer low-income adults Medicaid in states that have so far refused to expand the program. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., spoke about the issue during a press conference with fellow lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol on September 23, 2021.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Democrats' spending bill includes plan to get free health care to uninsured Americans

There are more than 2 million uninsured adults in states that didn't expand Medicaid. Congressional Democrats have a plan to cover them — if they can find money for it in the massive spending bill.

October 01, 2021
|
By:
  • Phil Galewitz
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) introduced the "Cover Now Act" outside the U.S. Capitol on June 17, 2021. The bill intends to close the health insurance gap in Texas and 11 other states that have not expanded Medicaid to uninsured adults. A similar fix is part of the spending bill being debated in Congress this week, and would provide affordable coverage for more than 2.2 million Americans.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

A death in Dallas: what's at stake as Congress weighs Medicaid fix for uninsured

More than 2 million Americans are uninsured because they live in the 12 states that didn't expand Medicaid. 60% are people of color. Will Congress help by including them in the new spending bill?

September 29, 2021
|
By:
  • Ashley Lopez
The U.S. is preparing for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, though exactly who needs one is not entirely clear.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Booster Shots Are Coming. Here's How To Figure Out If You Need One

With the back and forth on boosters from government agencies, many Americans are wondering if they really need an extra shot. Here is what the science says about who needs a booster now — and why.

September 24, 2021
|
By:
  • Michaeleen Doucleff and
  • Carmel Wroth
Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, appears before a Senate committee in July. Many public health leaders say letting the agency go so long without a permanent director has demoralized staff and sends the wrong message about the agency's importance.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

The FDA Has Been Without A Permanent Leader For 8 Months As COVID Cases Climb

Dr. Janet Woodcock, an administrative veteran of the Food and Drug Administration since the 1980s, has been acting director of the agency since January. Why is the permanent job so hard to fill?

September 22, 2021
|
By:
  • Rachana Pradhan
Macaques check out a camera in Galtaji Temple in Jaipur, India. Monkeys have been known to sneak into swimming pools, courts and even the halls of India's Parliament. One attorney told author Mary Roach about a macaque that infiltrated a medical institute and began pulling out patient IVs.

Tagged as: 

  • Science

Monkey Thieves, Drunk Elephants — Mary Roach Reveals A Weird World Of Animal 'Crime'

Roach researched animal misbehaviors for her new book, Fuzz. Though animals are all but charged with crimes when they run afoul of human values, she learns, they often have the last laugh.

September 14, 2021
|
By:
  • Dave Davies
The term "fetal heartbeat," as used in the new anti-abortion law in Texas, is misleading and not based on science, say physicians who specialize in reproductive health. What the ultrasound machine detects in an embryo at six weeks of pregnancy is actually just electrical activity from cells that aren't yet a heart. And the sound that you "hear" is actually manufactured by the ultrasound machine.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

The Texas Abortion Ban Hinges On 'Fetal Heartbeat.' Doctors Call That Misleading

The new Texas law bans abortions after a "fetal heartbeat" is detected, usually about six weeks into pregnancy. But doctors say that's not an actual medical term and it's being used inaccurately.

September 03, 2021
|
By:
  • Selena Simmons-Duffin
A health care worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City this year.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Federal Health Officials Want The White House To Slow Its COVID Booster Shot Rollout

The leaders of two federal health agencies are telling White House COVID-19 advisers that there is not enough data right now to make a blanket recommendation on boosters.

September 03, 2021
|
By:
  • Joe Neel
Only kids 12 and older are eligible — so far — to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the U.S. But the shots could be available for younger children as soon as this fall, say researchers studying the vaccine in that age group.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

A Shot Against COVID For Kids Under 12 — Your Questions Answered

A COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than 12 is not yet available, but research is well underway and the first shot for some kids in this age group is expected in the fall, doctors say.

August 18, 2021
|
By:
  • Will Stone,
  • Allison Aubrey,
  • and 1 more
Medicare is funded by a combination of money paid directly to the federal government from paychecks and taxes paid by working Americans. Most dental procedures and tests are not covered under traditional Medicare.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Democrats Hope To Beef Up Medicare With Dental, Vision And Hearing Benefits

When Medicare began in 1965, its backers expected benefits to expand over time, but politics have mostly stymied that. Congressional Democrats are trying again as part of a $3.5 trillion budget plan.

August 09, 2021
|
By:
  • Julie Rovner
A special open enrollment period on all Affordable Care Act marketplaces, including on the federal insurance exchange, <a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/" data-key="1338">HealthCare.gov</a>, runs until Aug. 15. Many people qualify for free or low-cost plans.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Uninsured Or Unemployed? You Might Be Missing Out On Free Health Insurance

Millions of people who need insurance are eligible for free health care plans. A special enrollment period is ending on Aug. 15. Here's how to sign up in time.

August 03, 2021
|
By:
  • Selena Simmons-Duffin
Choices-Memphis Center for Reproductive Health is one of two abortion clinics in the Memphis metro area, with a population of 1.3 million.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Long Drives, Costly Flights, And Wearying Waits: What Abortion Requires In The South

Restrictive abortion laws across the South mean more women are traveling across state lines to find safe services.

August 02, 2021
|
By:
  • Sarah Varney
For Charlie Kjelshus, "the birthday rule" meant that dad Mikkel's plan ― with a high deductible and coinsurance obligation ― was deemed her primary coverage after her stay as a newborn in the neonatal intensive care unit. Mom Kayla's more generous plan was considered secondary coverage. It left her parents with a huge bill.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Proposed Law Would End Health Insurance 'Birthday Rule' That Snags New Parents

The bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas, could save some parents from unexpected (and sometimes massive) medical bills.

July 29, 2021
|
By:
  • Cara Anthony
Insurers sometimes don't cover certain contraceptive methods for free, though they are supposed to cover most by law. Even for long-established methods, like IUDs, insurers sometimes make it hard for women to get coverage by requiring preapproval.

Tagged as: 

  • Health

Contraception Is Free To Women, Except When It's Not

The Affordable Care Act requires most insurers to cover a comprehensive list of FDA-approved birth control methods at no cost. But insurers often make it hard for women to get the products they want.

July 21, 2021
|
By:
  • Michelle Andrews
  • Load More

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