Elisabeth Rosenthal reports for The Washington Post on a patient with psoriatic arthritis who was misled about the true cost of his medications in advance of starting them. Even with more than $9,000 in copay assistance from the...
2026: Medicare Advantage enrollment declines in seven states and enrollment in Traditional Medicare grows
Health insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans are pulling out of several low-margin markets with the goal of boosting profits, reports Jakob Emerson for Becker’s. Overall, Medicare Advantage enrollment grew just 2.5 percent...
People with medical debt are likely to face housing insecurity
Even with health insurance, health care costs are so high in the US and so out of sync with wages that some 100 million Americans currently have medical debt totalling $220 billion. But, that’s not all. Medical debt appears to...
Insurers are expanding the role of AI to deny care and boost profits
Health insurers are looking to AI as a means to boost profits, as health care costs rise and profit margins fall, reports Casey Ross for Stat News. Enrollees should expect AI to second-guess their treating physicians and deny...
Should drug companies advertise to Americans?
It wasn’t until 1997 that the FDA opened the door for drug companies to advertise directly to Americans. Until then, the thinking was that patients should learn about medications from their doctors. Paula Span reports for the...
Health systems are pulling out of Medicare Advantage in droves
While more than half of people with Medicare are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, hospital systems increasingly find that they can’t make it as in-network Medicare Advantage providers. Ninety health systems have pulled out of...
2026: Take advantage of the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period
If you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan, you should seriously consider taking advantage of the Medicare Advantage open enrollment period between January 1 and March 31 that allows you to switch to Traditional Medicare...
People in poor health leave their Medicare Advantage plans more often than people who are healthy
Why would people with serious health conditions remain in a Medicare Advantage plan that restricts access to good doctors and hospitals and delays and denies approval for the care their treating physicians say they need? Many...
Whether you’re taking a weight-loss drug or not, you’re paying for it
GLP-1 drugs, like Wegovy, Ozempic and Zepbound, are helping millions of Americans lose weight. At the same time, because they are so expensive, they are driving up the cost of everyone’s health insurance premiums. Luca...
Will your health insurance cover a medical emergency?
Will your health insurance cover a medical emergency or leave you in debt? Increasingly, medical emergencies are driving people into debt or even bankruptcy, reports Annie Nova for CNBC. A simple fall like a slip on the ice and...
Public health insurance lowers health care costs and covers the care you need
Medicare for those who choose it–public health insurance–would lower people’s health care costs and cover the care they need. That said, Medicare for All is the only way our government can lower health care costs...
Lower health insurance costs usually mean higher health care costs
If you’re opting for a health insurance plan with lower premiums, keep in mind that paying less for your health insurance usually means getting less coverage and paying more out of pocket for your care. In short, the lower the...
UnitedHealth makes it harder to see specialists in Medicare Advantage
Theresa Schwartz, a 66-year-old Milwaukee plumber, says she’s one of those people who never went to a doctor before she was 40. That has changed in the second half of her life as she has dealt with major health issues...