Why People Don’t Buy Long-Term-Care Insurance

When it comes to long-term care, two facts stand out. First, an estimated 70% of people will need such care, which will be costly. And second, most of them refuse to buy insurance to cover it. The question is, why? Part of the explanation, no doubt, is that long-term-care insurance is expensive. Some people also ...

Read More

White House Launches New Preventive Health Campaign

The Obama administration is announcing Thursday a new preventive health campaign, aimed at helping people who are newly insured under ObamaCare as well as others, better understand and use their coverage. The public awareness initiative, called “Healthy Self,” is intended to help people know about and use the preventive services that are available for free ...

Read More

California Workers Comp Premiums Soar 11%

It’s still a far cry from the workers’ comp crisis of a decade ago, but workers’ comp premium volume soared nearly 11 percent last year, the third year in a row the tally has jumped by more than $1 billion. The total climbed to more than $11.4 billion last year, according to the California Workers’ ...

Read More

Most Americans Say Drug Costs Are ‘Unreasonable,’ Although They Can Still Afford To Buy Them

Nearly three in four Americans say the costs of prescription drugs are “unreasonable” — and most blame drugmakers for those prices, according to a poll released Tuesday. The survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found 74 percent of those taking prescription drugs find the costs unreasonable, as do 72 percent of those not taking such drugs. ...

Read More

UnitedHealth, Anthem Seek to Buy Smaller Rivals

The two biggest health insurers by revenue, UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Anthem Inc., are seeking to buy smaller rivals in a merger scramble aimed at cutting costs as the companies cope with the federal health-care overhaul. UnitedHealth made a preliminary takeover approach to Aetna Inc. in the last few days, people familiar with the matter ...

Read More

California Leads U.S. in Total Number of Medicaid Beneficiaries

Medi-Cal enrollment has increased by 34% since the Affordable Care Act went into effect, leading all other Medicaid programs in the country in terms of total beneficiaries, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, HealthyCal reports. Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program. Details of Increase in Enrollment California — one of 29 states that have ...

Read More

GOP Offering Fixes if ACA Subsidies Are Struck Down

Republican lawmakers have floated a number of contingency plans in case the Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act’s financial subsidies for qualified individuals buying health insurance through the federal exchanges operating in 34 states. The high court is expected to rule later this month in the case of King v. Burwell. While the ...

Read More

Democrats Cast Supreme Court’s Subsidies Ruling as Final Obamacare Showdown

President Obama and his top aides are increasingly portraying this month’s Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare subsidies as the final showdown for the health care law, saying that if the justices rule in their favor it should be the signal for Republicans to give up their attacks and move on to other fights. Mr. Obama ...

Read More

California Legislature Passes Budget Plan; Reaction Mixed

State officials and health care groups had mixed reactions to a budget plan (AB 93) passed by the California Legislature on Monday, Capital Public Radio’s “KXJZ News” reports (Orr, “KXJZ News,” Capital Public Radio, 6/15). For more on the Legislature’s budget plan, see today’s “Capitol Desk” post. Background Last month, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) released ...

Read More

Consumers In Grandfathered Plans Can Face Higher Costs for Preventive Benefits

Judy Naillon called her insurer several months ago to find out why she was being charged $35 every month for birth control pills. Her friends said they were getting their pills for free under the federal health law. Why wasn’t she getting the same deal? The insurance rep explained that was because the plan Naillon and her ...

Read More
arrowcaret-downclosefacebook-squarehamburgerinstagram-squarelinkedin-squarepauseplaytwitter-squareyoutube-square