Consumerism in healthcare just can’t work. It can’t work because seriously ill patients are under incredible stress and can’t shop around for the best care. It can’t work because information on quality and cost isn’t easily accessible. It can’t work because healthcare spending is heavily concentrated–just 5% of the patients account for 50% of the cost. What’s the point in having a $6,000 deductible when you need a $500,000 surgery?
The Affordable Care Act has increased U.S. residents' access to health coverage and reduced hospitals' shares of uncompensated care, according to two research letters published Tuesday in theNew England Journal of Medicine, HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report reports.
The Obama administration will tighten the rules for people who enroll in insurance through HealthCare.gov outside of official enrollment periods, hoping to hold down costs that insurers blamed on late sign-ups.
With full federal funding for expanding Medicaid set to expire at the end this year, President Barack Obama is proposing to indefinitely extend the health law provision for any of the 19 states that have not yet adopted the enhanced eligibility.
The rate of Hispanic children without health insurance fell to a historic low in 2014, the first year that key parts of Obamacare took effect, but they still represent a disproportionate share of the nation’s uninsured youth, according to a new study.
About 8.7 million customers had selected a plan on the federal HealthCare.gov exchange as of Jan. 9, according to a government update Wednesday that showed only a slight uptick in consumer interest between crucial deadlines to get covered under Obamacare in 2016.