Study Underscores Social Factors of Low Breast Cancer Screening in the U.S.

To identify major social factors hindering breast cancer screening in U.S. women aged 40 and older, researchers focused on race/ethnicity, employment, education, food security, insurance status, housing and access to quality health care. Access to health care emerged as a statistically significant theme (61 percent) and insurance status was the most reported sub-categorical factor. Language was the third highest issue, highlighting its significance as an influential factor of screening behavior. Race/ethnicity, sex/gender and sexual orientation were additional factors reported.

New Study Shows Insurance Coverage Disruptions Affect Key Cancer Screenings for U.S. Adults

A new study by researchers at the American Cancer Society shows that adults in the United States with prior insurance coverage disruptions are significantly less likely to receive guideline-concordant and past-year cancer screening, compared to people with continuous coverage.

New Research Shows Patients Receiving Cancer Treatment Understand Health Insurance Basics; Important Knowledge Gaps Remain

A new study by researchers at the American Cancer Society showed among patients receiving outpatient cancer treatment in two sites, most people could understand basic health insurance terms, such as premiums and deductibles.

Health insurance changes are coming – don’t get caught without coverage

Now that the pandemic has eased up, and jobs are easier to find, an emergency order regarding Medicaid and CHIP enrollment will end on March 31, 2023. Some people are calling it an “unwinding.” This means that everyone in these programs will have to prove they are still eligible for their coverage if they want to keep it.

Cost concerns keep older adults from seeking emergency care

Worries about what emergency care might cost them have kept some older adults from seeking medical attention even when they felt they might need it, a new study shows. In all, 22% of older adults who may have needed care from the emergency department didn’t go because of concerns about what they might have to pay.

Poll documents the critical role of people over 50 as caregivers and helpers for older loved ones

More than half of people over 50 say they’ve helped at least one person over 65 take care of their health, personal hygiene, home or finances in the past two years. Nearly all say they get something positive out of the experience.

Substantial proportion of ethnically diverse children from low-resource backgrounds report long-term COVID-19 complications

A substantial proportion of ethnically diverse children from low-resource backgrounds with severe COVID-19 illness are reporting long-term complications from the virus, according to research from UTHealth Houston.

UCLA-led Evaluation Shows Improved Outcomes for Medi-Cal Patients Under a Demonstration Program for Public Hospitals

An evaluation led by Dr. Nadereh Pourat, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor of health policy and management, found a decreased use of emergency department visits and hospitalizations and slower growth in estimated Medi-Cal payments found in public hospitals compared with other hospitals

Prior authorization costs radiation oncology clinics more than $40 million each year, study estimates

The time required to secure prior authorization approvals for radiation therapy treatments equates to a financial impact of more than $40 million annually for academic medical centers, according to a new study. Findings will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.

Barriers to Voting in Elections Linked to Increased Odds of Being Uninsured

Groups commonly targeted by voting restriction laws—those with low incomes, who are racial minorities, and who are young—are also less likely to be insured in states with more voting restrictions, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and University of Alberta School of Public Health, Edmonton, Canada.

AMA Passes ACR-Led Resolution Opposing Paying Patients to Switch Treatments

The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates passed a resolution developed by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) to oppose insurance companies providing financial incentives for patients to switch from their prescribed treatment to a payer-preferred treatment.

Though ‘unsurprising,’ U.S. Supreme Court decision on Affordable Care Act a relief for many

The United States Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, should not come as a total surprise despite the conservative efforts to invalidate the law, according to West Virginia University policy and legal experts.…

Endocrine Society celebrates Supreme Court decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act

The Endocrine Society today praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, which makes health care accessible to millions of individuals nationwide, including those with hormone health conditions such as diabetes, osteoporosis, thyroid conditions, and breast and prostate cancer.

American Society of Anesthesiologists Makes Recommendations to Biden Admin.: Implement ‘No Surprises Act’ Equitably Without Improper Advantage to Health Insurers

Today, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) requested the Biden administration include a series of recommendations in its regulations to implement the “No Surprises Act,” the new federal surprise medical bill law, that will be implemented on January 1, 2022. ASA’s recommendations aim to ensure that the law is implemented fairly and equitably without improper benefit to health insurance companies.

Even small bills for health insurance may cause healthy low-income people to drop coverage

Twenty dollars a month might not seem like a lot to pay for health insurance. But for people getting by on $15,000 a year, it’s enough to make some drop their coverage – especially if they’re healthy. That could keep them from getting preventive or timely care, and could leave their insurance company with a sicker pool of patients than before.

Magnitude and Effects of “Sludge” in Benefits Administration: How Health Insurance Hassles Burden Workers and Cost Employers

Administrative burdens may have substantial direct and indirect costs for employers and employees, making them important research topics. In this research, Stanford Graduate School of Business Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior Jeffrey Pfeffer, along with Dan Witters,…

What’s at stake in the Supreme Court’s ACA case? A quick explainer

Though the election and pandemic have eclipsed it in the news, there’s another event unfolding that could affect nearly all Americans: a Supreme Court case that will decide the future of the Affordable Care Act. A health policy researcher explains what would happen if it’s overturned.

Eleven Provider and Patient Organizations Join the American College of Rheumatology to Oppose UnitedHealthcare Copay Accumulator Initiative

Eleven provider and patient organizations have joined the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) to petition UnitedHealthcare (UHC) to cancel plans to implement a proposed copay accumulator initiative that would require physicians to share details about their patients’ usage of copay assistance programs. The initiative would prevent funds from assistance programs from being applied towards patients’ annual deductible and out-of-pocket maximums. The groups warn that this would jeopardize patient access to medically necessary therapies by increasing the financial burden of care and lead to an increase in treatment abandonment.

Many medical “rainy day” accounts aren’t getting opened or filled, study finds

One-third of the people who could benefit from a special type of savings account to cushion the blow of their health plan deductible aren’t doing so, according to a new study. And even among people who do open a health savings account (HSA), half haven’t put any money into it in the past year.

COVID-19 Care is (Mostly) Free to Patients. Should Other Vital Care Be Too?

This spring health insurance companies, large employers, and state and federal governments, pivoted rapidly to make COVID-19 tests, treatments and even future vaccines free, or nearly free, for the people covered by their plans. A team that has worked for years to make the same true for other types of care says this is a crucial time to expand that effort.

ASA Urges Secretary Azar to Implement a Moratorium on Health Insurer Contract Cancellations and Reinstatement of Cancelled Physician Contracts

Health insurance companies around the country are using aggressive negotiating tactics to terminate physician contracts, forcing physicians out of network with little or no notice and increasing the likelihood that patients will receive surprise medical bills. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has implored Alex M. Azar II, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to press insurers to reinstate terminated contracts and to implement a moratorium on cancellations and terminations during this national health emergency.

Sky-high surprise bills from air ambulance flights possible for many patients

When an emergency dispatcher calls for a helicopter to fly a critically ill patient to a hospital, they don’t have time to check whether they take the patient’s insurance. But after those patients land, 72% of them could face a potential “surprise bill” because their ambulance provider isn’t “in network” with their insurance, a new study of people with private insurance finds. So could 79% of those transported via ground ambulance.