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Advocates worry new law could lead to vulnerable Ohioans being kicked off Medicaid
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency that the federal government declared in January 2020 is set to expire on Saturday. That’s likely to be extended till July. But when it does expire, hundreds of thousands of Ohioans will lose that coverage. The federal government banned states from kicking people off Medicaid… Read More

A staffing crisis is causing a monthslong wait for Medicaid, and it could get worse
By: Bram Sable Smith | Rachana Pradhan | Kaiser Health News
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SALEM, Mo. (NPR) — Korra Elliott has tried to avoid seeing a doctor while waiting to get on Medicaid. She worries she can’t afford more bills without any insurance coverage. But in early March — five months, she said, after applying and with still no decision about her application — a suspected case of the… Read More

How to get insurance to pay for at-home COVID tests, according to the White House
By: Jonathan Franklin | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — The Biden administration announced Monday new details on how Americans can get free COVID-19 tests — or get reimbursements from their private insurance. This follows up on an announcement that the White House made last month. Under the new policy announced by the White House, individuals covered by a health insurance… Read More

Companies tell unvaccinated workers to pay more for health insurance
By: Andrea Hsu | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — As Covid cases surged over the summer, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian took action: Unvaccinated workers would have to pay an extra $200 a month for their health insurance, starting Nov. 1. It felt less onerous than the vaccine mandate imposed on workers by rival United Airlines. But still, it… Read More

Will Supreme Court Invalidate Obamacare A Decade After It Was Enacted?
By: Nina Totenberg | NPR
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There would be enormous consequences were the court to throw out the ACA, which has survived twice in the high court. But the court’s makeup is very different now than on those past occasions.

WATCH: For Many Americans, Health Coverage is Tied to a Job — and Now They Have Neither
By: PBS Newshour
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NewsHour) — Consequences of the unemployment driven by the novel coronavirus pandemic will reverberate through the U.S. economy for months, if not years. One result: as millions of Americans lose their jobs, they are also losing their health care coverage — and for many, there aren’t affordable insurance alternatives available. NewsHour’s Paul Solman reports… Read More

Survey: Americans Agree Health Care System Needs Fixing
By: Christine Herman | Side Effects
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Americans are divided on lots of issues. But a new national survey finds that people across the political spectrum agree on at least one thing: Our health care system needs fixing. The “Hidden Common Ground” survey from Public Agenda, USA Today and Ipsos found that 92 percent of Americans say changes are needed. And a majority of… Read More

Ohio Medicaid Seeks Ideas for Improving Patient Experiences
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio’s Medicaid department is asking for input from companies and organizations familiar with the program on how to improve the experience of patients. A formal request for information released Tuesday outlines the Ohio Department of Medicaid’s vision for reimagining the program. The request is specifically directed at providers, associations, advocacy groups,… Read More

Ohio Bill Would Require Insurance Companies to Follow Federal Law
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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Federal law mandates insurers treat mental health services like they would physical health care. But the sponsors of a new bill in the Ohio Legislature say that’s not happening. Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) says insurance companies are finding ways to get around the federal law that mandates they cover mental and behavioral health and… Read More

Change to Insurance Process Could Connect Cancer Patients to Treatment Faster
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
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Ohio lawmakers are proposing a bill that would eliminate an insurance provision known as “step therapy” for people diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. Step therapy is when an insurance company requires a patient to try a certain type of treatment before going with what a doctor has prescribed. The first treatment recommended by the insurance… Read More

DeWine Says Addressing Increase in Uninsured Children is a Priority
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
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There are about 133,000 children in Ohio that do not have health care insurance, according to a report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. The study analyzed census data from 2016 to 2018 and found Ohio had the fifth largest rate of increase of uninsured children. Researchers found this was a national trend with… Read More

Beshear Defends Medicaid Expansion in Ky.
By: Associated Press
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Democrat Andy Beshear has offered a vigorous defense of Kentucky’s Medicaid expansion as he promotes an issue that’s become a flash point in his campaign against Republican Gov. Matt Bevin. Beshear toured an addiction treatment center in Louisville on Monday. Afterward, he praised the Medicaid expansion that added more than 400,000… Read More

Medicare Changes Allowed During Ohio Open Enrollment Period
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio’s next open enrollment period for Medicare is underway. It began Tuesday. Ohioans have until Dec. 7 to sign up or make changes to their coverage under the government health insurance plan. The state’s Department of Aging and Department of Insurance urge all Ohioans with Medicare to review their coverage options… Read More

Employees Start To Feel The Squeeze Of High-Deductible Health Plans
By: Rachel Martin I NPR
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The average deductible for employer-sponsored health insurance has quadrupled in the last 12 years. A Los Angeles Times investigation finds even insured workers are going without needed medical care.

Trump Administration Now Says Entire Affordable Care Act Should Be Repealed
By: Laurel Wamsley | NPR
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A letter from the Department of Justice announced the shift, in support of a district court judge’s ruling that the law is unconstitutional. The case will likely end up in the Supreme Court.

U.S. Hospitals And Insurers Might Be Forced To Reveal The True Prices They Negotiate
By: Alison Kodjak | NPR
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A little-noticed Trump administration proposal would require hospitals, doctors and insurers to post the true, negotiated price for a medical procedure or service, as opposed to the “list” price.