A few years ago, Audrey Chabot didn’t know whether she would live to celebrate another Thanksgiving with her family. This self-employed pastry chef said she was so sick that she felt like she was… Read more.
Last month, Congress and President Obama worked out a budget deal that provides relief from the sequester caps, raises the debt ceiling, and prevents a steep scheduled rise in Medicare Part B premiums and… Read more.
Due to high deductibles in health plans, many insured consumers still have trouble being able to afford the health care they need. Some forward-looking health plans are taking steps to make sure their members can… Read more.
Great news this week out of Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families about how the Affordable Care Act is affecting health insurance for children. Based on analysis of data from 50 states, they found that the rate… Read more.
Yesterday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) introduced the End Surprise Billing Act, legislation to protect health care consumers from surprise medical bills. Families USA is thrilled to endorse this legislation—we’re encouraged that Representative Doggett, along with more… Read more.
Montana, the most recent state to extend its Medicaid program to more residents, is wrapping up negotiations with the federal government to determine the logistics of what this alternative expansion program will entail. Like… Read more.
Update: On November 22, 2015, the NAIC voted unanimously to adopt its updated Network Adequacy Model Act. Read our summary. In November, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the organization composed of insurance regulators from every… Read more.
This blog was originally published on The Huffington Post. Among health care consumers throughout the United States, there is growing concern about the high and increasing costs of prescription medicines. Those concerns manifest themselves in… Read more.
The clock is ticking for Congress to tackle a series of upcoming financial hurdles, including balancing the federal budget and appropriating funding for fiscal year 2016. Congress must pass a spending deal by October… Read more.
Although 2016 is an election year, health care advocates cannot afford to wait for the November results before taking the next steps in health reform. From February 4-6, Health Action 2016—one of the nation’s largest… Read more.
Last week, the federal government, for the first time, announced far-reaching regulations banning discrimination in health care. With this historic action, the government is prohibiting discrimination in the provision of health care services based on… Read more.
Communities of color face significant health disparities and are more likely to suffer from certain chronic conditions, like diabetes, where early detection and treatment could mean the difference between life and death. One way… Read more.
Two recent reports illustrate how residents of Kentucky are benefiting from Medicaid expansion. The state experienced one of the largest drops in its uninsured rate in the country and a substantial increase in Medicaid… Read more.
State lawmakers kept returning to the topic of 1332 waivers during the annual Legislative Summit of the National Conference of State Legislatures in Seattle last week. No fewer than four of the NCSL Health and Human… Read more.
Update 1/15/2015: Consumer advocates should weigh in on new Section 1332 guidance from CMS next big debate over the Affordable Care Act is looming. States are already planning for changes they'd like to make to… Read more.
An occasional column that rounds up the latest activity in Congress affecting access to health care. Although Republicans in Congress missed their self-imposed July 24 budget reconciliation deadline where they hoped to repeal the… Read more.