“Are Surprises Ahead for Legislation to Curb Surprise Bills?”- A Guide “Surprise medical bills — those unexpected and often pricey bills patients face when they get care from a doctor or hospital that isn’t in their insurance network — are the health care problem du jour in Washington, with congressional lawmakers from both sides of […]

Medicaid Plan Offers Food As Medicine READ Since 2015, Health Partners has joined a small group of insurers around the country to offer some [Medicaid] members specially designed meals to improve their health. The company paid the full cost for 560,000 meals to be delivered to more than 2,100 of its members with various conditions […]

Ten ERs In Colorado Tried To Curtail Opioids And Did Better Than Expected READ One of the most common reasons patients head to an emergency room is pain. In response, doctors may try something simple at first, like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. If that wasn’t effective, the second line of defense has been the big guns. […]

After Months In Limbo For Children’s Health Insurance, Huge Relief Over Deal READ CHIP covers children in low-income families — most can’t afford private insurance and their children might have had to go uninsured. Nationally, about 9 million children get health coverage through CHIP. Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan Chase join forces to tackle […]

The case of the disappearing hospital beds READ Healthcare is leaving the traditional four walls of hospitals. As patients, payers, and providers seek to reduce costs and improve quality, they are relying less on inpatient stays and more on outpatient services. A growing reliance on outpatient services could drive healthcare costs down as costly inpatient […]

For a trip to the ER, some are opting for Uber over an ambulance READ Millions of Americans take an ambulance trip every year; others get rides from willing friends or, tempting fate, drive themselves. But in recent years a new trend has arisen: Instead of an ambulance, some sick people are hailing an emergency Uber. […]

March healthcare news update: Dirty little secret: Insurers actually are making a mint from Obamacare READ For months now, headlines about the Affordable Care Act have focused on complaints from big insurers that they haven’t been making money from individual insurance plans mandated by the act… Here’s what they haven’t been saying so loudly: They’re making scads […]