Corporate health insurers and Big Pharma spend millions on lobbying in California every year. And every year, insurers blame the drug companies for price hikes, and drug companies blame insurers for premium gouging. The only thing that changes for consumers are their medical costs: They […]
The Trump administration continues to dismantle the Affordable Care Act bit by bit, saying it favors expanding the market for affordable health insurance for consumers who want it. In reality, many of the changes, such as short-term polices, are simply undermining the market for comprehensive […]
Denials of claims and increasing premiums are just the latest news California consumers have to look forward to. This is not hyperbole. The California Department of Insurance has opened an investigation into allegations regarding Aetna’s practices of denying claims. The insurance commissioner did this after […]
How can a test that should have cost $200 be billed at $17,850? When that’s how much a for-profit lab says a simple urine test cost even though the insurer refused to pay the high amount. Fred Schulte, Kaiser Health News In her late 20s […]
Is it the ACA’s lack of cost controls on premiums pushing Dems leftward? The realization that “the private market” is simply not working? Trump’s threatened cutbacks? What does this mean for the California governor’s race? And will “Medicare for Most” satisfy single-payer advocates? Rick’s mailbag: […]
The newly-proposed Medicare Extra for All plan has sparked on-going controversy in the healthcare advocacy community. Single payer supporters see the plan as incremental, a co-optation, and glorified public option that unacceptably leaves corporate health insurance in the game. Other commentators have more nuanced opinions, […]
Center for American Progress‘ new “Medicare Extra for All” proposal has ignited controversy among healthcare reform advocates. Rejected outright by dedicated single payer advocates like PNHP’s Don McCanne, MD, the plan leaves in place employer-sponsored health insurance – historically a gravy train for the corporate […]
The Center for American Progress (CAP) has released a detailed proposal for achieving comprehensive, high-quality, affordable universal health coverage called “Medicare Extra for All.” It’s a multi-payer plan that seems to lead to single-payer, including a transition plan that minimizes disruption. All newborns, uninsured persons, […]
Trump works to bring back health insurance discrimination, “junk” insurance and worse in on-going wave of administrative attacks on Obamacare. With the loosening of regulatory protections, Americans who are sick (or become sick) are especially at risk of premium increases, coverage denials and rescission based […]