End of Internet Subsidy Leaves Millions Facing Telehealth Disconnect
When the clock struck midnight on May 31, more than 23 million low-income households were dropped from a federal internet subsidy program that for years had helped them get connected. The Affordable Connectivity Program was created in 2021, in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, to help people plug into jobs, schools and health care by reducing their internet […]
End of Pandemic Internet Subsidies Threatens a Health Care Lifeline for Rural America
As the Affordable Connectivity Program runs out of money, millions of people face a jump in internet costs or lost connections if federal lawmakers don’t pass a funding extension.
An Obscure Drug Discount Program Stifles Use of Federal Lifeline by Rural Hospitals
A disconnect between two federal programs meant to help keep hospitals afloat discourages struggling rural facilities from accepting the aid.
Congress Likely to Kick the Can on Covid-Era Telehealth Policies
With an end-of-year deadline and a presidential election approaching, payment rules that fueled rapid expansion of telehealth in the United States face a last-minute congressional decision.
End of Internet Subsidies for Low-Income Households Threatens Telehealth Access
A federal program that helped pay for more than 23 million low-income households鈥 internet access runs out of money soon. The end of the subsidy launched earlier in the pandemic could have profound impacts on health care access.
Medicare Advantage Is Popular, but Some Beneficiaries Feel Buyer鈥檚 Remorse
Medicare Advantage plans are booming 鈥 30.8 million of the 60 million Americans with Medicare are now enrolled in the private plans rather than the traditional government-run program. But a little-known fact: Once you鈥檙e in a Medicare Advantage plan, you may not be able to get out. Traditional Medicare usually requires beneficiaries to pay 20 […]
Watch: Older Americans Say They Feel Stuck in Medicare Advantage Plans
You鈥檝e probably seen advertising about Medicare Advantage plans. 蘑菇影院 Health News’ Sarah Jane Tribble explains the pros and cons of this insurance option as enrollment in these plans increases.
Federal Program to Save Rural Hospitals Feels 鈥楪rowing Pains鈥
Fewer than two dozen rural hospitals were converted into Rural Emergency Hospitals in the program鈥檚 first year. Now, advocates and lawmakers say tweaks to the law are necessary to lure more takers and keep health care in rural communities.
Adultos mayores se sienten 鈥渁trapados鈥 en planes de Medicare Advantage
Al parecer el programa de planes privados para adultos mayores comienza a presentar obst谩culos cuando surgen enfermedades.
Older Americans Say They Feel Trapped in Medicare Advantage Plans
As enrollment in private Medicare Advantage plans grows, so do concerns about how well the insurance works, including from those who say they have become trapped in the private plans as their health declines.
驴Pueden los m茅dicos de familia salvar a las zonas rurales de la crisis de obstetras?
El n煤mero de beb茅s que murieron antes de cumplir su primer a帽o aument贸 el a帽o pasado; y m谩s de la mitad de los condados rurales no tienen servicios hospitalarios para partos.
Can Family Doctors Deliver Rural America From Its Maternal Health Crisis?
Family medicine doctors already deliver most of rural America’s babies, and efforts to train more in obstetrics care are seen as a way to cope with labor and delivery unit closures.
Tiny, Rural Hospitals Feel the Pinch as Medicare Advantage Plans Grow
More than half of seniors are enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans instead of traditional Medicare. Rural enrollment has increased fourfold and many small-town hospitals say that threatens their viability.
What Mobile Clinics in Dollar General Parking Lots Say About Health Care in Rural America
Dollar General鈥檚 pilot mobile clinic program has been touted by company officials, rural health experts, and analysts as a model that could help solve rural America鈥檚 primary care shortage. But its Tennessee launch has been met with local skepticism.
Facing Criticism, Feds Award First Maternal Health Grant to a Predominantly Black Rural Area
Mississippi has the highest rate of maternal mortality in the U.S. Now, it also has a federal grant to help in rural areas. The award could signal more flexibility from federal officials.
Black, Rural Southern Women at Gravest Risk From Pregnancy Miss Out on Maternal Health Aid
A federal program meant to reduce maternal and infant mortality in rural areas isn鈥檛 reaching Black women who are most likely to die from pregnancy-related causes.
He Returned to the US for His Daughter鈥檚 Wedding. He Left With a $42,000 Hospital Bill.
After emergency surgery, an American expatriate with Swiss insurance now carries the baggage of a five-figure bill. Costs for medical care in the U.S. can be two to three times the rates in other developed countries, so foreigners and expats with good insurance in their home countries need travel insurance to protect themselves from 鈥渃razy prices.鈥
New Mexico Program to Reduce Maternity Care Deserts in Rural Areas Fights for Survival
A federally funded program in remote New Mexico has helped hundreds of pregnant mothers stay healthy, but it鈥檚 running out of time and money despite a growing national maternity care crisis. The four-year, nearly $3 million grant has provided telehealth, coordinated care, and social services to mothers in need.
Congressman Seeks to Plug 鈥楽hocking Loophole鈥 Exposed by KHN Investigation
A federal lawmaker has introduced a House bill that would close one of a laundry list of oversight gaps revealed in a recent KHN investigation of the system regulators use to ban fraudsters from billing government health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Legal Questions, Inquiries Intensify Around Noble Health鈥檚 Rural Missouri Hospital Closures
A year after private equity-backed Noble Health shuttered two rural Missouri hospitals, a slew of lawsuits and state and federal investigations grind forward. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey recently confirmed an 鈥渙ngoing鈥 investigation as former employees continue to go unpaid and cope with unpaid medical claims.
