On medical leave for cancer treatment since September, Jo Ann Nahirny describes in harrowing and moving detail her final medical hurdles and clearances before deciding to return to her classroom almost a month early, on Dec. 10.
health insurance
Low Premiums, High Deductibles, Higher Risks: The Health Plan Gamble
The gamble of lower health premiums in exchange for higher deductibles is appealing, but people are losing the gamble and getting stuck with insurmountable expenses even as high-deductible plans are becoming more frequent by default.
Seniors Are Overspending on Medicare’s Prescription Drug Plan
Seniors spent on average $368 more than they needed to on drug coverage through Medicare Part D plans, their decisions complicated by the sheer volume of plans available–1,736 in all–and difficulties involved in determining what makes a plan a good choice, a Health Affairs study finds.
Ripped from Her Trenches, a Teacher Mobilizes for Months of Cancer Combat, and Anguish
From feeling like a human easel to a convicted felon, Matanzas teacher Jo Ann Nahirny takes us step by step through the anguish of preparing for cancer treatment and its implications–physical, financial, emotional and spiritual.
Give Us This Day Our Daily Contraceptive
Six in ten Americans, including Catholics, said they support a requirement by the Obama administration that health plans supply free contraceptives as a preventive benefit for women. Women registered as independents favor the rule by a 2-1 margin.
Co-Pay Interruptus: Catholic Bishops Will Sue Feds Over Contraception and Insurance Rules
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is promising a legal challenge to federal rules requiring health insurers to provide women with a range of preventive health services, including birth control, without charging a co-payment, co-insurance or deductible.
In Washington State, a Proposed Mandate for Abortion Coverage, Whoever the Insurer
Democratic members of the Democratic-controlled Washington State legislature introduced a bill that would require private and public insurers that provide maternity coverage to cover abortion services as well.
800,000 Floridians, Most of them Children, Could Be Booted Off Medicaid Coverage
More than 660,000 of those currently covered by Medicaid are children, and could be booted off the rolls if their parents have to pay $10 a month in premiums, as the Florida Legislature is proposing.
Walmart Wants To Be Your Health Care Provider
Walmart wants to become by “the largest provider of primary healthcare services in the nation,” according to a request for information from potential partners sent the same week Walmart–the nation’s largest private employer–scaled back its health coverage for employees.
Hidden Pay Cut: Health Premiums Soar Again, Hitting Families Hardest, as Earnings Stagnate
Health insurance premium costs rose 9 percent for families in 2011, reversing four years of slower premium increases and again raising questions about long-term health costs.