Michelle Andrews

Michelle Andrews appears in the following:

Can Divorced Dad Be Forced To Cover Insurance For Adult Kids?

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

When it comes to health insurance for young adults, the Affordable Care Act made it possible for kids to stay on their parents' health plans until they turn 26. It was one of the first provisions of the law to take effect and has proved popular. But what happens ...

Comment

Health Law Calls For Automatic Enrollment Of Some Workers

Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Newly hired employees who don't sign up for health insurance on the job could have it done for them under a health law provision that may take effect as early as next year.

But the controversial provision is raising questions: Does automatic enrollment help employees help themselves, or does it ...

Comment

Getting Hospice Care Shouldn't Have To Mean Giving Up

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

It's a painful dilemma for seriously ill Medicare patients: In order to receive the extra support, counseling and care provided by the program's hospice benefit they have to agree to stop receiving curative treatment for their disease.

Faced with that stark either-or choice, many forgo hospice care until the last ...

Comment

States Experiment With Health Savings Accounts For Medicaid

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

If all goes according to plan, next year many Arkansas Medicaid beneficiaries will be required to make monthly contributions to so-called Health Independence Accounts. Those who don't may have to pay more of the cost of their medical services, and in some cases may be refused services.

Supporters say it ...

Comment

Most Employers See A Benefit In Covering Contraceptives

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Despite questions raised by the Supreme Court decision in the Hobby Lobby case, women in most health plans will still be able to get their birth control covered with no out-of-pocket expenses.

The court ruling did not change the health law's requirement that preventive care services, including all Food ...

Comment

Complaint Says Insurance Plans Discriminate Against HIV Patients

Tuesday, July 08, 2014

Four Florida insurers allegedly discriminate against people with HIV/AIDS by structuring their prescription drug benefits so that patients are discouraged from enrolling, according to a complaint filed by health advocacy groups.

According to the complaint filed with the Office for Civil Rights at the federal Department of Health and ...

Comment

Skimpier Health Plans Could Impose Big Out-Of-Pocket Costs

Tuesday, July 01, 2014

People are worried about being able to pay for health insurance. So the insurance industry and a group of Democratic senators have proposed offering cheaper, skimpier "copper plans" on the health law's marketplaces that could draw in people who were unhappy with the cost of available plans.

But consumer advocates ...

Comment

How Connecticut's Change In Autism Coverage Could Make Waves

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Many families with children who have autism count on their insurance to help pay for expensive, long-term treatment. But a recent bulletin issued by the Connecticut Insurance Department may undermine existing coverage protections, some advocates say, and they are concerned that other states might follow suit.

Autism spectrum ...

Comment

How Does The Federal Health Law Affect Insurance Price Hikes?

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Buying health insurance, even on the exchanges created by the health law, can be an expensive proposition. And some consumers are already wondering how much coverage will cost next year. That led to a recent question about the rules that apply to insurance premiums.

I understood that under the health ...

Comment

Giving School Nurses Access To Medical Records Improves Care

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

School nurses today do a lot more than bandage skinned knees. They administer vaccines and medications, help diabetic students monitor their blood sugar, and prepare teachers to handle a student's seizure or asthma attack, among many other things.

"Chronic disease management is what school nurses spend most of their time ...

Comment

Despite Law, Rape Victims Sometimes Pay For Medical Services

Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Federal law seeks to keep sexual assault victims from paying for forensic exams, but in some states they may have to cover tests and treatment for pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections.

Comment

Top Stories: Syrian Presidential Elections

Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Good morning, here is our early story:

-- Syrians Head To Polls In An Election Expected To Go To Assad.

And here are more early headlines:

Obama Backing $1 Billion Fund To Boost U.S. Troops In Europe. (BBC)

China Limits Google Ahead Of Tiananmen Anniversary. (Wall Street ...

Comment

States Consider Using Medicaid To Pay College Health Plan Premiums

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Some students headed to college this fall will get top-drawer health coverage at little or no cost.

How? Medicaid, it turns out, will pay the premium for the student health plan.

Proponents say students who are eligible for Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income people, get access to a ...

Comment

Guideline Is No Guarantee Insurers Will Pay For Pill To Prevent HIV

Friday, May 23, 2014

Now that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a daily pill for people at substantial risk of becoming infected with the virus that causes AIDS, how likely is it that someone's health insurance will pay for it?

First off, the CDC recommendation isn't binding. Insurers aren't required ...

Comment

E-Cigarette Users May End Up Paying More For Insurance

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

People may think that e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to tobacco, but insurers might not agree.

Tobacco use is one of just four things that insurers that sell health plans on the individual market can take into account when determining someone's premium: age, geographic location, and family size are ...

Comment

Employers May Start Paying You To Buy Health Insurance

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

What if employers started giving workers a chunk of cash to buy health insurance on their own instead of offering them a chance to buy into the company plan? Are workers ready to manage their own health insurance like they do a 401(k)?

The idea that employers might drop their ...

Comment

Why Tori Amos Connects

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

When I spent time on tour with Tori Amos a decade ago, collaborating with her on a book, I'd see her invoke the four elements many nights before her band would take the stage. This was a focusing ritual, taken up to remind everyone ...

Comment

Medicare Pays For Alzheimer's Screening, But Do You Want To Know?

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

Medicare will pay for screening for cognitive impairment, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily a good idea.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said in March that there isn't enough scientific evidence to make the call.

That's the same conclusion that the task force, an independent panel of medical ...

Comment

Health Law Adviser Says Insurers Will Morph Into Providers

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

As a special adviser on health policy to the While House from 2009 to 2011, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel was deeply involved in the creation of the Affordable Care Act. So it's no surprise that in his new book, Reinventing American Health Care, Emanuel defends the law.

But he also makes ...

Comment

Change Your Income, Change Your Health Insurance Plan

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

People who qualified for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act aren't necessarily locked into the plan they chose. And that can be good news for people whose income fluctuates during the year. Here's our response to the latest reader questions on coverage through the health exchanges.

Do you have any ...

Comment