By Julie Appleby; Kaiser Health News ~ Dec 23, 2013
This KHN story was produced in collaboration with NBC News.
If you buy one of the less expensive insurance plans sold through the health law’s marketplaces, you may be in for a surprise. Some plans will not pay for a doctor visit before you meet your annual deductible, which could be thousands of dollars.
By William Tucker; Forbes ~ Dec 23, 2013
As still another showdown over the national debt looms, some experts are concerned that the Obama Administration is poised to begin forcing Americans to stock their retirement accounts with low-return government bonds.
Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Board, told Bloomberg News that his new regulatory agency was mulling a move to control the $20 trillion that
Americans have invested for retirement. He specifically mentioned 401(k) plans and IRAs.
By Carla K. Johnson; Associated Press ~ Dec 22, 2013
CHICAGO (AP) — As a key enrollment deadline hits Monday, many people without health insurance have been sizing up policies on the new government health care marketplace and making what seems like a logical choice: They’re picking the cheapest
one.
Increasingly, experts in health insurance are becoming concerned that many of these first-time buyers will be in for a shock when they get medical care next year and discover they’re on the hook for most of the initial cost.
By Robert Powell; MarketWatch ~ Dec 21, 2013
Health-care costs in retirement, we are often told by the experts, will be mind-boggling expensive. On average, expected costs will represent anywhere from 5% to 15% of your budget in retirement, and even more for low-income households.
Fox News ~ Dec 20, 2013
The Obama administration, in an 11th-hour change, announced significant exemptions for people who recently lost their insurance coverage and are struggling to get a new plan — drawing immediate criticism from the insurance industry and Republican lawmakers.
By Sharon Begley; Reuters ~ Dec 19, 2013
NEW YORK, Dec 19 (Reuters) – When Tanner Martin, 17, developed excruciating back pain last year, he was sure he needed an X-ray to find out what was wrong. So was his mother, who worried that the pain might indicate a serious injury that could cause permanent disability.
But Konnie Martin was no ordinary parent. As chief executive officer of San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center in Alamosa, Colorado, she is at the center of an experiment, known as value-based insurance, that could transform American healthcare.
By Dan Ritter; Wall St. Cheat Sheet ~ Dec 19, 2013
Surveys suggest that 92 percent of people believe there is a retirement crisis in America. Earlier this year, a report published by Sen. Tom Harkin – chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions — estimated the U.S. retirement deficit to be roughly $6.6 trillion, likely to continue growing in coming years. The report also found that just 14 percent of Americans believe they will have enough money to live comfortably in retirement.
By Penny Starr; Cybercast News Service ~ Dec 18, 2013
(CNSNews.com) – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.), whose salary is $193,400 a year, said he has purchased a health care plan through the D.C. Obamacare exchange and that he is accepting the federal subsidy that can run up to $11,378 per year for a member of Congress to purchase a plan.
By Jonnelle Marte; MarketWatch ~ Dec 18, 2013
Some people shopping for health coverage on the new state and federally run insurance exchanges may be lucky enough to find themselves contemplating the potential value of an increasingly rare option: the zero-deductible plan.
By Lindsey Tanner; Associated Press ~ Dec 18, 2013
CHICAGO (AP) — Many older adults with high blood pressure can be treated less aggressively, which could mean taking fewer pills to get it under control, according to new treatment guidelines from an expert panel. But not all experts are on board with the advice – including the federal agency that appointed the group.