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☆ Here are 4 ways to take advantage of your health-care expenses before the end of the year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Sarah O'Brien | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Take advantage of reaching your deductibleIf you've met your plan's deductible, you may be able to pay less for qualifying health-care services before the end of the year than you would after the deductible resets Jan. 1. Once you've met your plan's deductible, you may or may not face copays or coinsurance — it depends on your plan's out-of-pocket maximum, which may be higher. See if you can get the medical expense tax deductionThere is a tax deduction for medical expenses, although it comes with parameters that prevent some taxpayers from using it. For starters, you can only deduct health-care expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. Its gains grow tax-free, and as long as withdrawals are used for qualifying medical expenses, tapping those funds also comes with no tax.

The ballot measure amended the state constitution to enshrine expansion for Medicaid health care coverage to all adults who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Eliot Fishman, the senior director of health policy for the health care advocacy group Families USA, said that in South Dakota parents with practically any work income were ineligible for Medicaid. It took over two years, because advocates first pursued the process in South Dakota in October 2020. Supporters cheer for South Dakota Gov. Medicaid expansion, however, would not remain its focus.

Both have highlighted policies that limit health care access in Georgia, such as its new six-week abortion ban and a decision by Republican Gov. Georgians have witnessed health services dwindle before and during the pandemic, straining the state’s medical system even as regional health care costs rise. Nearly half of Georgia’s 159 counties have no OB-GYN, according to the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce. Some see the shutdowns as exacerbating racial disparities in health care access in Atlanta, where a 2018 Trulia analysis found 25.3 health care providers per 10,000 residents in the city’s majority-white census tracts, compared with 9.8 in majority-Black tracts. “I’m looking at somebody that is going to be for the community,” she says, “that’s going to help us with the health care — bring it closer to us.”

☆ 6 health insurance terms you need to know as open enrollment begins
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

PremiumsThe premium is the sum you pay an insurer each month to participate in the health plan. It's perhaps the most transparent and easy-to-understand cost component of a health plan — the equivalent of a sticker price. Eighty-eight percent of workers covered by a health plan have a deductible in 2022, according to KFF. For example, would you struggle to pay a $1,000 medical bill if you require health care? If so, a health plan with a larger monthly premium and a smaller deductible may be your best bet, Sun said.

☆ 50% of voters say the overturning of Roe v. Wade makes them more eager to vote in this year’s midterm election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It's crunch time for the midterm election season and a recent survey shows that major rulings in the Supreme Court, like the overturning of Roe v. Wade, will have an impact on if and how Americans vote this November. In fact, half of voters polled by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) say that the Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade back on June 24, is motivating them to get out and vote on Nov. 8. Eagerness to vote based on the issue of abortion and reproductive rights has increased to 50%, over the past few months – which is up from 43% in July, shortly after the court's ruling, and 37% in May after the draft opinion was leaked. The most recent KFF survey was conducted online and by telephone in September, and 1,282 U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 49 were reached. Individuals were randomly chosen to participate through an automated system that pulled different addresses and telephone numbers from a database.

☆ RSV vaccine for kids: Pfizer shot for pregnant women protects infants from severe illness
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Berkeley-Lovelace-Jr.Jpg | Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

An experimental RSV vaccine for pregnant women from Pfizer is effective at protecting newborns against severe illness for at least six months, the company said in a press release Tuesday. The vaccine was also about 70% effective against severe infections through the first six months of life. Pfizer said in a statement that it is currently not conducting an RSV vaccine trial in infants. Pfizer's RSV vaccine could be "a major step forward so that we can attack this last really bad communicable disease of the neonatal period," Schaffner said. Aside from pregnant women, Pfizer is testing its vaccine in older adults, who are also at risk for severe RSV infections.

☆ Health insurance open enrollment: How to spot misleading marketing for insurance
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Bram Sable-Smith | Kaiser Health News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Health care sharing ministries are an alternative to health insurance in which members agree to share medical expenses. Nationwide, lawmakers and regulators are taking notice of how health care plans are sold. Rising health care prices can drive up the cost of regulated health plans, such as those that are compliant with the Affordable Care Act. For now, he suggests working with health care navigators, who help consumers enroll in plans through the official health insurance marketplace, healthcare.gov. She is on the market for health insurance again and plans to choose a company she’s heard of before.

☆ Open enrollment for the health insurance marketplace starts Nov. 1. Here's what you need to know about 2023 coverage
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Sarah O'Brien | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

For example, in Virginia, premiums are dropping by an average of 18% and in New Mexico they're rising by 14%, Cox said. watch nowIf you have marketplace coverage and are facing a large premium increase, you can always check to see if there's a more affordable option available, Cox said. Before the changes, the aid was generally only available to households with income from 100% to 400% of the federal poverty level. Either way, at any point during the year, you can adjust your income estimate or note any pertinent life changes (birth of a child, marriage, etc.) that could affect the amount of subsidies you're entitled to.

That there is no RSV vaccine for kids is not for lack of interest, experts say. But a trial gone wrong many years ago and a tricky target protein have made developing an RSV vaccine difficult. Researchers’ attempts to develop an RSV vaccine go back decades, according to Dr. Ofer Levy, the director of the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children's Hospital. In August, Pfizer announced that its experimental RSV vaccine was nearly 86% effective in preventing severe illness in adults ages 60 and older. GSK, however, said it abandoned its efforts last year to develop a pediatric RSV vaccine, because trials suggested it wasn't effective.

☆ A billing expert investigated her husband's ER bill. She was able to knock thousands off the charge.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Bram Sable-Smith | Kaiser Health News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

She took one look at the hospital charges and decided to investigate further. “Even in our case, we waited until the second bill,” Kalsariya said. Depending on the medical procedure, Kalsariya said, a bill could contain an overwhelming number of line items that are hard to understand. Dr. Bhavin Shah was left with a $3,319 medical bill after he landed in an emergency room following a skiing accident in Wisconsin. But when a KHN reporter responded to the family’s request for help investigating Shah’s hospital bill, the couple decided to send in the form to accurately document their saga.

☆ Should you WFH or take a sick day? What to consider this cold, flu and Covid season
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Jennifer Liu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

There are already hints that this year's cold and flu season could be bad: The CDC reported early increases in seasonal flu activity, and anecdotally, people are letting their Covid precautions slip and showing up to work sick anyway. If your second at-home test is negative, or if you complete a PCR test that's negative, then you likely don't have Covid, but you could still have another respiratory virus or infection. "You're going to be the best judge as to whether that's a work-from-home day or you can completely sign off." And if a full day off is in order, discuss how you'll be more productive and engaged after you've rested. Yes, you can WFH if your colleague keeps showing up sickNayyar says it's up to managers to model good behavior to stay home while sick.

Pfizer plans to sell the Covid vaccine it developed with BioNTech at $110 to $130 per dose for teens and adults once the U.S. government stops paying for them, the drugmaker said Friday. Since the start of the pandemic, the government has provided Americans with free Covid tests, vaccines and treatment, through a combination of funding from Congress and other government programs. The government has already stopped providing free Covid tests. A CDC advisory committee voted Wednesday to add Covid vaccines to the Vaccines for Children program, a federal plan that provides free vaccines to children eligible for or covered by Medicaid. Pfizer said it also plans to provide free vaccines to people without insurance through its patient assistance program.

☆ A new, stealthy COVID variant is spreading fast, spooking scientists and Wall Street analysts, but experts say there is cause for optimism
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Experts say: prepare for more COVID infections this winter. But "among the new variants, XBB has the most significant immune evasion properties," market forecasters at Morgan Stanley said Thursday in a memo. Experts say we should expect many more infections this fall and winter, including infections in vaccinated, boosted Americans. But there are some simple things you can do to prepare to battle XBB and other evasive COVID variants on the horizon. Both have a slight growth advantage over BA.5, which is the dominant version of COVID right now in the US.

☆ Analysis: Falling demand for COVID boosters puts price hikes on the table
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Michael Erman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Last year, many on Wall Street were estimating the number of COVID-19 shots would be in line with the annual flu vaccine, which is the vaccine market leader with more than 160 million shots per year in the United States and 600 million shots globally. A recent poll by Kaiser Family Foundation found that two-thirds of American adults do not plan on getting a COVID vaccine soon. He added that instances of COVID infections in those who have been vaccinated has left many to question the effectiveness of the vaccine. The companies could make up for some of the weaker demand with price increases. That would mean annual revenue of $3 billion to $5 billion over the long-term for a company like Moderna, he added.

☆ Millions at risk of losing health insurance if U.S. ends Covid public health emergency in January
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

The Health and Human Services Department will give the public 60 days notice before lifting the public health emergency, Becerra said. The health emergency also allowed millions of people to receive increased food benefits through the federal government's nutrition program. When the public health emergency does end, HHS estimates up to 15 million people will be disenrolled from Medicare and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Millions to lose Medicaid coverageThe most dramatic impact from ending the public health emergency will fall on people enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Trump administration Health Secretary Alex Azar activated the FDA's emergency authorization powers in March 2020, about two months after first declaring the public health emergency.

The cost of insulin remains a barrier for many Americans with diabetes who depend on the drug, research published Monday suggests. It was the first time that the CDC had included questions about insulin use, though concerns about sky-high insulin prices have been reported for years. Meanwhile, those with public health coverage, such as Medicaid and Medicare, had the lowest rates of rationing. According to the American Diabetes Association, people with type 1 diabetes need, on average, two to three vials per month. He said the "most ambitious" proposal he would like to see in the U.S. is universal health coverage with no copays for consumers.

☆ Opinion | Abortion Is Legal in Ethiopia. But Half of These Clinics Won’t Provide Them.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Anu Kumar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

When Congress passed the Helms Amendment, only six of those countries allowed abortion in circumstances beyond saving a woman’s life. And every year, more than 16,000 of the women and girls who have received these unsafe abortions die from more serious complications. President Biden also has the power to mitigate some of the harms of the Helms Amendment. His administration could also ensure that clinics in countries where abortion is legal understand that U.S. rules allow them to offer abortion information and counseling. The Helms Amendment is an act of international interference and overreach, and it has to end.

☆ Omicron-specific Covid boosters appear to work well, new data says—regardless of the side effects you experience
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

If you already got your omicron-specific Covid booster, you might have experienced some side effects. But there's no need to worry: Experts and new data say the new shots appear to work — regardless of whether you experience moderate, mild or no side effects at all. The new boosters gained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC before they finished clinical trials. Like previous Covid vaccines, the new boosters are designed to help you fight the virus by triggering an immune response in your body. Covid vaccines typically take two to three weeks to fully ramp up your immunity, which can help your body stop an infection from happening or keep it from progressing to severe disease.

☆ Americans have largely avoided health care inflation so far – but that’s about to change
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

About 155 million Americans have work-based health insurance, the largest source of coverage by far, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Delayed impact of inflation on health careWhile the cost of gas, food and other essentials can change quickly based on inflation and market conditions, health care operates differently. In fact, health care costs are bucking their own typical trend. Workers are projected to shell out an average of 2.6% more for health care this year, compared to 2021, Aon calculated. Increases expected to continueNext year will only be the start of an extended period of increased health care costs, experts said.

☆ Abortion is a key motivator for US voters in midterm elections, new survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —About half of registered voters in the United States say they are more motivated to vote in next month’s midterm elections than they were in previous elections – and abortion is a key issue driving that motivation, according to new survey data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. After the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization removed the federal right to abortion, some states moved to make local laws more restrictive. Voters in states with full abortion bans were more likely to say that those laws were making them more motivated to vote than in prior elections, according to the KFF survey. The economy is the top issue for Republicans, and abortion is the top issue for Democrats. Separately, the KFF survey found that most voters were not aware of the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in August.

Typical symptoms of the flu, Covid and the common cold all include coughing, sore throat and a runny nose. And because of that overlap, testing is the only way to be sure, according to Céline Gounder, an infectious disease specialist, epidemiologist and senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "At this stage in the pandemic, it's really difficult to differentiate between the flu, Covid, common colds and even seasonal allergies," says Gounder. "I, even as an infectious disease specialist who's been practicing for a couple decades now, cannot differentiate just on an exam. Secondly, the virus has mutated and different variants are going to behave differently," Gounder says.

Flu cases are already rising in parts of the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The convergence of viruses is hitting health care systems as they're forced to reckon with staffing shortages that worsened during the pandemic. Staffing deficits mean there is little wiggle room to accommodate any additional surges of patients, whether they're sick with Covid, flu or other illness. But as the cold weather sets in and people increasingly gather indoors, Covid cases are expected to rise. The vast majority of Covid cases circulating now are an omicron subvariant, BA.5.

☆ How an overreliance on BMI can stand between patients and treatment
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-08 | by ( Julie Appleby | Kaiser Health News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

As a result, countries such as China and Japan have set lower BMI overweight and obesity thresholds for people of Asian descent. Experts generally agree that BMI should not be the only measure to assess patients’ health and weight. Instead of relying on BMI, physicians and patients should consider other factors in the weight equation. It incorporates various groups’ risk factors for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. “We do not plan to eliminate the BMI, but we plan to devise other strategies to evaluate the health associated with weight status,” said Stanford.

☆ In one North Carolina community, mental health workers respond to 911 calls
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( Nadia Kounang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

As one recent caller to the 911 center in Durham, North Carolina, said: “I feel kind of dangerous to myself. It’s often linked to someone who is unhoused and dealing with substance use and mental health problems. The most significant concern: a lack of training and awareness from police on how to deal with mental health issues. The KFF CNN Mental Health Survey was conducted by SSRS from July 28 through August 9 among a random national sample of 2,004 adults. Mental health already carries a stigma, and the presence of law enforcement officers in marked cars can add to that.

☆ Long waiting lists, long drives and costly care hinder many kids’ access to mental health care
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Nearly half of those parents, 47%, say the pandemic has negatively affected their kids’ mental health, with 17% saying it had a major negative impact. Mental health providers who specialize in care for kids are concentrated in urban areas but missing from rural communities. One, TeamUp for Children, has placed full-time mental health providers in seven federally qualified health centers around the Boston area. She says this model – integrating mental health services into primary care – is being copied to varying degrees in pilot projects across the country. The KFF CNN Mental Health Survey was conducted by SSRS from July 28 through August 9 among a random national sample of 2,004 adults.

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