Today it was announced that since the No Surprises Act went into effect at the beginning of the year, Americans haveavoided more than 2 million surprise bills. The law protects patients from most surprise medical bills and removes them from the middle of negotiations between providers and insurers when it comes to disputes on what should be paid. That’s the good news.
The use of emergency rooms for primary care services is decreasing, thanks to Medicaid managed care. A recent report by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) shows a 15.5% decrease in the number of potentially preventable emergency room visits in Texas Medicaid and CHIP programs. This is great news for both Medicaid members and taxpayers. Utilizing preventative and standard care before conditions become emergencies leads to better health outcomes and to less costly care.
Can driving just a few miles save a patient thousands of dollars? If they’re in the market for health care, the answer is yes. In Dallas, according to a recent article in D Magazine, the cost of a gallbladder removal surgery can range from $5,000 to $35,000. And rarely are prices posted online—even though they’re supposed to be.
Download PDFBy Jessica Lynch As the public health emergency winds down, millions risk losing Medicaid coverage, not because they no longer qualify but because they get caught in the redetermination process once continuous coverage ends. However, one population faces continual risk for interrupted coverage — pregnant Texas women. When a member loses their Medicaid benefits…
Download PDFby Jamie Dudensing and Alicia Pierce A recently announced change to the administration of the Affordable Care Act will expand access to affordable health insurance for an estimated 5 million Americans. In Texas, it could provide options for more than 600,000 of the state’s uninsured. Currently, individuals qualify for subsidies even if they have…
New Census Data reports show that Texas still has the highest uninsured rates in the nation at 17.3 percent— a full 3 percentage points higher than the state with the next-highest uninsured rate, Oklahoma. Why does this matter? Because study after study shows that when families have health care coverage, they have better health care outcomes. Texans with insurance are more likely to receive preventative, primary, and specialty care services.
There is a new billing scheme that is misleading Texas patients with hidden costs—facility fees. These excessive hospital based fees, often in the thousands of dollars for very basic services, have long come under criticism from patients and consumers for creating surprise medical bills that Texans cannot afford. But, it’s not only hospitals that are charging these hidden fees anymore. The out-of-control expansion of these unreasonable fees is driving up the cost of premiums and out-of-pocket costs for Texas families and employers.
Download PDFFebruary 11, 2022 Jamie Dudensing Today, the Texas Association of Health Plans formally announced that Jessica Lynch will join the association as the Director of Policy, Government Programs. Lynch most recently served as the Executive Director for the Texas Psychological Association. “Jessica has a depth of experience that helps make our team complete, and…
Physician groups are facing far-ranging opposition in their lawsuit to overturn rules implementing new surprise medical billing protections. Opponents to the physician-led attack on the new law now include employer coalitions, unions, patient and consumer groups, health policy experts, and essentially any group that cares about controlling health care costs.
A record number of Americans signed up for health care coverage through Affordable Care Act marketplaces at the same time a number of new plans joined the market. About 14.5 millions Americans signed up for an ACA plan during the enrollment period that ended January 15. That’s 2 million more than ever before.