Health Reform

Patients with certain conditions appear to be at higher risk for receiving surprise bills. They should be aware of new federal protections against surprise bills and know how to seek out help if they have improperly received one.

Over the 10-year lifetime of a Medicare program aimed at reducing hospital readmissions, 93% of eligible hospitals have been penalized at least once. Hospital readmissions have become less frequent, and most experts attribute that partly to the financial threat of the penalties, though other factors likely contributed to the improvements.

Many people who come to the Affordable Care Act marketplaces for the 2022 open enrollment period, which begins Nov. 1, may be learning for the first time about new financial assistance available to them.

The nomination of a new Supreme Court justice has placed heightened scrutiny on what President Trump’s administration would do to continue the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions if the Supreme Court invalidates the law.

The fate of the Affordable Care Act is again in doubt, with the Supreme Court set to hear arguments in California v. Texas days after the Presidential election. Protections for people with pre-existing conditions are at risk it is worth revisiting what it was like for people with pre-existing conditions to obtain coverage before this law.