8+ hour, 9+ min ago (255+ words) PHOENIX " An OB-GYN provider in Arizona announced Tuesday it was ending its contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and dropping the insurer from its network. MomDoc, a health care provider with 17 locations across Arizona, said as of Dec. 1, it would no longer be contracted with BCBSA. The CEO of MomDoc said the organization could no longer "afford to subsidize underpaying commercial plans." "This decision follows over two years of attempting to engage in meaningful discussions with BCBSAZ to secure fair and sustainable reimbursement rates that reflect the rising costs of delivering quality healthcare," MomDoc wrote in a statement. MomDoc went on to describe the difficulty of being able to recruit and retain high-quality OB doctors to Arizona. Patients insured through BCBSA will continue to have access to their MomDoc medical records and assistance will be provided to transition…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago (485+ words) Arizona's unemployment rate remains a relatively low 4.1%, but some residents are still losing their jobs. To make matters worse, hundreds of Arizonans are struggling to obtain unemployment benefits through the Department of Economic Security, leading many to seek help from the Arizona Ombudsman-Citizens' Aide, a small but aggressive state agency. "We coached them up, told them how to, you know, send in their complaint and stylize it, if you will, and what supporting documents might be helpful," said Joanne C. MacDonnell, the state ombudsman. Complaints involving unemployment benefits have skyrocketed at her 12-person office since July. That's when DES laid off hundreds of employees after federal funding cuts. There were 92 complaints that month " up from 23 in June, according to state records. Complaints continued to rise in August and then spiked to 131 since Sept. 7, after DES installed a new computer system called…...

1+ mon, 3+ week ago (484+ words) WASHINGTON " Weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy are now offered to non-insured customers at several stores, including Costco'and'Sam's Club. On Friday, Hy-Vee became the latest grocery chain to offer the weight-loss drugs to customers at a discounted price. Costco, Sam's Club and Hy-Vee will all offer the medications at a fraction of the cost, selling for $499 a month. Customers do not need insurance to buy the drugs, though they still need a valid prescription.' A month's supply of Wegovy can cost up to $1,350 without insurance or discounts, according to GoodRx.' Both drugs have the same main ingredient, Semaglutide, but differ in dosage. Wegovy is designed for chronic weight management, while Ozempic is meant to treat type 2 diabetes.' Ozempic's website says the drug will "improve blood sugar (glucose) in adults with type 2 diabetes" alongside diet and exercise, and will "reduce the…...

2+ mon, 1+ week ago (434+ words) Khiali Baxter had a medical emergency on-board a Royal Caribbean cruise from Galveston to Mexico, and her family spent more than $13,000 out of pocket for medical care. Now, the Baxter family wants to warn others after going through this experience. "Sometimes the trip of a lifetime can become the situation of a lifetime," Craig Baxter said. Baxter has a pile of receipts from all expenses paid for his daughter, Khiali. She was just two days and five hours into her first cruise with her boyfriend when she became sick. "I woke up, I started throwing up blood. Unfortunately, I had passed out on the ground," Baxter said. She was taken to the onboard emergency room, where doctors said she had internal bleeding. An ambulance took her to a hospital four hours away. "I could feel myself kind of going in…...

2+ mon, 2+ week ago (329+ words) PHOENIX " Maricopa County voters will decide this November whether to approve a nearly $900 million bond to fund upgrades and expansions at Valleywise Health, the county's only public teaching hospital and safety-net health system. If approved, Proposition 409 would raise property taxes by 11 cents per $100 of assessed property value. For a median-priced home in the county, which is about $475,000, that would mean an additional $522 a year. Valleywise leaders say the money is needed to keep pace with the growing population of the nation's fourth-largest county." The funds would go toward expanding pediatric and primary care services, replacing and enlarging the outpatient specialty center on the Roosevelt campus, adding observation beds in the emergency department, and replacing the South Central and Chandler community health centers. The bond would also support a new 200-bed behavioral health hospital to replace a 50-year-old facility, double the…...

2+ mon, 2+ week ago (1090+ words) WASHINGTON " There's bipartisan support in Congress for extending'tax credits that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of people since the'COVID-19 pandemic. But the credits are in danger of expiring as Republicans and Democrats clash over how to do it. Some Republicans who have opposed the health care law since it was enacted under President Barack Obama are suddenly open to keeping the tax credits. They acknowledge that many of their constituents could see steep hikes in coverage if the subsidies are allowed to lapse. Still, the two sides are far apart. Republicans are divided, with many firmly opposed. GOP leaders in the House and Senate have been open but noncommittal on the extension, and many of those Republicans who say they support it argue that the tax credits should be reworked " potentially opening up a new health care…...

2+ mon, 4+ week ago (202+ words) Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is holding a town hall event in the East Valley to hear from patients who have had health claims denied by insurance companies. Attorney general holding town hall in Gilbert on health insurance denials To stream 12News on your phone, you need the 12News app. Download the 12News app Next up in 5 Example video title will go here for this video GILBERT, Ariz. " Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is holding a town hall event in the East Valley to hear from patients who have had health claims denied by insurance companies. The listening session is intended to be an opportunity for medical providers and patients to share experiences of how claim denials have impacted health care delivery. "When claims are denied, Arizonans either go without the care they need, or they suffer under exorbitant out of pocket costs....

2+ mon, 4+ week ago (202+ words) Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is holding a town hall event in the East Valley to hear from patients who have had health claims denied by insurance companies. Attorney general holding town hall in Gilbert on health insurance denials To stream 12News on your phone, you need the 12News app. Download the 12News app Next up in 5 Example video title will go here for this video GILBERT, Ariz. " Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is holding a town hall event in the East Valley to hear from patients who have had health claims denied by insurance companies. The listening session is intended to be an opportunity for medical providers and patients to share experiences of how claim denials have impacted health care delivery. "When claims are denied, Arizonans either go without the care they need, or they suffer under exorbitant out of pocket costs....

3+ mon, 1+ week ago (801+ words) WASHINGTON " Pricey prescriptions and nagging medical costs are swamping some insurers and employers now. Patients may start paying for it next year. Health insurance will grow more expensive in many corners of the market in 2026, and coverage may shrink. That could leave patients paying more for doctor visits and dealing with prescription coverage changes. Price increases could be especially stark in'individual coverage marketplaces, where insurers also are predicting the federal government will end some support that helps people buy coverage. "We're in a period of uncertainty in every health insurance market right now, which is something we haven't seen in a very long time," said Larry Levitt, an executive vice president at the nonprofit KFF, which studies health care. In conference calls to discuss recent earnings reports, insurers ticked off a list of rising costs: More people are receiving care....

4+ mon, 2+ week ago (686+ words) Deserts, mountains and more | Scenic Arizona PHOENIX " Thin Blue Line Benefits Association said its mission was to serve retired police, firefighters and their families. It promised to provide "gap coverage" for retirees too young to qualify for Medicare." Its members thought they were buying health insurance. They paid monthly premiums, had established deductibles and even had a member benefits card." But on paper, Thin Blue Line said it wasn't an insurance company. Instead, it said it was a Health Benefits Association not subject to state insurance regulations." "That's not what I signed up for," said retired Paradise Valley police sergeant Don Blume." Blume worked for the Paradise Valley Police Department for more than 20 years, but he wasn't yet 65 years old when he retired. That made him, like most first responders, too young to qualify for Medicare." He said he joined…...