News
States to spend millions preparing for Medicare changes. Some people might lose coverage as a result
3+ hour, 40+ min ago (853+ words) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.To receive Medicaid health coverage, some adults will soon have to show they are working, volunteering or taking classes. But to gather that proof, many states first will have to spend millions of dollars improving their computer…...
Trump's response to spike in ACA prices: Lower premiums, sharply higher out-of pocket costs
2+ week, 2+ day ago (798+ words) The Trump administration has unveiled a sweeping set of regulatory proposals that would substantially change health plan offerings on the Affordable Care Act marketplace next year, aiming, it says, to provide more choice and lower premiums. But it also proposes…...
Tens of thousands of Californians pay more for health insurance this year after subsidy cuts
3+ week, 2+ day ago (1285+ words) For Mikayla Tencer, being self-employed already meant juggling higher taxes, irregular income and the constant pressure of finding her own health insurance. This year, it also meant rethinking how often she could afford to see a doctor. The 29-year-old content…...
Letters to the Editor: The entire premise of California’s proposed one-time wealth tax is misleading
1+ mon, 4+ day ago (243+ words) To the editor: Having been a tax practitioner now for more than 60 years " much of it involving the very wealthy " the entire project of the California wealth tax is ludicrous because the premise for its one-time imposition is misleading, if…...
Is California's proposed billionaire tax smart policy? History holds lessons
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (1773+ words) In the roiling debate over California's proposed billionaire tax, supporters and critics agree that such policies haven't always worked in the past. But the lessons they've drawn from that history are wildly different. The Billionaire Tax Act, which backers are…...
Amid rising costs, California and L.A. initiatives aim to tax the ultra-rich
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (1408+ words) California has billionaires on the brain. Last week union activists, hoisting giant cutouts of money bags and a cigar-smoking boss, announced a proposal to raise Los Angeles city taxes on companies with "overpaid" chief executives. They rallied in front of…...
Kaiser affiliates will pay $556 million to settle a lawsuit alleging Medicare fraud
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (277+ words) Kaiser Permanente affiliates will pay $556 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged the healthcare giant committed Medicare fraud and pressured doctors to list incorrect diagnoses on medical records to receive higher reimbursements, federal prosecutors said. The deal announced Wednesday came…...
Weight-loss drugs could save U.S. airlines more than $500 million this year
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (262+ words) The growing use of weight-loss products may end up saving the biggest U.S. airlines as much as $580 million in fuel costs this year as passengers shed pounds and make planes lighter, according to a Jefferies analysis. With airlines historically going to…...
Letters to the Editor: Americans need a better understanding of their own healthcare plans
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (203+ words) Letters to the Editor: Americans need a better understanding of their own healthcare plans'Los Angeles Times To the editor: As guest contributor Joseph Pollino states, as an associate physician in a primary care practice, he speaks from his side of…...
Letters to the Editor: AI could make Medicare and Medicaid fraud even harder to fight
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (172+ words) 'A significant percentage [of fraud] is perpetrated by people who steal provider and beneficiary identifications to bill for services never provided. Artificial intelligence has the potential to keep these crooks several steps ahead of our efforts to fight back,' writes…...