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Health and Wealth: Why Americans are drowning in medical debt

Almost a third of all working adults in the United States are carrying some kind of medical debt — that’s about 15% of all U.S. households.
Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States and affects almost a third of working Americans.
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Why Affordable Care Act coverage has record enrollment

Jan 15, 2024
Plans are cheaper because of pandemic-era subsidies, and millions who lost Medicaid coverage have found their way to ACA marketplaces.
Affordable Care Act plans have become less expensive in the last few years, thanks to pandemic-era subsidies. Above, a person fills out an insurance application at an ACA enrollment fair.
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All kinds of products and services are eyeing the money you have left in your FSA

Dec 26, 2023
Instead of losing it at the end of the year, with a letter of medical necessity — which a new service will help you get — you can spend it on nonalcoholic beverages, gym memberships, even meal kit delivery.
Companies like TrueMed are working to expand what health products are FSA-eligible, including herbal supplements and other non-pharmaceutical medicine.
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Hundreds of thousands of younger veterans go uninsured, new report finds

Nov 10, 2023
The Urban Institute has released a new report saying that roughly 400,000 veterans under 65 go without coverage. But expanded Medicaid could help.
"A little under 5% of veterans below age 65 remain without coverage,” said Jessica Banthin at the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center.
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Higher subsidies drive record ACA enrollment

Nov 9, 2023
The government has extended pandemic-era subsidies for the Affordable Care Act marketplace until 2025 — and even higher-income families are eligible.
Just about everyone looking for an ACA plan is eligible for a higher subsidy than before, said Vivian Ho at Rice University.
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How smaller companies are dealing with rising insurance costs for their workers

Oct 18, 2023
Annual family premiums for employer coverage went up an average of 7% this year, according to a survey out today from KFF.
Family premiums went up an average of 7% this year, to around $24,000, according to a survey from KFF.
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These startup health insurers tried to disrupt the market. Now, their customers are scrambling

Sep 15, 2023
Bright HealthCare and Friday Health Plans were part of a new class of health insurance startups, but both have imploded in recent months.
Lauren Gibbs penciled out math equations to manage the complex transition from her now-defunct Friday Health Plans insurance plan to a new insurer.
Andrew Kenney/CPR

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As Americans catch up on care they skipped during COVID, health insurance could get pricier

Jun 15, 2023
Patient numbers have bounced back to prepandemic levels.
Procedures like hip and knee surgeries have bounced back.
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Millions may soon lose Medicaid coverage

May 24, 2023
During the COVID public health emergency, states couldn’t kick anyone off Medicaid. Now, that continuous enrollment is coming to an end.
As of March 2023, nearly 95 million people had coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provide free or low-cost health insurance to low-income people. 
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How employer-sponsored health insurance can widen economic inequality

Marketplace's senior economics contributor breaks down the impact of employer-sponsored health insurance on college educated and non-college educated workers.
A recent study looks at the role of employer-sponsored health insurance in exacerbating inequality in the job market.
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