closer look
The health care problem Democrats can't seem to solve: hospital costs
Mike Reddy for STAT
Democrats could justify taking a couple of victory laps for engineering some major reforms in the health sphere. Without needing Republican votes, they passed health insurance reform, and protected it later. They made it possible for the federal government to negotiate some drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. But Democrats may not be equal to the task of taming hospital costs, which by themselves add up to the largest share of U.S. health care spending. That leads to medical debt (see item below), a burden borne by both the insured and uninsured.
This Congress has seen little willingness among lawmakers to address hospital costs for the Medicare program, STAT's Rachel Cohrs reports. Democratic leaders in the House have watered down hospital payment reforms, blocking even incremental reform, and the prospects for reform seem even dimmer in the Senate. Rachel explains why.
health care
Half of Americans struggle to pay medical bills
Having health insurance is no guard against high medical bills and deep medical debt, a new report from the Commonwealth Fund tells us. Just over half of insured working-age adults have a hard time affording health care, and nearly one-third are burdened by medical debt, the Health Care Affordability Survey found in phone and online interviews in English and Spanish earlier this year. Whether their coverage was through their employer, Medicaid, Medicare, or a marketplace plan, about 3 in 10 people said health care costs made it hard to pay for food and utilities. How it breaks down:
- Medical debt: 85% had debts of $500 or more, with nearly half carrying $2,000 or more.
- Access to care: 38% delayed or skipped needed health care or prescription drugs in the past year because they couldn't afford them.
- Household impact: 57% said 10% or more of their monthly budget goes to health care costs.
insurance
More employers cover doulas, menopause benefits
Speaking of health coverage provided by employers, two developments could help women in the workforce. Walmart, the nation's largest private employer, will cover doulas — persons trained to assist women during pregnancies — for employees nationwide beginning next month, the Associated Press says. The company said its goal is to address racial inequities in health care and improve the maternal and infant health of its workers and their babies, especially where access to care may be limited.
And Microsoft, Palantir Technologies, and Abercrombie & Fitch are three of a small but growing number of U.S. businesses offering menopause benefits, a move that could affect up to 20% of the female workforce. Among employers that offer sick leave, about 4% of them also provide additional support for menopause such as access to hormone therapy and counseling, according to the benefits consultant NFP, Bloomberg reports.
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