Hospital Mergers Are Making Your Healthcare Bills Explode w/ Natasha Murphy, Center for American Progress

Hospital Mergers Are Making Your Healthcare Bills Explode w/ Natasha Murphy, Center for American Progress

Why is healthcare so expensive in America? Hospital mergers are driving up your health care bills - and the data proves it. Natasha Murphy at Center for American Progress [https://www.americanprogress.org/] breaks down how hospital consolidation hands Big Hospital the power to charge you whatever they want in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard [https://www.laurapackard.com/] from Health Care Voices [https://healthcarevoices.org/]. Plus Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org [https://www.healthinsurance.org/] and Diane Archer from Just Care [https://justcareusa.org/] answer your American health insurance and health care questions on Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, private insurance and more. This episode has more about a judge's ruling on Affordable Care Act marketplace changes for next year, a Medicare Advantage plan that handled charges incorrectly, proposed rule changes on Medicaid eligibility for next year, and whether or not vision insurance is a good deal. New episodes of Care Talk every Tuesday, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Text or call in your health insurance and health care questions in to (202) 838-6837 to get answers in future shows! Free or Low Cost Health Care Resources on our show page: https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk [https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk]

Big Pharma Sued to Block Lower Drug Prices? Here's Why They Lost w/ Merith Basey, Patients for Affordable Drugs

Big Pharma just took a massive loss at the Supreme Court - and it means lower drug prices for millions of Americans. Merith Basey at Patients for Affordable Drugs [https://www.patientsforaffordabledrugs.org/] breaks down the Supreme Court's decision to reject pharmaceutical industry lawsuits challenging Medicare drug price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard [https://www.laurapackard.com/] from Health Care Voices [https://healthcarevoices.org/]. Plus Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org [https://www.healthinsurance.org/] and Diane Archer from Just Care [https://justcareusa.org/] answer your American health insurance and health care questions on Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, private insurance and more. This episode has more about Medicare covering GLP-1 weight loss drugs, Medicare no longer covering preventative sonograms for breasts, fighting an out of network bill, and Part B Medicare is optional? New episodes of Care Talk every Tuesday, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Text or call in your health insurance and health care questions in to (202) 838-6837 to get answers in future shows! Free or Low Cost Health Care Resources on our show page: https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk [https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk]

RFK Jr.'s HHS Shakeup: Why Top Officials Keep Quitting w/ Kayla Hancock, Protect Our Care

The doors keep swinging at the Department of Health and Human Services. With multiple top health agencies now run by acting officials, who is actually steering America's public health? As the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak winds down, a new Ebola outbreak is rapidly spreading. What happens to patients when no one's in charge? Kayla Hancock at Protect Our Care [https://www.protectourcare.org/] does a deep dive into the leadership vacuum at HHS, and why it matters for your health in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard [https://www.laurapackard.com/] from Health Care Voices [https://healthcarevoices.org/]. Plus Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org [https://www.healthinsurance.org/] and Diane Archer from Just Care [https://justcareusa.org/] answer your American health insurance and health care questions on Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, private insurance and more. This episode has more about Affordable Care Act marketplace changes for 2027 and 2028, what to do if your Medicare drug plan denies your prescription, and appealing denials of care under an employer self-funded health insurance plan. New episodes of Care Talk every Tuesday, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Text or call in your health insurance and health care questions in to (202) 838-6837 to get answers in future shows! Free or Low Cost Health Care Resources on our show page: https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk [https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk]

Hantavirus: Facts vs. Misinformation w/ Dr. Christina Madison, The Public Health Pharmacist

Hantavirus is dominating the news - but how much of what you're hearing is actually true? From the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak to viral social media claims, misinformation is spreading almost as fast as the headlines. Dr. Christina Madison the Public Health Pharmacist [https://www.thepublichealthpharmacist.com/] cuts through the noise in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard [https://www.laurapackard.com/] from Health Care Voices [https://healthcarevoices.org/]. Plus Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org [https://www.healthinsurance.org/] and Diane Archer from Just Care [https://justcareusa.org/] answer your American health insurance and health care questions on Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, private insurance and more. This episode has more about rule changes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) affecting health insurance plans next year, Medicare Advantage plans attached to a local hospital, do dental and vision insurance plans also have open enrollment periods, how to get a prescription for off-label use through Medicare. New episodes of Care Talk every Tuesday, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Text or call in your health insurance and health care questions in to (202) 838-6837 to get answers in future shows! Free or Low Cost Health Care Resources on our show page: https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk [https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk]

Prior Authorization: The Insurance Denial System Blocking Your Treatment w/ Miranda Yaver, PhD

Every year, tens of millions of Americans are denied the medical care they've already paid for - not by their doctors, but by their insurers. Miranda Yaver PhD, the author of the new book Coverage Denied, explains how insurers use "rationing by inconvenience", and what patients, advocates, and policymakers can do to fight back in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard [https://www.laurapackard.com/] from Health Care Voices [https://healthcarevoices.org/]. Get the book: https://amzn.to/4uCmN6z [https://amzn.to/4uCmN6z] Plus Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org [https://www.healthinsurance.org/] and Diane Archer from Just Care [https://justcareusa.org/] answer your American health insurance and health care questions on Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, private insurance and more. This episode has more about fighting prior authorization problems, losing essential health plan insurance in New York due to income, and how does employer-based health insurance work. New episodes of Care Talk every Tuesday, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Text or call in your health insurance and health care questions in to (202) 838-6837 to get answers in future shows! Free or Low Cost Health Care Resources on our show page: https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk [https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk]