The Latest: Rural Patients and Hospitals Hit Hard by High-Deductible Plans

Plus, new research on programs aimed at reducing hospital readmissions, and KFF's Chart of the Week breaks down U.S. health spending.

January 10, 2020 High-Deductible Plans Jeopardize Financial Health Of Patients And Rural Hospitals   Plans with annual deductibles of $3,000, $5,000 or even $10,000 have become commonplace since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act as insurers look for ways to keep monthly premiums to a minimum. But in rural areas, where high-deductible plans are even more prevalent and incomes tend to be lower than in urban areas, patients often struggle to pay those deductibles, and hospitals are left with uncollectible "bad debt". (KHN, USA Today) Reduce Health Costs By Nurturing The Sickest? A Much-Touted Idea Disappoints   Improving health and lowering costs for the sickest and most expensive patients in America is a dream harder to realize than many health care leaders had hoped, according to a new study. Researchers tested whether pairing frequently hospitalized patients in Camden, New Jersey, with nurses and social workers could stop the costly cycle of readmissions. The study found no effect: Patients receiving extra support were just as likely to return to the hospital within 180 days as those not receiving that help. (KHN, NPR) Chart of the Week: Breaking Down Total U.S. Health Spending News and Headlines News and headlines from Kaiser Health News (KHN) and California Healthline (CHL). Follow KHN on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and CHL on Facebook  and Twitter, for the latest updates. High-Deductible Plans Jeopardize Financial Health Of Patients And Rural Hospitals (KHN, USA Today) Reduce Health Costs By Nurturing The Sickest? A Much-Touted Idea Disappoints (KHN, NPR) KHN's 'What The Health?': Democrats Roll Dice On SCOTUS And The ACA (KHN) Family Doctors In Rural America Tackle Crisis Of Addiction And Pain (KHN, NPR) 'An Arm And A Leg': Watch Your Back — And Your Wallet (KHN) Homeless Californians Adapt To Camp Sweeps And 'The Caltrans Shuffle' (CHL, NPR) Listen: A Renewed Focus On Health Care In 2020 (KHN, WDET's Detroit Today) Latest news summaries from the KHN Morning Briefing Data and Analysis The latest in health policy data and analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Updated: Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions (Interactive Map) Latest news summaries from the Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report The Buzz See what's driving health policy conversation on social media. Follow KFF on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest updates and perspectives. Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues, the Kaiser Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. kff.org  |  khn.org Did someone forward this to you? Sign up for email updates. This email was sent to stevenmagallanes520.nims@blogger.com. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive. Or, permanently unsubscribe from all future emails.  If you need help or have questions, please send an email to subscriptions@kff.org. Please do not reply to this email as this address is not monitored. Kaiser Family Foundation & Kaiser Health News 185 Berry Street Suite 2000 San Francisco, CA 94107