Telehealth insurance claims from private policies up by 4,347 percent

Telehealth insurance claims - mobile phone and stethoscope

This trend was led by the Northeastern US, where the increased reached a much higher 15,303 percent. The latest FAIR Health report recorded a striking increase in the number of telehealth insurance claims in the United States, which rose by 4,347 percent compared to last year. This dramatic trend is directly linked with the coronavirus pandemic precautions since March. The leading reason that people filed telehealth insurance claims was for mental health conditions. The next most common reason for using these services was for respiratory diseases and infections, then joint/soft…

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Cosmetic surgery insurance claims way down as millions of procedures postponed

Cosmetic surgery insurance - Surgeons operating

Elective procedures have been delayed by weeks, months, or longer due to the pandemic. Cosmetic surgery insurance claims have ground to a virtual halt as elective surgeries face massive postponement waits due to the pandemic crisis. Hospitals are battling with months of backlog for surgeries to meet medical requirements. Around the world, hospitals and clinics have had to cut back on the number of routine procedures they are able to perform in order to maintain patient and staff safety, said a report in the Economist. This measure was also taken…

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Almost 27M Americans lost job-based health insurance, says Kaiser Family Foundation

Job-based health insurance - Man studying graph on tablet

The employer sponsored coverage has been plummeting due to pandemic related layoffs. Almost 27 million people across the country may no longer have their job-based health insurance, says a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. This report pointed to the widespread layoffs occurring as a result of the coronavirus pandemic as the cause. The report, released on Wednesday, underscored a substantial problem in medical coverage. Many of those who have lost their job-based health insurance now find themselves uninsured. That said, less than half – about 12.7 million people…

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2 in 3 Americans don’t understand health insurance options if they lose coverage

Health insurance options - Not knowing options

New research shows that 68 percent don’t know what they could do if their plan wasn’t available. The majority of Americans don’t know what health insurance options are available to them in the incident that they lose their existing coverage. This is a troubling statistic as this scenario is currently an unfortunate reality for millions of Americans. Layoffs resulting from the pandemic have left many people without their employer sponsored health plans. Regardless, only just under 1 in 3 people know the options available to them. The healthinsurance.com survey determined…

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Millions of Americans are losing employer sponsored health insurance plans

Employer sponsored health insurance - stethoscope - heartbeat monitor - glasses - pills

As workers across the country have been laid off, they’ve also been losing their medical coverage. Employees across the country who had been enjoying employer sponsored health insurance are suddenly finding themselves without a plan as the coronavirus causes millions of layoffs. In many states, the rates of uninsured residents are jumping from single to double digits. As though losing a job wasn’t enough as pandemic prevention efforts continue to hold in place, many Americans who had been covered through employer sponsored health insurance are losing their coverage, too. This…

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US health insurance gaps may accelerate COVID-19 spread

US health insurance gaps - COVID-19 Testing

Over 27 million people across the United States lack coverage, which can reduce testing and treatment. The substantial US health insurance gaps that remain across the country could feed the spread of the novel coronavirus. As about 9 percent of the American population – around 27 million people – lack a health plan, testing and treatment comes with a cost they may not be able to afford. Without coverage people may delay going to get tested or treated or they may not do it at all. In the state of…

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Affordable Care Act decreased health insurance racial disparities, study

Racial disparities - Images of People

New research shows that Obamacare has made coverage more accessible to black and Hispanic adults. The Affordable Care Act (A.C.A.) caused a substantial reduction in racial disparities within health insurance access and coverage. This was particularly true among black and Hispanic adults, said a Commonwealth Fund report. The trend was particularly prevalent in the states that broadened their Medicaid eligibility. Before the Affordable Care Act went into effect, racial disparities were found to be substantially larger than what is reflected in the most recent available data. In 2013, the gap…

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