Stories tagged: "health coverage"


President Joe Biden speaks about his administration's plans to lower prescription drug costs and protect Social Security and Medicare, Nov. 5, 2022, in Joliet, Ill. The Biden administration says the manufacturers of all of the first 10 prescription drugs it selected for Medicare’s first price negotiations have agreed to participate. Tuesday's announcement clears the way for talks that could lower their costs in coming years and gives the White House a potential political win heading into next year’s presidential election. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
NC Seniors to See Lower Drug Costs as Medicare Price Negotiations Advance

The provision, signed into law by President Biden, will significantly lower out-of-pocket drug costs for many of the nearly 1.7 million North Carolina seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D coverage, starting in 2026.

The PACT Act removed the need for certain veterans to prove a service connection if they are diagnosed with certain cancers or respiratory conditions and sped up the process of receiving benefits. Eligible veterans who apply by Aug. 9 could get tens of thousands of dollars in backdated disability compensation. (Photo via Shutterstock)
Veterans Have Until Aug. 9 to Apply for Backdated PACT Act Disability Payments

The PACT Act removed the need for certain veterans to prove a service connection if they are diagnosed with certain cancers or respiratory conditions and sped up the process of receiving benefits.

Short-term insurance plans offer limited coverage, can deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and trick consumers into buying products that provide “little or no coverage when they need it most,” according to the White House. (Photo via Shutterstock)
Biden Cracks Down on ‘Junk’ Health Insurance Plans That ‘Exploit’ Americans

Short-term plans offer limited coverage, can deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and trick consumers into buying products that provide “little or no coverage when they need it most."

Photograph via Dana Bango (Bango on the right)
‘I Want to See Her Grow Up’: A North Carolina Mom on How Medicaid Expansion Would Change Her Life

The state House approved a bill to expand Medicaid access to 600,000 more North Carolina residents on Wednesday.

Rebecca Cerese, a policy advocate at the North Carolina Justice Center, speaks at a vigil in front of the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, July 26, 2022, to remember people lacking Medicaid coverage or insurance who have died. Cerese and other speakers urged lawmakers to pass a law so North Carolina accepts federal funds to expand Medicaid coverage to hundreds of thousands of additional adults (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson)
Will NC Republicans Finally Expand Medicaid After a Decade of Delays? A New Bill Could Pave the Way.

Medicaid expansion has been shown to save lives, reduce postpartum hospitalizations, improve access to mental health and substance use treatment, prevent more rural hospitals from closing in the state, and create tens of thousands of jobs in the state.

Courtney Crudup, 32, of Oxford, N.C., speaks on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, outside the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C., at a news conference and vigil highlighting people who have died while lacking health insurance and urging lawmakers to expand Medicaid in the state. The Republican-controlled House and Senate passed separate, bipartisan measures in June that address expansion, but legislators, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and lobbying groups are still trying to hammer out a compromise (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson).
Lawmakers Are Back in Raleigh With Health Care Policy Wish Lists for the Coming Year

As the new legislative session begins, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expect healthy debate about Medicaid expansion, mental health care, abortion and other issues.

A supporter of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) stands in front of the Supreme Court of the United States as the Court begins hearing arguments from California v. Texas about the legality of the ACA on November 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. Today is the first time that the Court is hearing a case with all three of President Donald Trump's appointments; Associate Justices Neil Gorsuch, Bret Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. California v. Texas is the Republican's latest effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act after repeated efforts to repeal the Act through the legislative process. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Need Health Insurance? Here’s How to Enroll in the Affordable Care Act for 2023

There are a number of changes coming to ACA coverage in 2023. Here’s a breakdown of what enrollees need to know, and how to apply.