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Insurance companies

"Copay accumulators" put patients in middle of battle between insurers and drugmakers

by Lillian Karabaic
Apr 11, 2024
The tactic helps insurance companies counter high drug prices, but patient advocates are working to ban them. 
“This is an arms race between drug manufacturers and plans, and they keep trying to one up each other,” said Stacie Dusetzina, a professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Oleg Elkov via Getty Images
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A Warmer World

As hurricanes get more severe, how do insurers calculate risk?

by Amy Scott and Nicholas Guiang
Jul 4, 2023
Risks and costs are rising, largely due to climate change, but where the risk hits is key, a veteran "catastrophe modeler" says.
A home in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, that was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. "Hurricanes are like real estate," catastrophe modeler Karen Clark says. What matters is "location, location, location."
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Thefts of catalytic converters keep surging. That's costing drivers and insurers.

by Megan Jamerson
Jun 2, 2023
As trace metals become more valuable, thefts keep climbing, causing headaches for drivers, mechanics and insurance companies.
A car mechanic installs a catalytic converter to control pollutants. Thefts mushroomed between 2018 and 2022, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Lab billing operations add to rural hospital woes, leaving some on life support

by Blake Farmer
Jul 18, 2022
For rural communities, the loss of hospitals means no access to nearby emergency care and the loss of health care jobs.
Rural hospital closures have increased during the pandemic. Many hospitals were run by lab companies that left difficult financial and legal problems behind.
David McNew/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Getting your insurer to reimburse you for at-home COVID tests requires some effort

by Samantha Fields
Jan 27, 2022
Only half of the insurers in a recent poll said they're offering the easier option of providing tests directly.
Although all insurers surveyed by the Kaiser Family Foundation offered reimbursement for at-home COVID tests, only about half had a network of preferred pharmacies or retailers.
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
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California orders insurers not to drop homeowners in wildfire-prone areas

by Samantha Fields
Sep 21, 2021
With the risk of wildfire rising, it's become harder for some homeowners to find coverage.
A table and chairs remain in front of a Greenville, California, home destroyed by the Dixie Fire. State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara wants insurers to reward residents who mitigate fire risk.
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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Race and Economy

How the decline of Black-owned insurance firms widened the wealth gap

by Kai Ryssdal and Alli Fam
Jul 20, 2020
Many of the agencies survived the Great Depression but later died out. Their loss meant less money invested into Black communities.
Moyo Studios
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Property insurers report the worst first-quarter profits in more than 20 years

by Ryan Kailath
May 2, 2017
When you buy insurance for your car or your house, you and your insurance company hope you’ll never have to use it. Well, not so much in 2017. Property insurers are reporting the worst first-quarter profits in more than 20 years.  You can blame hailstorms, ice storms, tornadoes—the kind of severe weather that contributes to […]
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Insurance companies get FAA approval to use drones

by Molly Wood
Apr 20, 2015
Drones from your insurance company could be coming to a neighborhood near you.
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Obamacare extension catches insurers off guard

by Noel King
Dec 24, 2013
The Obama administration has extended the deadline for people who are signing up for health insurance on the federal exchange, but insurers are having trouble adapting.
A computer screen reads, 'Enroll by Dec. 23 for coverage starting as soon as Jan 1. That deadline has been extended by a day.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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