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If a Democratic health bill passes,certain individuals and small businesses initially would pay more for insurance, while others would pay less, experts predict. But the long-term outlook is less clear.
The Senate and House health bills differ in important ways. We ask and answer questions consumers might have about the bills.
Legislation approved by the House Saturday would bar insurers from selling policies that cover abortion if purchased with federal subsidies. There are already states that have similar policies.
Despite all the controversy, a new Congressional Budget Office estimate indicates that relatively few people would be helped by a public health insurance plan. Any "opt-out" provision means at least some states are likely to bar a government-backed plan within their borders.
Legislation seeks to limit the amount low-and middle-income people will pay for health insurance. But a shift in the way their share of the premium is calculated in the second year of the program may make it more expensive.
People are worried in towns like Warsaw, Ind., considered the "orthopedic device manufacturing capital" of the world. The industry is fighting the $4 billion-a-year tax included in the Senate Finance Committee bill to help pay for health reform.
Bill raises questions among some Conservatives, who worry it creates a new bureaucracy.
Federal and state programs drive down uninsured rate for children, but adults continue to lose job-based coverage, according to Census report.
New rules being debated by Congress could mean consumers couldn't be rejected because they have health problems and would include subsidies for lower-income people to buy insurance. But the rules won't solve all the problems faced by those who don't get insurance through their jobs.
Maria Bishop, age 60, pays $500 a month for health insurance. Chris Denny, 27, pays $117. In most states, insurers can charge older customers far more than younger ones. As Congress wrestles with a health care overhaul, lawmakers are debating new limits that could narrow the difference.
In Seattle, three major hospital systems have sophisticated electronic medical records, one of the many goals of health reform. But the systems can't talk to each other. Overcoming the obstacles will take 'federal will and money.'
In just the last few weeks, Karen Ignagni, the health industry's chief lobbyist, has faced Democratic accusations that insurers are "villains" and "immoral." In an interview with KHN, Ignagni discussed her take on the Democratic political assault, her industry's end-game strategy and her unflagging opposition to a public plan.
As Senate Democrats scramble to finance an ambitious health care overhaul, they're exploring ways to get extract money from the insurance industry, including taxing very costly policies. They're also considering tacking a fee onto every new policy sold as a result of health reform or a flat tax on insurer profits.
President Obama and leading Democrats have stressed that people who like their employer-sponsored insurance would be able to keep it, under a health care overhaul. But they haven't emphasized the flip side: That people who don't like their coverage might have to keep it.
Insurance exchanges are a critical part of proposed health system overhaul legislation. They could transform how insurance is sold. But experts warn that without the right structure and rules, exchanges could undermine the employer-based insurance system.
While advocates say insurance exchanges would stimulate price competition and give consumers new choices, there's also a risk these programs could undermine the employer-based health insurance system. Here are nine questions and answers about exchanges and their role in health reform.
Democrats in Congress, surprised by the high cost estimates for their health care proposals, are looking at a wide range of options for raising money and reducing costs. Some of the revenue raisers have been rejected in previous years, but now all ideas are on the table because of the big amounts needed to pay for a health care overhaul.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus says the bill soon to come out of his committee will include comparative effectiveness requirements.
Lawmakers are considering varied approaches to taxing employer-provided health insurance as a means of paying for an overhaul of the health system, Kaiser Health News reports. Proposals include taxing benefits above a certain premium amount, taxing the benefits only of high-income earners, or combining both approaches.
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