Latest KFF Health News Stories
Democrats Remain Wary Of President’s Canceled Plans Fix
President Obama’s canceled insurance plans fix has satisfied neither many Democrats — some of whom face reelections in 2014 and remain unhappy with the fix — nor Republicans, who will again vote Friday on a bill to undermine the law.
Consumers Beware: Cheaper Insurance Policies Mean Higher Deductibles
Bloomberg News reports that consumers buying cheap insurance in the new health insurance marketplaces may face sticker shock if they get sick next year because of deductibles that can top $6,000 a person. Meanwhile, news outlets in Oregon and Massachusetts report on website glitches that continue to make enrollment in those states difficult.
Lawmakers Stake Out Positions On President’s Plan, Pursue Legislative Steps
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, signaled his intent to bring a bill by Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., to the floor for a vote. Republican leaders expect the bill, which is viewed by the administration as an effort to undo the health law, to pass easily. Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says Democrats have their own legislative plan. And, in the Senate, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., applauded the president’s step, but maintains that further legislative action is needed.
Health Law Fumbles Threaten Obama’s Agenda
Media analyses argue the health law’s rollout problems are endangering the rest of President Barack Obama’s second-term agenda as his credibility and job approval ratings suffer. Others see his blunt admission of blame as an effort to improve his public standing and counter a revolt within his own party.
States Consider What Obama’s Canceled Plan Request Means For Them
The president’s plan to allow insurers to extend canceled health plans through 2014 has state regulators trying to work through the details about how this will affect insurers and the health law’s marketplaces in their states. In California, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has asked insurers and marketplace officials to comply with the president’s request.
Medicaid Enrollment Progresses Under Health Overhaul
Gov. Scott Walker says he wants to delay his plan to move more than 70,000 people off Medicaid because the health law online marketplaces are not working well enough yet.
State Highlights: Dispute Over What Doctors Can Say At Catholic Hospital
A dispute between a Colorado cardiologist and a Catholic hospital over what he says is a ban on discussing abortion with patients, even when a pregnancy threatens a woman’s life, is part of today’s health policy roundup from Colorado and California.
Obama’s Plan Puts Onus On Insurers
Insurance executives say they were caught off guard by the White House decision to allow them to revive canceled policies and many are worried about how to make it work.
California Shuts Down 10 Sites Imitating State Insurance Marketplace
The California attorney general said her office shuttered the websites that had mimicked the state’s official health insurance exchange “in order to lure consumers away from plans that provide the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.”
Obama Nominates Harvard Hospitalist, Early Health Law Supporter To Be Surgeon General
President Obama nominated Dr. Vivek Murthy, a hospitalist at Harvard and an early supporter of the health law, to be the nation’s surgeon general.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Research Roundup: Other Nations Surpass U.S. Health Care
This week’s studies come from Health Affairs, The Commonwealth Fund, the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA Surgery, the AARP Public Policy Institute and news outlets.
First Edition: November 15, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a range of stories examining the policy, marketplace and political dynamics in play as a result of President Barack Obama’s move to stop the cancellation of insurance plans.
California Considers Its Options On Canceled Insurance Plans
The insurance commissioner and the health insurance industry lobby disagree over President Obama’s plan.
What Consumers Need To Know About The Obama Plan For Canceled Health Policies
Under the president’s plan, insurers will be permitted to extend this year’s policies into next year, but it’s far from clear that insurers will want to follow through. Some state regulators may not even let them.
Oregon Shines On Medicaid, As Texas Stalls On Sign-Ups
In Oregon, the online health marketplace isn’t working for people looking to buy individual policies. But the state has been rapidly expanding Medicaid anyway. In Texas, insurance helpers may face state regulations that would make it even harder to assist people seeking coverage.
Methodology: How Value Based Purchasing Payments Are Calculated
The Kaiser Health News story and data on Medicare’s quality payment programs are based on data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) containing the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing and Readmissions Reduction Program adjustment factors for individual hospitals.
Nearly 1,500 Hospitals Penalized Under Medicare Program Rating Quality
The hospitals were rated on two-dozen measures, including surveys of patient satisfaction and death rates.
By State: Hospital Quality Bonuses And Penalties
Medicare gives hospitals bonuses and penalties based on how well they performed on 24 quality measures. This chart shows the average effect by state on hospitals’ Medicare payments during the second year of the program.
Interactive Chart: Bonuses And Penalties For U.S. Hospitals
This chart shows the payment adjustments for each hospital and how they compared to the bonuses and penalties from last year.