Latest KFF Health News Stories
Obama: Insurers Can Extend Canceled Policies Into 2014
Video: President Obama announced Thursday that insurers will be permitted to extend canceled insurance policies into 2014, due to the difficulties consumers are having enrolling in new insurance coverage through the new online marketplaces.
Obama Offers Fix For Insurance Plan Cancellations
President Barack Obama offered the outlines of an administrative fix to the problem some consumers are facing — health coverage cancellation notices.
Supporters and opponents of the federal health law still can’t decide whether to call it the “woodwork” or “welcome mat” effect — the millions of people currently eligible for Medicaid who are not enrolled and who are expected to sign up as a result of the Affordable Care Act. The Obama administration’s first enrollment report released […]
Video: Health Law Offers Help For Many With Chronic Illness
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey once again joined PBS NewsHour to discuss the implementation of the 2010 health law. Wednesday night’s program focused on what the law means for consumers with preexisting health conditions. Watch the report in the video player above.
California Bright Spot In Obamacare, Makes Up One-Third Of All Marketplace Enrollees
Nearly 60,000 Californians have enrolled in insurance plans under the nation’s health law since its launch on Oct. 1, officials from the state’s marketplace announced Wednesday. Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee said the early numbers exceeded his expectations. “We’re very pleased with the momentum,” he said. “Consumers are doing their shopping … They are […]
Obama Faces Trust Issues As A Result Of Health Law Woes
President Barack Obama — and Democrats, by proxy — face big political problems as a result of the botched rollout of the insurance website and the debunking of his pledge that Americans could keep their health plans if they liked them. Recent polls have Democrats and Republicans neck-and-neck in midterm election polls, and Fox News reports that half of voters think the president “knowingly lied” about the health law.
Congressional Democrats Fuming At White House Handling Of Health Law
An increasing number of these lawmakers say they favor a legislative plan offered by Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana to allow people whose insurance has been canceled because of the law to keep it.
Why California Could Delay Anthem’s Cancellations; Young People’s Coverage Costs
NPR examines an administration claim that half of young people can get coverage for $50 per month or less, while California Healthline explores the reasons the state insurance commissioner was able to delay Anthem’s cancellations.
House Oversight Panel Grills Administration Tech Officials On Website Woes
The White House’s chief technology officer, Todd Park, told the committee that teams are working aggressively to get the website functioning “for the vast majority” of consumers by the administration’s Nov. 30 deadline. Meanwhile, a second panel heard testimony about website and security concerns.
State Highlights: In Ohio, Enrollment In Expanded Medicaid Will Begin Next Month
In other Medicaid news, federal prosecutors are looking into a recent settlement between the District of Columbia and a former Medicaid contractor.
Both Sides In The Health Law Battle Spin Insurance Sign-Up Figures
Health law advocates offered positive messages about the enrollment numbers released Wednesday by the Obama administration while the measure’s critics pounced on the low figures and renewed calls for action.
What The Health Law’s Future Holds: Fixing The Website And Everything After
News outlets report on the various ways the website issues and sign-up woes could be addressed, as well as what a variety of experts say about the global outlook for the health law.
HHS Health Insurance Enrollment Figures Far Below Targets
Only about a fourth of the enrollees signed up through the federal health exchange. The low initial sign up could set up a steep challenge for the health law.
California Beating All Other States In Health Law Exchange Enrollment
California is the bright spot in enrolling people in the health law’s insurance exchanges — beating even the federal Healthcare.gov in how many have signed up. Still, California’s enrollment figures — representing about a third of all signups around the nation — mean less than 1 percent of uninsured Californians have signed up for plans.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
First Edition: November 14, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including details about the online health insurance enrollment numbers released yesterday by the Obama administration and examinations of what might happen next.
Will Low Online Enrollments In The Fall Hobble The Health Law?
Numbers released by the government Wednesday deepened doubts about the law’s immediate viability, and proposed fixes have shortcomings.
Strange Pricing Details Can Bedevil Medicare Beneficiaries
Pharmacist Gina Upchurch knows all the ins and outs of the Medicare prescription drug benefit and was sure she discovered something very wrong: using the government’s online plan finder tool to help seniors compare dozens of 2014 drug policies, she noticed that some insurers charge higher prices for a prescription filled every two or three months […]
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced enrollment numbers today for the federal and state online health insurance marketplaces that opened Oct. 1.
FAQ: Grandfathered Health Plans
If you get your insurance from your employer, there’s a very good chance that you are in a “grandfathered plan,” and that means some of the provisions of the health law do not apply to you – yet.