Latest KFF Health News Stories
Obama Offers Spirited Health Law Defense, Pledges To ‘See It Through’
President Barack Obama, speaking in Boston, appeared “contrite” about health law difficulties, but he took a hard line against the continuing GOP criticism.
Speaking In Massachusetts, Obama Cites Success Of State Health Reforms, Credits Romney
Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts and former GOP presidential nominee, rejected President Barack Obama’s efforts to draw parallels between the Massachusetts measure that Romney signed into law and Obama’s health overhaul.
Budget Talks Proceed, But With The Same Old Sticking Points
Structural changes to federal health programs, the spending cuts put in place by the sequester and new taxes continue to be the buzz words.
eHealth CEO Says His Company Can Run Healthcare.gov While It’s Being Fixed
The health law’s policy ramifications make news as eHealth’s CEO offers to take over the troubled healthcare.gov, and other groups consider the coverage their workers — including some part-timers — receive. Also, business groups get new lawmaker allies in their fight to delay a health law tax on insurance.
Senate Democrat To Offer Bill Allowing Americans To Keep Their Insurance Plan — If They Like It
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., will offer a bill to keep President Barack Obama’s promise that under the health care law Americans could keep the health insurance they had if they liked it. Elsewhere, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have until Thursday afternoon to sort out if they have to make their staffs get coverage on the D.C. health exchange.
State Roundup: Federal Appeals Court Set To Review Texas Abortion Law
A selection of health policy stories from Texas, Colorado, California and Connecticut.
State, Federal Health Insurance Marketplace Issues Expose Struggles, Few Successes
The very public struggles of these exchanges make news in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas, Connecticut and Minnesota. Some issues include a lack of workers to help people navigate the systems in California, prices in the new marketplaces and an absence of accurate doctor provider lists.
White House, Insurers Resisting Efforts To Delay Health Law’s Individual Mandate
The effort to set back that requirement could hamper efforts to get young, healthy people in the insurance system, and that could undermine the insurance system, they argue.
Concerns About Security Risks Raised Before Health Website Opened, Government Memo Shows
Reuters reports on the memo, which says a lack of testing put the site at “high risk.” But a government spokeswoman says steps were taken to fix those concerns. At the same time, CBS examines the system failures in tests before the launch.
Obama Softens Keep-Your-Insurance Promise After Political Hardship
News outlets dive into the hit President Barack Obama is taking over his oft-repeated line about the health law that if you like the health insurance you have, you can keep it — a sound bite that turned out to be untrue for thousands getting cancellation notices from their insurance companies. Obama walked back his promise Wednesday, saying those people can expect better coverage than that they previously had and blamed the cancellations on “bad apple” insurance companies.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Sebelius Apologizes For Health Website Troubles, Vows To Get It Fixed
In nearly four hours of testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the secretary of Health and Human Services faced a barrage of complaints about the rollout of the health law.
Congressional Leaders Offer New Bill To Fix Medicare Doctor Pay
Two key congressional committee leaders — one from each party — are offering a new bill to fix the way Medicare pays doctors — by repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate. The bill would freeze current payment rates until 2023, but would create a new budget-neutral incentive pay program in 2017.
Longer Reads: Impact Of Missing November Deadline For Health Website Fix
This week’s articles come from The New Republic, The New York Times, National Review, The Atlantic, and 5280.
First Edition: October 31, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the Obama administration’s efforts to recover from health law implementation hiccups and challenges.
Key Senate, House Committee Chairmen Offer Plan To Fix Medicare Doctor Payments
The proposal would keep physician pay at current levels but offer them incentives for quality improvements.
Help Flies In For Troubled Hospital In Estes Park, Colo.
Fires, floods, and a government shutdown have plagued the town at the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. With roads still closed, medical staff commutes via helicopter to Estes Park Medical Center.
Rep. Ryan And CMS Chief Tavenner’s Exchange Muddles Subsidies For Young Adults
In a contentious hearing Tuesday, Rep. Paul Ryan and Marilyn Tavenner managed to agree about one thing: Young adults who have access to their parents’ health insurance can’t get subsidies on the health insurance marketplaces. Unfortunately, they’re both wrong, say health policy experts.
Sebelius Says Healthcare.gov Problems Are Her Responsibility
The Health and Human Services secretary also said she couldn’t give firm numbers on how many people have enrolled for health insurance using the website because the data are not yet trustworthy. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and CQ Roll Call’s Emily Ethridge discuss.
Sebelius Says She Is Accountable For Health Website Problems
In testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the HHS secretary said problems are not acceptable, so her department is working hard to fix the insurance marketplace. She also rejected complaints that the law is responsible for recent cancellations by insurers. KHN samples the afternoon news coverage from the hearing.