Latest KFF Health News Stories
Obama Seeks To Calm ‘Jittery Democrats’ On Health Law Rollout
Meanwhile, senior GOP leaders plan more votes to chip away at Obamacare, in part to dissuade their rank and file from demanding a government shutdown this fall unless the health law is defunded.
Targeting The Health Law’s Enrollment Message
Though some view it as a difficult sell, new advertising from the 17 states that are setting up health insurance marketplaces tends to be upbeat and positive. First Lady Michelle Obama is also pitching in on efforts to reach very specific populations.
Florida Officials: Health Insurance Prices Will Spike; Feds Disagree
State insurance officials unveiled proposed prices for health plans to be sold on the exchanges beginning Oct. 1. But those plans, and the prices, have yet to be approved by the federal government and could change.
With The Weight Of The Employer Mandate Temporarily Gone, Small Businesses Are Eyeing Expansion
The Wall Street Journal reports on how the employer mandate delay is impacting small business hiring patterns.
For States, ‘Churn’ Is A Matter Of Concern
California Healthline reports on how life events can cause individuals’ incomes to change enough that it will also impact whether they qualify for subsidies to shop for insurance on the state’s health exchange, or whether they should apply for Medicaid. It’s an issue on which states are beginning to focus.
Lawsuit Alleges Hospital Operators Paid Kickbacks, Defrauded Medicaid
A whistleblower says two hospital operators paid clinics to direct to their hospitals pregnant mothers living in the U.S. illegally.
State Highlights: Brooklyn Hospital Files For Bankruptcy, Plans To Close
A selection of health policy stories from New York, North Dakota, Texas, Minnesota and California.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
SGR Repeal Measure Moves To Full House Consideration
Some medical societies, which support repealing Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate formula, are expressing concern that a bill won’t be signed into law before a scheduled 25 percent reduction in Medicare physician payment takes effect. Meanwhile, members of the Senate Finance Committee are working on their own plan.
ACA Provision Regarding Hill Staffers’ Health Insurance Triggers Debate, Action
Under the law, members of Congress and some of their aides may have to pay more for their health coverage and buy it from new online health insurance marketplaces — a reality that is triggering strong reactions on Capitol Hill.
Longer Looks: Mayo’s Demands; Posting Hospital Prices
This week’s articles come from The New Republic, The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a number of reports about the political positioning surrounding the health law.
Does My Insurance Have To Cover Pregnancy Benefits For My Dependents?
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader about whether the health law requires employer-sponsored insurance to cover maternity benefits for an employee’s dependents.
Women’s Health Claims in Texas Decline Under New Program
The number of claims filed for medical and family planning services in the new state-run Texas Women’s Health Program has dropped since the state ousted Planned Parenthood and set up its own program without federal financing.
CBO: Employer Mandate Delay Estimated To Cost The Feds $12 Billion
The amount represents lost tax revenue and additional costs. In addition, the Congressional Budget Office noted that about one million fewer people will get insurance from their employers in 2014 as a result. Many of them will turn to the new online insurance marketplace or Medicaid for coverage.
Push To Defund Health Law Triggering Fault Lines Among Republicans
The effort is gaining momentum among tea-party supporters and their Capitol Hill advocates, but some moderate GOP senators are taking a very different view.
Data Hub Will Be Key To Health Law But Also Raises Privacy Concerns
Bloomberg examines the complications involved in building the hub that will connect the databases of seven federal agencies.
Definition Of ‘Full Time’ Becomes A Sticking Point In Obamacare
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. Of all the contentious claims about the Affordable Care Act, few have been more contentious than over the impact it’s having on employers. It’s hard to pick up a newspaper or turn on a television without seeing a story about some boss cutting workers’ hours or saying they […]
Parsing Public Opinion About Obamacare — And GOP Repeal Efforts
The Washington Post’s Fact Checker finds a recent Obamacare poll by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce presented data “in a highly misleading way,” while a memo by President Barack Obama’s pollster asserts that GOP efforts to repeal the health law have the support of only about half of GOP voters.
Ohio Lawmaker Introduces Medicaid Expansion Bill
A Democratic state senator in Ohio introduces a Medicaid expansion bill. In Michigan, a committee vote on the expansion there could come Wednesday. Elsewhere, New Hampshire and Wisconsin also consider the expansion.