Latest KFF Health News Stories
Administration Says 700,000 Have Applied For Obamacare Coverage
The Obama administration said Thursday that 700,000 people have completed applications for coverage in the health law’s new marketplaces — a key step before people can begin shopping for insurance plans. But a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services refused to break out how many of these applicants came through the 14 state-run […]
Lawmakers Challenge Healthcare.gov Contractors On Website Problems
For more than four hours in a Capitol Hill hearing Thursday, House Energy and Commerce Committee members grilled contractors who helped build the health law’s problem-plagued online insurance marketplace. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Politico Pro’s Jennifer Haberkorn discuss the next steps.
White House To Give Consumers Extra Time To Buy Coverage Before Facing Penalty
The Wednesday announcement gave people an extra six weeks — until March 31 — to comply with the health law’s requirement that they enroll in a health plan.
Hearing On Healthcare.gov Billed As Oversight, Likely To Focus On Blame
Among those who will appear before the congressional panel will be Cheryl Campbell, senior vice president of CGI Federal Inc. She will likely be asked about the company’s involvement in the bungled rollout of the online enrollment process.
Insurers Huddle At The White House; Talk Health Exchange Technical Difficulties
About a dozen CEOs from major insurance companies met with administration officials to address the online marketplace’s flaws, especially those related to generating the enrollment files that the insurers receive.
CBS Finds Misleading Prices On Federal Marketplace ‘Shop And Browse’ Feature
News outlets give deeper detail on the continuing problems with the federal government’s online insurance system.
GOP Reconsidering Strategy On Health Law Fight
House Republicans are seeking to shift public attention from a government shutdown over the health law to problems in the marketplace website with hearings on the issue. But GOP Senate and House leaders do not seem to have a consensus on tactics for their overall efforts on the law.
Dems Grow Frustrated With Obamacare Website, Impact On Broader Law
Even some Obama allies are calling for major changes — as well as someone’s firing — after the technically flawed rollout of the health law’s online insurance marketplace. Democrats are also worried about what the problems could do to support for the broader law, and some are even calling for a delay to a mandate that Americans buy insurance.
Health Law Opponents Queue Up New Ad Campaign
The new ads, from the conservative group Americans for Prosperity, target individual members of Congress.
States Report Vastly Differently Obamacare Enrollment Experiences
Navigators in states relying on the federal website to enroll people in coverage are focused on education while they wait for fixes, while officials in states like New York and Washington with functional websites are reporting high demand and enrollment. Meanwhile, consumer advocates express skepticism about directing people in federal exchange states to call centers as a way to enroll.
Health Law Fails To Bring Competition To Rural Areas
The New York Times examines the effects of the law on prices of coverage in rural areas while KHN details how therapists may be forced to move away from their solo practices.
Hill Panel Seeks To Put Price Tag On Website, But Some Estimates May Be Too High
A tally from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform suggests HHS spent between $400 million and $600 million to build the troubled website, but The Washington Post Fact Checker and a government watchdog group say the true cost may be much lower.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
State Highlights: Va. Gov. Candidates Differ On Mental Health System
A selection of health policy stories from Virginia, California, Colorado, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Kansas and Texas.
Will Obamacare Website Be Able To Transfer Medicaid Enrollment Data?
Politico raises questions about whether the transfer of Medicaid enrollment data to 36 states participating in the federal exchange will go smoothly Nov. 1 when it’s slated to begin. The Los Angeles Times looks at how Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s decision to pursue Medicaid expansion in defiance of the right wing of his party may affect his political future.
A Closer Look At HHS Sec. Sebelius’ Health Law Role
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ role in the problems of the health law’s insurance marketplace and the subsequent calls for her ouster are examined. Sebelius’ absence would mean a key post in implementing Obamacare would be vacant.
Longer Looks: Website Problems ‘Could Be Worse;’ Why Poor People Take More Health Risks
This week’s articles come from The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Slate, Computerworld and The New Yorker.
Navigators Tread Water As Website Problems Continue
Updated: Dec. 19, 2013 Navigators in states relying on the flawed federal exchange healthcare.gov are focusing on bolstering excitement and education about the law as they wait for fixes to the website. “It’s slowed us down,” says Patsy Dowling, executive director of Mountain Projects Inc., a 130-employee nonprofit in Western North Carolina, which won a […]
First Edition: October 24, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that the Obama administration plans to tweak the tax-penalty deadline for signing up for health insurance as well as previews of what might happen when the contractors who built the health law’s online insurance marketplace testify today on Capitol Hill.
Health Law Brings Changes In How Therapists Do Business
Mom-and-Pop shops give way to large group practices that often accept discounted rates from insurers.