Latest KFF Health News Stories
Humana Fills Blank Spots In Mississippi Obamacare Map
Filling a potential coverage void, Humana Inc. said Friday it will sell health insurance in 36 Mississippi counties that might have otherwise been left out of a marketplace for subsidized policies sold under the Affordable Care Act. “I’m elated,” said Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, who had been working to make the deal happen. “I’m […]
Analysis: N.Y. Insurance Market Is ‘Poster Child’ For Individual Mandate
Insurers offer less expensive premiums, betting the mandate will attract young and healthy consumers into a market long dominated by the sick.
New York is one of five states that required insurers to sell to everyone prior to passage of the health law but did not require consumers to buy coverage, leading to some of the nation’s highest premiums.
In A Major Pitch, Obama Says Health Law Is Benefiting Consumers
In a Thursday White House speech, President Barack Obama stepped into his role as the overhaul’s campaigner-in-chief and talked about the millions of Americans who are already benefiting from insurance benefits.
Obama’s Health Law Speech: The Politics In Play
News outlets analyze the strategic, political and public opinion dynamics that are currently in play — and offer some fact-checking — as the White House works to inspire public enthusiasm for the measure’s implementation.
Nurse Practitioners Slowly Gain Autonomy
States hope they will be better able to care for the federal health law’s 30 million newly insured patients by relaxing decades-old “scope of practice” laws that determine what care nurse practitioners can deliver.
Longer Looks: Immigrant Health Tied To Their Status
This week’s articles come from The Atlantic, The New York Times, Scientific American and Time.
House Panel Releases Draft Bill To Repeal Medicare’s Payment System For Doctors
The proposal would get rid of the sustainable growth rate formula and replace it with a system that rewards doctors based on quality and efficiency measures, MedPage Today reports.
UnitedHealth Reports Profit Up 7.4 Percent
The nation’s largest health care insurer says membership is growing and medical costs have been lower than expected.
Lower Premiums — But Only If Right People Buy; Other Health Exchange News
CBS News looks at the dynamics of the health exchanges. In the meantime, officials in Minnesota and Maryland are weighing how to educate consumers about the nuances of the marketplaces, while private organizations are filling that role in Texas.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Based On Preliminary Premiums, HHS Sees Lower-Than-Expected Costs
Coverage of health law implementation issues includes reports about a recent Department of Health and Human Services analysis that concluded premium costs would be less than initially projected in 11 states, as well as news about rate shock, the role of the health law in triggering a shift to part-time work and other issues.
The recent announcement of the premium cuts in New York and President Barack Obama’s health speech has galvanized opinion writers.
Health Law Continues To Trigger Friction Across Party Lines, And Among Democrats
After a weekend of high-profile action related to the health law, news outlets note that polls indicate it remains a divisive issue — a point that was evident with this week’s House vote to delay the employer and individual mandates, as well as Democrats’ reactions to it.
Texas Gov. Perry Signs Abortion Restrictions Into Law; Fights Still Likely
Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed controversial abortion restrictions into law Thursday, even as abortion-rights supporters readied challenges and said the law will force all but five of the state’s abortion providers to close. Reuters, in the meantime, reports why that might not be true.
Community Health Faces New Subpoena Into Medicare Admissions Practices
Community Health has received a subpoena for two executives to testify in an investigation into its Medicare admissions. The hospital operator also reports its income fell 57 percent on weak patient volume and debt.
Research Roundup: The Cost To States Opting Against Medicaid Expansion
This week’s studies come from JAMA Ophthalmology, Spine, the Annals of Family Medicine, the Urban Institute, The Kaiser Family Foundation and news outlets.
State Highlights: Court Hears Arguments On Fla. ‘Gun-Gag’ Law
A selection of health policy news from Florida, Minnesota, Utah, Oregon, Georgia, Wisconsin and California.
Texas Groups Promote Health Insurance Exchange With No Help From State
State officials have no plans to help educate consumers about new insurance options. Other groups are stepping in, but some worry it won’t be enough.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including coverage of President Barack Obama’s Thursday speech pitching the positives of the health law.