Latest KFF Health News Stories
Some Doctors Limit Obamacare Patients
Some health plans purchased on government insurance exchanges pay physicians less, so doctors are limiting the number of new patients they take with such coverage, reports USA Today. Meanwhile, a Kansas doctor sets up a boutique practice to avoid insurance hassles, and Reno, Nev., copes with a big surge in Medicaid enrollment.
N.H. Insurance Exchange Will Have 60 Health Plan Choices This Year
The state’s tally is up from 11 plans during the first year of the health law. Also in the news, health exchange shoppers in Colorado and Minnesota could experience some cost increases.
After Year-Long Delay, Small Business Health Exchange Goes Live In Five States
The early access to the marketplace for businesses in Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and Ohio is a “soft launch” that will allow Obama administration officials to troubleshoot the system before it becomes more widely available when the health law’s open enrollment season begins Nov. 15.
First Edition: October 28, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Retirees Could Lose Coverage; GOP Backs Off Entitlement Reform
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Views On Ebola: Federal Mistakes Prompt State Quarantines; Media Amplifies Worries
A selection of opinions on efforts to control the spread of Ebola.
State Highlights: Tenn. Abortion Vote; Ill. Medicaid Coordination
A selection of health policy stories from Tennessee, Illinois, Kansas, Washington state, California, North Carolina and Massachusetts.
Health Law, Medicaid Expansion Dividing Candidates
The law is highlighting stark contrasts among candidates in Georgia, Massachusetts and Wisconsin. Elsewhere, the fights in California over Propositions 45 and 46 continue.
White House Pushes Back Against States’ Ebola Quarantine Policies
The Obama administration, which is pressing the governors of New York and New Jersey to reverse orders that would quarantine health workers who had contact with Ebola patients, is promising the release of new guidelines in the days ahead. Senior officials have expressed concern about advancing policies that they do not believe are grounded in science.
Little Information Available For Families Making Hospice Decisions For Terminally Ill
Also, Reuters reports on new research regarding long-term care insurance and other themes regarding aging parents’ needs and family expectations.
Insurers, Providers, Spar For Bigger Profits
As insurers ratchet down payments to physicians and hospitals, these providers are pushing back by imposing a host of new charges on consumers.
In Mid-Term Elections, Health Law Is One Of Many Issues On Voters’ Lists
Polls continue to show that the overhaul is part of a “smorgasbord” of voters’ concerns, but it is not the dominant issue that many predicted it would be. Meanwhile, news outlets report on how it is playing in Minnesota’s Senate race.
States Offer Mixed Emotions On Health Law’s Medicaid Expansion
USA Today reports that, for the Obama administration, there’s both good and bad news from Republican governors regarding their take on expanding the low-income insurance program. But The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that red-state allies are emerging in states that initially were strongly opposed to the health law.
Where We Are With Obamacare And Where We’re Going
An analysis by a team of New York Times reporters finds that after almost a year, the Affordable Care Act has succeeded in delivering on its main promises but has also fallen short in some ways. Other reports look at how consumers could be in for some surprises when open enrollment begins next month, including the possibility of being billed for two different plans, and how the SHOP exchanges for small businesses have gone live in Illinois and Missouri.
First Edition: October 27, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: CDC’s ‘Smart’ Ebola Strategy; Legacy Of Vaccine Fears; Unfair Transplant Law
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
State Highlights: Calif. Seeks New Waiver; New Abortion Providers
A selection of health policy stories from California, South Dakota, Wyoming, Washington state and Kansas.
House GOP Probes Missteps On Ebola
As the Obama administration seeks to allay anxiety over Ebola, a congressional committee known for partisan fireworks was set to take aim Friday at its response to the disease in the U.S. and its strategy for containing the virus.
CMS Offers $840M In Grants To Doctors, Hospitals
The money is meant to help improve the quality of care patients receive. At the same time, family physicians are working to promote the importance of primary care.
