Latest KFF Health News Stories
As GOP Election-Day Confidence Grows, McConnell Reiterates Obamacare Opposition
Earlier in the week, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who hopes the mid-terms will not only result in his re-election but also GOP control of the Senate and his own rise to majority leader, made comments that repeal of the health law might not be in the cards. Since then, however, he has sought to reassure conservatives about his opposition to the overhaul. Meanwhile, other news outlets analyze how a Republican majority in the Senate, and other electoral outcomes, might impact the health policy agenda.
Insurers Predict Surge In Obamacare Sign-Ups
Reuters reports that insurers selling 2015 health law plans expect at least 20 percent growth in customers and more than a doubling in some states. Also in the news, reports about enrollment efforts in California and premium cost confusion in Minnesota and North Carolina.
First Edition: October 30, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Views On Ebola: Quarantines Will Cripple Fight Against The Disease; Feds, States Must Cooperate
News outlets offer a variety of opinions on the strategy to fight Ebola and on the issue of quarantining health care workers.
Viewpoints: Health Law ‘Pushing Back Inequality’; Mississippi’s ‘Shame’; Medicaid Vote In Maine
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Longer Looks: How A Quarantine Works; GOP Plan To Sue Obama Hits A Stumbling Block
Every week KHN reporter Shefali Luthra selects interesting reading from around the Web.
State Highlights: GOP Looks For Legislature Control; Abortion Key In Tenn. Election
A selection of health policy stories from Arkansas, California, Tennessee, Michigan, North Carolina and Maryland.
Maine Nurse Defies Quarantine Order, Testing States’ Efforts On Ebola
The nurse opts to go for a bike ride Thursday morning against orders from the governor. Meanwhile, California also announces it is setting up a 21-day home quarantine policy for any health care workers returning from West Africa.
Honeywell’s Wellness Program Faces Legal Test
Lawyers for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit, arguing that a company can ask employees to undergo voluntary testing but can’t impose a penalty on those who decline to submit to health screening tests.
Health Law Boosts Earnings For Many Insurers
Last fall, the nation’s biggest health insurers were cautious about the overhaul’s coverage expansion and prohibitions against denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. But a year later, many have raised earnings expectations, and investors see less uncertainty.
Health Law Weighs Heavily For Some Democratic Candidates
Obamacare has been a buzzword in ads in many key Senate elections, and, in anticipation of an expected run-off, groups are making media buys in Louisiana, that will, among other things, hit Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu hard for her support of the health law. Meanwhile, other TV advertisements go beyond the campaign and seek to raise awareness about the law itself and to encourage people to sign up for coverage.
McConnell Says Full Health Law Repeal ‘Not In The Cards’ Even If GOP Controls The Senate
Although there’s uncertainty about what would be included on a Republican-controlled Senate’s to-do list, The Washington Post notes that the outcome of this election will have a significant impact on the health law’s future direction.
HHS Secretary Meets With Insurance Execs Before Open Enrollment Season Begins
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell met with 12 industry leaders in advance of the Nov. 15 kick-off of the health law’s second sign-up period. Also in the news, Burwell taps a top Treasury aide, Alastair Fitzpayne, to be the next HHS chief of staff.
Why Mississippi’s Health Law Relationship Failed
News outlets examine how the health law’s implementation unfolded in Mississippi and other southern states.
Supreme Court To Decide If It Will Hear Insurance Subsidies Case
The GOP says language in the health law bars consumers in 36 states from using federal tax subsidies to purchase health coverage on the federal exchange. The justices, who are scheduled to consider the question this week, could announce their decision to take up the case or not as soon as Nov. 3, according to Bloomberg.
Some Small Firms Drop Coverage Due To Health Law Options
Some employers increasingly view the health law’s online marketplaces as an attractive option for their workers, and WellPoint said Wednesday that its small business plan membership is declining more quickly than expected.
Rural Hospitals In Non-Medicaid Expansion States Face Challenges
Some states with large rural populations opted out of expanding Medicaid even though large numbers of rural residents are uninsured, California Healthline reports. Meanwhile, a second wave of people with unverified immigration status will lose coverage this month, and Fox News reports on the increasing popularity of cheap, one-year insurance policies that are being sold as an alternative to those purchased on government exchanges.
First Edition: October 30, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: States Move On Ebola Because Obama Didn’t; Copper Plans’ Hidden Costs
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
State Highlights: Support For Calif. Rate Regulation Grows; Minn. Employee Wellness Lawsuit
A selection of health policy stories from California, Kansas, Minnesota, South Carolina and Florida.
