Latest KFF Health News Stories
Virginia Gov. Says Legislation Is Way To Medicaid Expansion
In Missouri, the expansion gets a symbolic committee endorsement, and the governor proposes using federal dollars to help pay for coverage for low-wage earners.
Polls Show Continued Public Skepticism About Health Law
While slightly fewer than half of those polled by the Wall Street Journal and NBC think the law is a bad idea, only 21 percent want it repealed. Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton criticized media coverage of the law, saying news organizations do a disservice by building a narrative and never straying from it, regardless of the facts.
Viewpoints: Health Overhaul Doesn’t Necessarily Help The Sick; Single Payer Doesn’t Mean Cheaper
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
State Exchanges Spent Far More To Reach Consumers
States that ran their own insurance marketplaces under the health law or those that partnered with the federal government spent significantly more on outreach and enrollment efforts than states that used the federal marketplace, according to a study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
State-Based Marketplaces Want Feds To Decide Who Is Exempted From Mandate
At least seven states have criticized an administration proposal to make state-run marketplaces responsible for determining eligibility for mandate exemptions. Meanwhile, Oregon’s Legislative Counsel’s Office says the exchange board does not have authority to scrap the state exchange in favor of the federal one. The opinion is not binding.
GOP Report Finds Two-Thirds Of Enrollees Have Paid Premiums
The Obama administration questioned the accuracy of the numbers, saying they do not reflect reports from insurance companies themselves, most of which have indicated that 80 to 90 percent of enrollees have paid up.
State Highlights: Mich. Mental Health Funding Cuts; Ga. Rural Hospitals
A selection of health policy stories from California, Michigan, Georgia, Colorado, Florida and North Carolina.
Longer Looks: New Views Of The 1918 Flu Pandemic; A Crumbling Mental Health System
This week’s articles come from CNN, WBUR, The Virginian-Pilot, Vox, The Guardian and The New York Times.
Woman Challenges Anthem’s Health Law ‘Narrow Network’ In N.H.
And a new proposal from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would prohibit insurers from selling as full policies bare-bones “fixed benefit” plans, potentially exposing Democrats to midterm criticism.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including headlines about a GOP report on health exchange sign-ups as well as coverage of the interaction between the health law and WellPoint’s first-quarter results.
Polls Try To Gauge The Health Law’s Effects On Midterm Elections
A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that more people think the overhaul is a bad idea rather than a good one. Still, another poll concluded that voters in swing districts are more supportive of fixing it instead of repealing it.
Health Plan Execs Say Millions More Are Insured
Meanwhile, Marketplace describes how hundreds of mostly rural residents in Tennessee still wait in line all night to get free health care, while Southern California Public Radio reports on Obamacare enrollees who feel emboldened to leave their jobs to start businesses now that they can get insurance outside of their jobs.
Some Medicare Beneficiaries Have Trouble Getting Extended Nursing And Therapy Services
Under a 2012 court settlement, the Department of Health and Human Services agreed to relax rules that said seniors could get these services only if they continued to improve. But many providers are still unaware of the new regulations.
The first confirmation hearing for Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President Barack Obama’s pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services, will be next week.
House Passes Bill To Loosen Health Law Rule For Insurers Who Sell To Expat Workers
The White House, however, opposes the bill on grounds that it could weaken the health law’s consumer protections, although it stopped short of threatening a veto.
Increased Awareness Drives Up Kansas Medicaid Enrollment
State officials say it is a result of the “woodwork effect.” Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare reports that some state Medicaid managed care plans are looking for help dealing with the cost of Sovaldi, the new hepatitis C drug.
Minn. Unseats Mass. As Top Place For Health Care
News outlets around the country reported on The Commonwealth Fund’s score card, which graded states on 42 measures, including access to care, quality and costs. USA Today looked at the report’s contention that states’ decisions not to expand Medicaid risk widening the health care gap with states that have expanded coverage.
A selection of health policy stories from Virginia, Arizona, Missouri and Connecticut.
WellPoint’s Profits Fall On Investments In Health Law Plans
Still, the company, which is closely watched because it is a big provider of plans to individuals through the law’s marketplaces, beat analysts’ expectations and raised its outlook for the year. Also out are earnings statements from hospital giant HCA and Express Scripts.
Oregon, Oracle Officials Thought They Might Have A Federal Exchange Fix
Emails show that a former Oregon official believed in early October that the state’s troubled exchange was just weeks away from a fix that might also be used to rescue the federal website, reports The Oregonian. Meanwhile, Fox News writes about an announcement by contractor Accenture that it will cost $121 million to get the federal exchange site ready for a second open enrollment and MNsure makes coverage retroactive for some people.
