Latest KFF Health News Stories
State Highlights: N.C. Officials Detail Medicaid Personal Info Mishap
A selection of health policy stories from North Carolina, Massachusetts, Florida, Virginia, Wisconsin and California.
Administration: Contraception Rule Does Not Burden Religious Groups
In the latest legal skirmish over the so-called contraceptive mandate in the health law, Obama administration lawyers urged Justice Sonia Sotomayor to drop an appeal from the Little Sisters of the Poor and other Catholic groups. Nonprofit religious charities can opt out of the requirement, they argued. The rule already faces a challenge from several for-profit companies that will be heard by the high court.
First Edition: January 6, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how the health law fits into the Capitol Hill agenda for the year ahead.
Justice Dept. Defends Birth Control Rule Against Nuns’ Suit
The administration responded to a lawsuit by a group of nuns challenging how the health law exempts them from the rule.
For The Health Law, Are The First Days The Hardest Ones?
News outlets take a look at how the health law’s implementation is working out on the ground during these first days of January.
State Insurance Exchanges Continue To Struggle Even After New Year Deadline
The Washington Post Fact Checker takes a closer look at the health law enrollment target the Obama administration is now backing away from. In the meantime, many states continue to confront insurance exchange challenges even after the crush of customers looking to get coverage to start in January.
Confusion For People Who Enrolled In Medicaid On Healthcare.gov
Some people who applied early in the open enrollment period may not actually be signed up for the program and may be flummoxed by federal robocalls encouraging them to apply again directly to state agencies. Also, news outlets offer updates from Missouri, Pennsylvania and Maryland.
House Plans Vote On Security Requirements For Health Insurance Exchanges
In what will likely be the GOP’s first effort in 2014 to undercut the health law, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said Thursday he plans to bring up the measure next week.
Medicaid Expansion Boosted Emergency Room Visits In Oregon, Study Finds
A new study of a 2008 expansion of Oregon’s Medicaid program showed those with new coverage used emergency rooms 40 percent more often than other adults, throwing some water on the long-held argument that expanding Medicaid coverage lowers ER usage and boosts primary care visits.
Koch-Backed Group Launches Ads Against Senators Who Supported Health Law
Americans For Prosperity, a group backed by the billionaire Koch brothers, said it will spend $2.5 million for TV ads targeting three vulnerable Democrats who supported the health care law — Sens. Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. Other groups are using dueling personal stories to try to sway public opinion.
Making Lists: Parts Of The Health Law To Note
A variety of lists detail important provisions of the overhaul and how they might impact the public’s feelings about it.
Who The Health Law’s First Wave Left Behind, And Who It Embraced
Health law coverage includes how the measure’s implementation impacts a variety of different populations, as well as other key policy issues.
State Highlights: Moving Americans Out Of Nursing Homes; Kansas To Get Medicaid Bonus
A selection of health policy stories from the District of Columbia, Kansas, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina and California.
Insurers Express Concerns About Health Law Fixes
Some insurers are pushing for a nationwide, as opposed to state-by-state, approach to policy fixes to the Affordable Care Act. Many also report that enrollment data errors remain a problem, despite assurances by the Obama administration.
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
First Edition: January 3, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including coverage of a new study examining how Oregon’s ER usage increased after expanding Medicaid.
Research Roundup: A Primer On Medicaid Expansion
This week’s studies come from the Annals of Internal Medicine, JAMA Internal Medicine, JAMA Surgery, JAMA Psychiatry, The Kaiser Family Foundation, the American Journal of Critical Care and the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
A selection of opinions and editorials on health policy from around the country.
After Bumpy Launch, Consumers Start Using Health Law Coverage
Nearly four years after passage of the health law, its major provisions finally took effect Jan. 1, and millions of Americans are about to see how it really works. Media outlets offer tip sheets to consumers and report on the challenges that lie ahead.
Detailing The Numbers: Parsing The Latest HHS Tally Of New Enrollees
According to reports, 2.1 million people have signed up for new insurance coverage, and 3.9 million have been found eligible for Medicaid. Who are these people and what do the numbers mean?
