Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: February 27, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a number of stories about Obama past and present administration officials — notably, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden — who are stepping up to “sell” people on enrolling in new health law insurance coverage.
Obamacare Enrollment Reaches 4 Million
About 700,000 people have selected a health plan so far in February, but officials couldn’t say how many of those people have paid their first month’s premium. For enrollment to reach the revised goal of 6 million, about 2 million more people will have to sign up in March.
Health Exchanges Create Cybersecurity Challenges, Hacker Opportunities
The Associated Press reports that a number of state health exchanges that were supposed to link to the federal computer system were initially rated as “high risk.” Meanwhile, coverage of state-level online insurance marketplace fits and starts continues with reports from Maryland, Hawaii, Idaho, North Dakota, California, Connecticut and Minnesota.
Record $4.3 Billion In Health Care Fraud Recovered
Federal efforts to combat health care fraud recovered a record $4.3 billion in fiscal 2013 and have recouped more than $8 for every $1 spent on enforcement over the past three years, according to an annual report released Wednesday.
Georgia Docs Finally See Medicaid Pay Raise
In the meantime, Minnesota’s hospitals saw their uncompensated care costs increase at the slowest rate in five years.
Medicare Official Defends Proposed Changes To Prescription Drug Program
In written testimony, Jonathan Blum, deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says the changes are needed to head off cost increases, but an industry-sponsored study argues some of the changes could cost taxpayers more.
In Some States, Medicaid Expansion Intersects With Immigration Issues
News outlets examine how federal and state provisions on health care coverage set out an uneven landscape for low-income Americans, legal immigrants and those who came to the country illegally as children and who were given legal status for two-year periods.
Obesity Rate For Young Children Falls 43 Percent
The study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the decline among 2- to 5-year-old children — the first significant drop ever reported. Rates for the broader population remain unchanged, however.
Study: Medical Homes Haven’t Saved Money Or Substantially Improved Care
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found a pilot project that organizes care for patients in order to improve care quality and reduce costs improved neither substantially.
Ark. House Delays Vote On Medicaid Expansion; Maine Lawmakers Offer Compromise
In Arkansas, the House held off on a fifth vote for funding the state’s “private option.” The Maine compromise would expand Medicaid while also reforming the program.
Obama, Boehner Meeting Touches Health Law, But Resolves Little
The resident and the House speaker met Tuesday in the Oval Office, but there was little indication any progress was made on resolving their differences on the health law.
White House Leaning On Party Stalwarts, Core Supporters To Sell Health Law
The White House is using former President Bill Clinton and a Democratic governor from a Republican state to sell the health law to a still-skeptical public. In the meantime, volunteers for Obama’s Organizing for Action are urged to focus their efforts on enrolling the public in Obamacare.
Viewpoints: Health Law’s Forgotten Taxes; ‘Lame Documentation’ By Critics; Hospital Closing Crisis
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Weighing Medicare Claims And Health Law ‘Job Killer’ Accusations
As the political season heats up, fact checkers are getting increasingly busy.
Administration May Be Scaling Back Estimates Of Young Adult Enrollment
CNN reports that the White House tamps down expectations that the exchanges will meet CBO’s original projection that 40 percent of enrollees would be between the ages of 18 and 34. Also, Politico Pro looks at the large number of states that are not carrying out a health law provision that allows young adults who were enrolled in Medicaid before aging out of foster care to receive coverage through age 26.
First Edition: February 26, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that, according to the Obama administration, insurance sign-ups under the health law have hit 4 million.
Report: 11 Million Workers Could See Higher Costs
Nearly two-thirds of small businesses will see their health insurance premiums increase under the ACA, according to a new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report. Democrats counter that the report ignores subsidies for premiums.
For Governors, Medicaid Expansion Issues Create Interesting Political Dynamics
Some Republican governors are seeking political cover as they pursue a version of the expansion, while some Democratic state executives want more backup from the White House. Meanwhile, news outlets also provide updates on developments in Virginia and Arkansas.
Health Stocks Rise As Worries Ease About Medicare Advantage Payment Rate Cuts
Shares of Humana, UnitedHealth, Aetna and others went up Monday as estimates of the 2015 payment rate reduction estimates appeared to land closer to 4 percent than to the initial expectations around 7 percent or even deeper.
Health Law Attack Ads Under The Microscope
As congressional races heat up, political ads related to the health law move into the realm of fact-checking and demands for proof.
