Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Nearly 400,000 Poor Americans Flock To Expanded Medicaid

Morning Briefing

The Washington Post reports the rollout of the law’s expanded Medicaid program appears to be ‘the silver lining’ in the health law’s implementation — signups of nearly 400,000 people appear to be going smoothly. Meanwhile, news outlets cover Medicaid developments in Wisconsin, Ohio and South Carolina.

Doctors Tell White House About Their Health Law Concerns; New Insurance Regulations Raise Some Flags

Morning Briefing

At a meeting Tuesday, physician groups said they are worried that insurance plans on the health care website offer only limited networks of providers and cut reimbursement rates for doctors. Also, regulations released this week come under scrutiny.

Political Playbooks Direct Lawmakers To Find Obamacare ‘Stories’

Morning Briefing

Lawmakers are being urged by their respective parties to publicize constituents’ experiences with Obamacare — horror stories, in the case of Republicans, and success stories showing the law “delivering on its promise” for Democrats. Meanwhile, a CNN/ORC poll shows that Democrats have lost their post-government shutdown lead among registered voters in a generic ballot.

Supreme Court To Hear Arguments On Health Law’s Contraceptive Coverage Mandate

Morning Briefing

The justices accepted a pair of cases that raise questions not just about religious freedom and equality for female employees, but whether the religious beliefs of the owners of secular corporations allows them to not comply with a law.

Consumers Urged To Give Healthcare.gov Another Try — Just Not Too Many Of Them

Morning Briefing

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday that healthcare.gov is “improved every day.” But the administration delayed a big marketing campaign planned for December and is asking allies to hold back their enrollment pushes to avoid a crush of new users.

Marketplace News: Private Health Insurance Exchanges; Health Costs Rise For Big Firms

Morning Briefing

Issues in the health care marketplace make news: Private health care exchanges, not the ones associated with the health law, are becoming more prominent. In addition, health care costs for large businesses in Los Angeles rise 4.5 percent.

First Edition: Nov. 27, 2013

Morning Briefing

Today’s headlines from major new organizations, including several previewing how the online health insurance website is expected to work after the Obama administration’s deadline this weekend for fixes.

Supreme Court Will Decide Health Law Contraception Challenge

Morning Briefing

The justices will review provisions in the Affordable Care Act requiring employers of a certain size to offer insurance coverage for birth control and other reproductive health services without a co-pay.

Tactics To Sell The Health Law: Moms And Local News

Morning Briefing

The administration, as well as insurers and advocacy groups, will rely on several tactics to sell the public on the health law, appealing to mothers to recruit their adult children and seeking positive news coverage from local, rather than national, media. Community groups, meanwhile, are encountering challenges in enrolling Latinos, reports The Chicago Tribune.

Health Law Coverage Bringing Changes To An Array Of Consumers

Morning Briefing

News outlets explore some of these issues, including new costs for people with “Cadillac” coverage, “narrow networks” of doctors and other health providers, new options for part-time workers and unexpected effects on smokers. In the meantime, exchanges are bracing for a busy December, and Covered California launches a hotline to help people having sign-up problems.

Troubled Effort To Devise New Cholesterol Guidelines

Morning Briefing

The New York Times explores what went wrong as a group of doctors struggled to find common ground on how heart issues should be treated. Other stories also look at consumer frustration about a landmark settlement on hip implants and concerns being reviewed by the FDA about emergency contraceptive pills.