Latest KFF Health News Stories
N.H. State Senators Agree To Bipartisan Medicaid Expansion Compromise
The plan will require three federal waivers, would sunset after three years without continued 100 percent federal contributions and would use private insurance to reach the additional low-income New Hampshire residents. It’s similar to the Iowa and Arkansas approaches.
GOP Considers Asking For ‘Doc Fix,’ Other Proposals, In Return For Debt-Ceiling Raise
House Republicans are considering their options on tying proposals they want to see to passing an increase in the debt ceiling, among them fixing the way Medicare pays doctors. Democrats and the White House are making it increasingly clear that they don’t intend on making concessions with the debt limit.
Despite Enrollment Jump, Aetna Says It Faces Losses From Health Exchanges
Insurer Aetna said that although it has signed up 135,000 new members, it expects to lose money on the health law’s marketplaces this year. Cigna, in the meantime, saw its fourth-quarter profit dip as it lost members.
AOL Blames Health Law For Change In Retirement Benefits, Without Details
AOL owns websites such as Huffington Post.
Fact Checker Skewers Attack Ads ‘Based’ On CBO Report On Health Law
The first ads are already out based on the Congressional Budget Office’s report on the health law’s impact on the labor market, and the Washington Post’s Fact Checker finds plenty of distortions. Meanwhile, the White House seeks to persuade Americans that it’s a good thing if the health care law means they can work less.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
State Highlights: No Relief In Sight For High Insurance Prices In Colo. Ski Towns
A selection of health policy stories from Colorado, South Dakota, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida and California.
Consumers Might Get To Keep Noncompliant Health Plans Longer
The Obama administration is said to be debating whether to let people keep their individual insurance policies for as long as an additional three years. Meanwhile, groups seeking to enroll young people in coverage use techniques honed in political campaigns, and critics of the law call on consumers to take individual responsibility for their health.
Research Roundup: Value-Based Insurance; Telemedicine In Nursing Homes
This week’s studies come from Health Affairs, JAMA Internal Medicine, Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration, the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Heritage Foundation.
First Edition: February 7, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports from Capitol Hill about the continuing efforts to overhaul Medicare’s payment system for doctors.
CBO Report Reaction Leads To Fact-Checking, Heavy Dose Of Political Debate
Despite the political storm it has generated, the latest report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects the law will give several million people an opportunity to work less or not at all, because they won’t be stuck in jobs simply to keep their job-based insurance.
‘Risk Corridors’ Become Key GOP Anti-Health Law Talking Point
During a hearing of the House Oversight And Government Reform Committee, Republicans tagged this provision as an insurance industry bailout despite Congressional Budget Office projections cited by Democrats that it ultimately will collect billions of dollars from insurers rather than paying them money.
Study: More Than Half Of The Nation’s Uninsured People Live In Just 116 Counties
The study, conducted for the Associated Press, suggests that, even as the clock ticks down on the insurance sign-up period, outreach to this target population may not be so difficult. Also in the headlines, the administration announced a new theme for its campaign to reach “young invincibles,” while a group of athletes is also getting into the game.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Report: Fewer Than 2 Million Medicaid Enrollees Are Result Of Health Law
The study by consulting firm Avalere Health concludes that less than a third of the 6.3 million who have signed up for Medicaid have done so because of the health law’s expansion of eligibility. Developments in Virginia and Florida are also covered.
Humana Posts Loss But Says New Members Are Younger Than Expected
Insurer Humana said it lost money in the fourth quarter of last year over increased expenses and a drop in membership. At the same time, it says its health law enrollees are younger than expected.
CVS’ Tobacco Move Brings Praise, Analysis As Marketing Move
Some are praising CVS’ decision not to sell tobacco products while others say it’s a marketing ploy meant to position the drugstore keenly in the middle of consumer health care.
A selection of health policy stories from Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, Minnesota, Florida and Georgia.
New Bill Would Expand Health Law Subsidies For Those In High-Cost Areas
The bill would tie subsidy levels to cost of living around the nation instead of to the national federal poverty level. In the meantime, a lawmaker from Colorado introduces a bill to speed construction of VA hospitals.
Maryland, Minnesota And Oregon Attempt To Boot Up Exchanges
Meanwhile, PBS NewsHour looks at why enrollment lags among Latinos, the ethnic group with the highest uninsured rate, despite tens of millions of dollars being spent on outreach in states like California.
