Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Administration Announces Details Of Marketplace Website Fix

Morning Briefing

Jeffrey Zients, who was named by President Barack Obama to watch over the repairs to healthcare.gov, told reporters Friday that it should be running well by the end of November. Here’s a sampling of the afternoon coverage.

Capitol Hill Testimony: Testing Started Too Late, Was Limited

Morning Briefing

During Thursday’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, contractors who work on healthcare.gov told the panel that “end-to-end” testing that should have been done months before the online insurance marketplace’s launch actually began just weeks in advance. In addition, a last-minute administration decision to require users to sign in before shopping for insurance caused the system to bottleneck.

Nearly 700,000 Applications Completed Through Online Marketplaces

Morning Briefing

The Obama administration said Thursday that 700,000 people have completed applications for coverage in the health law’s new marketplaces – a key step before people can begin shopping for insurance plans. The update came as officials responded to complaints about the numerous glitches consumers are encountering as they try to shop for health insurance.

‘Grand Bargain’ Remains Elusive; Negotiators Focus On Sequester Cuts

Morning Briefing

Democrats remain committed to raising the necessary revenue to do this by closing tax loopholes for corporations and wealthy people. Republicans continue to call for spending trims to Medicare and other entitlement programs. Meanwhile, new estimates by the Congressional Budget Office find that raising the Medicare eligibility age produces less savings than previously thought.

Early State Enrollment Numbers Show Increased Medicaid Sign-Ups

Morning Briefing

Kentucky and New York release figures showing that a large majority of people signing up for coverage under the health law are qualifying for the federal-state program for low-income residents, often because they don’t have to pay anything to immediately enroll. Meanwhile, Arkansas says more than 62,000 people have been approved for that state’s innovative Medicaid program.

Clearer Obamacare Coverage Picture Developing For Specific Groups Of Americans

Morning Briefing

News outlets look at what the health law means for coverage: Insurers are dropping some plans, state denial of a Medicaid expansion is leaving some in a coverage gap, and farmers wait to see how the cost of their health insurance will change under the law.

Sebelius Pushes Back Against Calls For Resignation

Morning Briefing

As a congressional panel probes problems with the federal health care website, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius visited an insurance call center in Phoenix, saying experts are working around the clock to fix the site. That message was repeated Thursday by officials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services during their first briefing on the repairs.

Progress Reports From Online Insurance Marketplaces Across The Country

Morning Briefing

In Texas, brokers, physicians and insurers express exasperation with the bug-ridden federal exchange website, while media reports from Maryland, Minnesota and Oregon document the challenges faced by those state-based exchanges. In California, community groups mobilize to educate people about their new insurance options.

GOP Leaders Seek More Information About Federal Health Exchange Rollout

Morning Briefing

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and others are threatening to issue subpeonas to federal contractors that worked on healthcare.gov, as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, if inquiries are not answered.

Additional Regs Finalized For Health Law’s Insurance Exchanges

Morning Briefing

Meanwhile, CBS News questions whether the White House delayed the release of other rules for several months before the election — a step that could have caused delays for contractors, insurers and others.

FDA Moves To Tighten Prescribing Limits On Vicodin, Other Hydrocodone Pain Meds

Morning Briefing

The Food and Drug Administration Thursday recommended that the most widely prescribed and abused painkillers be made Schedule II drugs, which would restrict when the oft-abused narcotics can be prescribed, and by whom.

First Edition: October 25, 2013

Morning Briefing

Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports and analyses of yesterday’s Capitol Hill hearing, which featured website contractors talking about the troubled rollout of healthcare.gov.

Hearing On Healthcare.gov Billed As Oversight, Likely To Focus On Blame

Morning Briefing

Among those who will appear before the congressional panel will be Cheryl Campbell, senior vice president of CGI Federal Inc. She will likely be asked about the company’s involvement in the bungled rollout of the online enrollment process.

Insurers Huddle At The White House; Talk Health Exchange Technical Difficulties

Morning Briefing

About a dozen CEOs from major insurance companies met with administration officials to address the online marketplace’s flaws, especially those related to generating the enrollment files that the insurers receive.