Latest KFF Health News Stories
Employees At Big Companies Will Pick Up A Bigger Share Of Health Care Price Tag, Predicts Aon Hewitt
The Associated Press reports on this new forecast from benefits consultant Aon Hewitt.
Medical Device Tax Gets Attention In Budget Fight
Opponents of the tax, which helps fund the health law, have proposed killing it to help defuse the current standoff, but there is not yet consensus on that effort.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Longer Looks: More TV Characters With Mental Illness
This week’s articles come from Time, Gawker, The New York Times, the Atlantic, Dr. Kevin Campbell and WeNews.
State Highlights: Audit Questions Facts In N.C. Medicaid Managed Care
A selection of health policy stories from California, North Carolina and Oregon.
Lawmakers Grill IRS Chief On Obamacare Rollout
Media outlets report that a House panel questioned Sarah Hall Ingram, the Internal Revenue Service official running the agency’s Obamacare office, who testified the health law rollout is going smoothly. Another House panel heard conflicting views of the law’s impact on businesses.
Deadline For Getting Coverage And Avoiding Fines — Valentine’s Day, Not March 31
The Associated Press reports on this development — which it called a “new wrinkle” — that will move up by about six weeks the date by which consumers will need to have health insurance or face penalties. Also in the news, lots of talk — some of which came from President Barack Obama himself — about how the health law helps or hurts workers and how it impacts health care costs.
Indiana Sues To Halt Health Law’s Employer Mandate
The state attorney general and 15 school districts filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, claiming that tax penalties for businesses with 50 or more full-time employees that fail to provide health benefits cannot be enforced against state or local governments. That mandate has been delayed until 2015.
First Edition: October 10, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a new Associated Press poll that offers the public’s early reviews of the first days of the health law’s online insurance marketplaces.
Shoppers On Fed’s Insurance Website Still Face Problems
News outlets report on the glitches still plaguing the website, healthcare.gov., in its second week of operation. White House officials say fixes are being made, although they have been unable to say how many consumers have enrolled in plans through the website.
State Health Exchanges Running More Smoothly Than Federal Marketplace
The New York Times reports that, while difficulties continue for consumers in the 30 states that are using the federal government’s online health insurance marketplace, those who live in states that have chosen to operate their own are faring better. Other media outlets offer sign up tallies and other updates from New York, California, Connecticut, Oregon, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
As the stand-off continues between Capitol Hill Republicans and President Barack Obama over the government shutdown, the debt ceiling and GOP efforts to defund or delay the health law, Politico poses the question: what would be on the table if leaders did start talking.
Gov’t Shutdown Triggered By Capitol Hill Causes Damage To Public Health
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls in furloughed scientists after a salmonella outbreak in California sickened people in 18 states.
State Highlights: Maine To Allow Foreign Mail-Order Rx Drug Orders
A selection of health policy stories from Maine, North Carolina, Missouri, California, Washington, Kansas and Florida.
Hill GOP Blasts Coverage Costs, Seeks Numbers Of Obamacare Enrolees
The GOP on Capitol Hill is continuing targeted attacks on the health law.
How Obamacare Affects Children, Prisoners
Media reports explore how the health law requires that dental and vision care benefits for children be included in policies sold through new online insurance marketplaces and how the law may shift prisoners’ health care costs from local jurisdictions to the federal government. Other outlets track congressional oversight of the IRS’ role in enforcing the law’s requirement that most people carry insurance.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
First Edition: September 9, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports on how some state health online insurance marketplaces are working as well as the latest from Capitol Hill on the budget standoff.
Software Crash Viewed As Root Cause Of Exchange Delays
The New York Times reports that a major software component crashed under the pressure posed by millions of visitors last week to the federal online insurance marketplace. Still, other technical issues beyond traffic also are at work, and some insurers say they are getting faulty and incomplete data from the new U.S.-run health exchange.
In addition, news outlets offer progress reports on state-based health exchanges in Minnesota, Washington and Michigan as well as how the federal exchange is working for other states that opted not to run their own online insurance marketplace.
