Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Law Confusion, Division Among American Public Persists
USA Today examines how the health law is viewed in Colorado as a case study of the confusion that surrounds it. As further evidence of that confusion, one new poll finds that people without insurance are divided on how much the overhaul will impact them just as another concludes that half of Americans say Republicans should stop their effort to derail the measure as part of the current budget battle.
GE Uses Clout To Change How Hospitals, Doctors Work
The New York Times looks at the impact one big employer can have on the medical system in a community. Also, The Wall Street Journal examines the health law’s efforts to set up accountable care organizations and the impact on hospitals.
Technical Glitches Delay Online Signups For Small Businesses And Spanish Speakers
The Obama administration acknowledged glitches Thursday that will delay online enrollment for small businesses and Spanish-language speakers in the 34 states that elected to not set up their own insurance marketplaces. The postponements amount to a few weeks in the six-month open enrollment period and will not affect the Jan. 1 start date for coverage.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Looming Caregiver Shortage For Aging America
In the meantime, California stakeholders debate how that state should shape home care in the future.
In State Politics, Anti-Obamacare Attacks Continue As Outreach Ramps Up
Some state officials tout their anti-Obamacare credentials as enrollment efforts pick up on the eve of the Oct. 1 opening of new online marketplaces.
Parsing The Premiums In New Obamacare Exchanges
Media outlets analyze the data on premiums for 36 states released this week by the Obama administration — looking at the impact of competition on prices and assessing which regions — and which consumers — might be winners or losers in the new online marketplaces.
Research Roundup: Managed Care For Dementia Patients
This week’s studies come from JAMA Internal Medicine, the Employee Benefit Research Institute, The Kaiser Family Foundation, the Congressional Budget Office and news outlets.
Notices About Medicare Advantage Changes Coming
Medicare Advantage plans are informing seniors of changes to their plans by mail this week. Meanwhile, KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks about what Obamacare changes older Americans can expect.
First Edition: September 27, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the latest updates on the congressional brinksmanship related to ongoing budget battles and efforts to defund the health law, as well as reports about President Barack Obama’s campaign-style speech about the law and details on another implementation delay.
Health Law’s Success Or Failure To Unfold In Individual Stories
How people judge the health law will depend on whether they get insurance that proves affordable and adequate through the new exchanges, The Washington Post reports. In the meantime, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey finds that three out of four California residents of modest income believe wrongly that they’re not eligible for government help to buy insurance.
D.C.’s Obamacare Insurance Exchange Hits Technology Snag
The District of Columbia’s online health exchange will not be able to immediately calculate a person’s subsidy to help them buy coverage or sign up for Medicaid when the health law exchange opens Oct. 1. Instead, such determinations will be done offline as officials try to fix the problems. D.C.’s online health exchange technology problems follow similar ones in Colorado and Oregon.
New Details Emerge On Health Law Spending, Effects On Business
News outlets examine how some businesses are dropping their cheapest health plans and steering employees to the new health insurance online exchanges. Others explore how insurers are responding to new rules and the cost of the Obamacare exchanges.
For Regional Audiences, The Key Question Is What Will A New Policy Cost Here?
News outlets examine state data released Wednesday by the Obama administration to find the average rates that local consumers will pay for insurance on the new health marketplaces.
GOP Considers Alternatives To Government Shutdown
Republicans are exploring a possible new strategy: shifting the fight over President Barack Obama’s health-care law to a separate bill that would raise the nation’s debt limit. Other media outlets report that the debt limit deadline is Oct. 17 — about two weeks earlier than had been anticipated.
House And Senate Negotiators Reaching Agreement On Compounding Pharmacy Legislation
The measure would apply uniform national standards to pharmacy compounding while enacting a track-and-trace system to ensure the safety of drugs throughout the supply chain.
The Texas senator’s efforts prompt a wide variety of commentaries.
Viewpoints: The Debate On Locking Up People With Mental Illness; Michael J. Fox’s New Role
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
A selection of health policy stories from Florida, Illinois, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Washington.
Cruz And His Crusade To Derail The Health Law
According to press reports, just as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was stirring up interest among the tea party and other grass roots conservatives, his anti-health law strategy was also causing differences among his GOP colleagues.
