Latest KFF Health News Stories
GOP Leaders Want Answers To Questions About Website Difficulties
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is among the people some congressional Republicans want to testify about what some have termed the health exchanges’ “failure to launch.”
Democrats and Republicans aren’t just fighting each other, they’re also dealing with intra-party squabbles over the latest plan to come together to find an accord to fix the nation’s budget woes. The decisions are sure to involve Medicare as a 29-member panel has until Dec. 13 to reach an agreement to present.
Va. AG: Health Law Rollout A ‘National Embarrassment’
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who is also a candidate for governor, blasted the rollout of the health law in the GOP’s weekly address this weekend. Cuccinelli callede the implementation of the law a “national embarrassment.”
State Highlights: Calif. Set To Get Health Law Long-Term Care Money
A selection of health policy stories from Massachusetts and California.
Obama To Acknowledge Troubled Rollout Of Healthcare.gov
President Barack Obama is expected to call the problems plaguing the insurance exchange’s startup unacceptable and detail efforts to fix them in an address in the Rose Garden today.
First Edition: October 21, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the latest reports about how the Obama administration plans to make the necessary fixes in the health law’s online insurance marketplace.
Republicans Attacking Sebelius On Insurance Exchange Rollout
On the Sunday talk shows, various senators called for HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to appear before a House committee.
As Budget Talks Resume, Parties May Face Tough Decisions On Medicare, Other Entitlements
With the ink hardly dry on the deal providing short-term funding to reopen the government and to raise the debt ceiling, negotiators dived into the next round of fiscal talks. Media reports cast doubt on the possibility of a grand bargain, while Medpage Today suggests the latest deal muddled the prospects for an SGR fix.
Tech Experts Say Total Overhaul Of Healthcare.Gov May Be Needed
Beyond consumers’ problems using the federal website, insurers are getting flawed enrollment data from the few who manage to sign up for plans, the Wall Street Journal reports. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Jay Carney said that President Barack Obama was seeking “accountability” from those working to fix the glitches as tech experts suggest the site may have to be redesigned.
State Highlights: New Blue Cross Contracts For Pa. Health System
A selection of health policy stories from Indiana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and California.
Health Law Is Back In The Hot Seat
Now that lawmakers have an extension on pressing budget issues, they are refocusing attention on the health law’s “rocky rollout.” For instance, GOP leaders are pressing administration officials for answers about what’s gone wrong with the federal online health insurance marketplace.
HIPAA, Meant To Protect, Can Also Impede Information Sharing
A law meant to protect people’s medical information — HIPAA — can often stop the sharing of information among those with the conditions.
State Exchanges Report Sign-Up Successes
Although Healthcare.gov may be barely limping along, some state health insurance exchanges are completing applications and signing up thousands. News outlets also offer other developments related to the marketplaces in Kentucky, Connecticut, Oregon, California, Minnesota, Georgia and Maryland.
Medicaid ‘Coverage Gap’ Causing Anxiety In Non-Expansion States
In states that decide not to expand Medicaid under the health law, more than 5 million people may be left without coverage — and the hardest hit will be in the South. In Oregon, the expansion has already lowered the number of people there without coverage by 10 percent — in two weeks. Exchange issues are also examined in Maryland, Florida, Ohio and Alabama.
GOP Loses A Battle Over Obamacare But Continues War
Media outlets report that conservatives aren’t done fighting the health care law. Obamacare was always going to be a major issue in the 2014 midterm elections, and the disastrous launch of the online health insurance marketplaces is likely to play into conservative arguments that the Democrats overreached.
UnitedHealth Says Lower Medicare Advantage Payments Forced Smaller Profit
UnitedHealth saw a small increase in profit for the quarter in its earnings statement released Thursday, news that forced the insurer’s shares lower. The Minnetonka, Minn., based insurer said lower government payments from Medicare Advantage plans were one culprit of the lower earnings.
Viewpoints: Health Marketplace Already Has Eligibility Verification; Entitlement Fight Lies Ahead
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Research Roundup: Less Savings Needed For Retirement Health Expenses
This week’s studies come from the Employee Benefits Research Institute, Health Affairs, The Kaiser Family Foundation, The Urban Institute, JAMA Surgery, AIDS and Therapy and news outlets.
First Edition: October 18, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including stories about how Medicare might fit into the next round of budget talks.
Health Law Mostly Untouched By Agreement To End Shutdown, Increase Debt Limit
Republican foes of the overhaul came out of the confrontation with only a tweak to income verification rules for those seeking subsidies to buy coverage on the new health insurance exchanges. The agreement created a new budget deadline, however, requiring lawmakers to return to the table to reach a longterm deficit reduction agreement by Dec. 13.
