House Moves Closer To IPAB Repeal Vote
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about the latest movement in House Republican efforts to repeal a key part of the health reform law — the Independent Payment Advisory Board. One House committee passed a repeal of IPAB Tuesday while another held a hearing on it. The full House is expected to vote on a repeal of IPAB as early as the end of March.
GOP Debate: Romney Attacks Federal Employee Benefits; Santorum Promotes HSAs
During a debate in the battleground state of Ohio, Mitt Romney contrasted proposed Tricare cuts to health benefits for other government employees, while Rick Santorum extolled the virtue of health savings accounts, saying, “We need to expand them greatly.”
Q&A: Why Did I Receive A Bill From An Out-Of-Network Radiologist?
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader who received a bill from an out-of-network radiologist after a routine mammogram at an in-network hospital. The reader asks: What can we citizens do to ensure our rights?
Handle With Care: Helping Seniors Move On
Robert Ray of Silver Spring is in the business of helping the elderly move. He’s president of Caring Transitions in Silver Spring, a company that manages everything from packing boxes to finding a real estate agent.
In Victory And Defeat, Romney And Santorum Bash Health Law
GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum struck out at the Democrats’ health law in speeches Tuesday night after Romney won both the Arizona and Michigan GOP primaries.
House Republicans Pound Sebelius On Health Law
Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ appearance before the House Ways and Means Committee. She defended the health care law and the president’s fiscal 2013 budget request. The hearing had all the hallmarks of a partisan political event.
Q&A: I Was Billed, But Aren’t Colonoscopies Free Under The Health Law?
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader who had a colonoscopy and was billed a 30 percent co-pay. The reader asks: Aren’t preventive services like that free under the health law?
Different Takes: Maryland Advances An ‘Enterprising’ Plan To Eliminate Health Disparities
The University Of Maryland’s Dr. E. Albert Reece and The Heritage Foundation’s Stuart Butler discuss how health enterprise zones, a new take on an old economic development idea, might be used to improve the health of the state’s minority populations.
Testy Santorum, Romney Tussle Over Mass. Health Reform
In the last scheduled Republican debate, candidates Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul attacked the Obama administration on its birth control stance. Santorum dovetailed the issue into an attack of the 2006 Massachusetts health reform law, which then-Gov. Romney endorsed. Here is a transcript of the health care portions of the debate:
SCOTUS Preview Part 2: Analyzing The Likely High Court Arguments On The Health Law
In part two of analysis of the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on the health law, Stuart Taylor talks with Jackie Judd about the arguments each side is likely to make defending or against the individual mandate and the Medicaid expansion.
Health On The Hill: Congressional Leaders Reach Deal On 10-Month ‘Doc Fix’
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about the agreement Senate and House negotiators reached today on the “doc fix,” which avoids a cut in Medicare physician payment rates for the rest of the year.
In just over 5 weeks, the Supreme Court will hear challenges and defenses of the 2010 Affordable Care Act
Video: President Obama On New Contraception Rules
The president was joined by HHS Secretary Sebelius as he announced a revision of the rule requiring that insurance plans offer free contraception, so that religious-affiliated groups don’t have to take responsibility for the coverage.
The White House Fact Sheet On The Contraception Compromise
This fact sheet was released by the White House in advance of President Barack Obama’s Feb. 10 comments about mandated health insurance coverage for contraception.
Consumer Tips: Going Out Of Network
Most health insurance plans allow you to visit an out-of-network doctor or hospital, though it is very likely to cost you more. KHN’s Julie Appleby says you may want to use an online calculator to figure out how much more it will cost you and suggests questions you may want to ask your insurer before you decide what to do.
Health On The Hill Transcript: Backlash Grows Over Contraception Rule In Health Law
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about an Obama administration rule that would require many religious-affiliated groups to cover birth control in their insurance plans. House Speaker John Boehner has suggested Congress could take legislative action to stop the rule
Backlash Grows Over Contraception Rule In Health Law
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about an Obama administration rule that would require many religious-affiliated groups to cover birth control in their insurance plans. House Speaker John Boehner has suggested Congress could take legislative action to stop the rule.
Santorum Attacks Romney, Obama On Health Care
After he won Republican presidential nominating contests in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado, former Sen. Rick Santorum criticized the health law, the Obama administration’s birth control coverage policies and Mitt Romney’s record. He again asserted he was the only candidate to challenge the president on health care issues.
War Savings May Be Key To Long-Term ‘Doc Fix’ Deal
Health On The Hill: KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey tells Jackie Judd that both Democrats and Republicans have floated using savings from the drawdown of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to hammer out a bargain on the Medicare “doc fix.” But Wednesday’s meeting of House and Senate conferees focused on policy; more discussions about funding will come Thursday.
Q&A: Can You Be Denied Insurance Due To Pregnancy?
Losing employment and group coverage during a pregnancy narrows consumers’ health insurance options.