Study Estimates 10 Million Americans Gained Health Coverage
About 10.3 million Americans gained health coverage this year, primarily as a result of the Affordable Care Act, according to a study by the federal government and Harvard University, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The estimate of newly insured adults — the largest to date — is the first published in a […]
Groups Sue Tennessee Over Medicaid Enrollment Delays
The plaintiffs accuse state officials of depriving thousands of residents of health care coverage.
Florida’s Biggest Health Insurer Signals Rate Hikes Ahead
High demand for care and a larger-than-expected number of older, sicker enrollees are key factors.
Feds Demand Medicaid Backlog Fixes By Six States
This KHN story can be republished for free. (details) Tired of waiting for states to reduce their backlogs of Medicaid applications, the Obama administration has given six states until Monday to submit plans to resolve issues that have prevented more than 1 million low-income or disabled people from getting health coverage. The targeted states are Alaska, California, […]
Florida Shifts Medicaid Mental Health Strategy
It offers a plan geared to people with serious mental illnesses that will coordinate physical and behavioral services.
‘A Uniquely New Hampshire Approach’ To Medicaid Expansion
New Hampshire became the 26th state today to embrace the federal health law’s expanded Medicaid program, with as many as 50,000 low-income residents expected to begin signing up. Coverage for those who enroll this month will take effect Aug. 15. Initially, most New Hampshire enrollees will join one of two Medicaid managed care plans in the […]
Michigan To Reward Medicaid Enrollees Who Take ‘Personal Responsibility’
The state is among the first to use financial incentives to encourage enrollees to boost their health.
More Than 1.7 Million Consumers Still Wait For Medicaid Decisions
Technological glitches at the federal and state levels and inadequate staffing have delayed eligibility determinations.
Medicaid Enrollment Surges By More Than 1 Million In April
Medicaid enrollment surged by more than 1 million people in April, bringing the total growth in the state-federal health insurance program for the poor since September to about 6 million, the Obama administration said Wednesday. The increase is significant because it shows Medicaid enrollment continued to grow even after the new state and federal online […]
Safety Net Hospitals Already Seeing More Paying Patients – And Revenue
Many inner-city hospitals in Medicaid-expansion states report big drops in the number of uninsured people for whom they provide care.
Do Seniors Have Too Many Medicare Plans To Choose From?
Most seniors face a dizzying array of options each year when it comes time to choose a Medicare health or prescription drug plan. Beneficiaries can select from an average of 18 health plans and 31 prescription drug plans. In South Florida, they have 88 plan choices altogether. While choice may sound like a good thing, […]
What Surge? Nation’s Primary Care System Holding Up Well So Far Under Obamacare
Some say early concerns were exaggerated, though late enrollment and Medicaid problems also have cut demand.
States’ Medicaid Decisions Leave Health Centers, Patients In Lurch
More than 1 million patients who use federally funded community health centers will remain uninsured because they live in one of 24 states that chose not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, according to a study released Friday by researchers at George Washington University. Most of those patients live in the South, because […]
Arizona Offers ‘Sneak Peak’ At Costs Of Shifting Kids Off CHIP
Families of Arizona children who were forced to switch from the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to private plans sold in the federal marketplace are likely paying more and getting fewer benefits, according to a study released Thursday. Millions of families who are ineligible for Medicaid could soon face the same choice if Congress chooses […]
Hospitals’ Purchase Of Doctors Leads To Higher Prices, Spending, Study Finds
A new study gives ammunition to what health economists and health insurers have argued for years: When hospitals buy physician practices, the result is usually higher hospital prices and increased spending by privately insured patients. The study, published Monday in the journal Health Affairs, was based on an analysis of 2.1 million hospital claims from workers […]
Healthcare.gov Finished Strong Despite Rocky Start, Enrollment Data Show
Obama administration officials on Thursday predicted health insurance premiums would be stable next year despite concerns that not enough young and healthy people signed up through the online insurance exchanges. “The risk pool is fundamentally large and varied to support that kind of pricing…in every state,” said Mike Hash, director of the office of health […]
Most States To Rely On Federal Website For 2015 Enrollment
Tight deadlines and technical challenges dampen enthusiasm among states to set up their own online insurance marketplaces.
Is Bigger Better? Idaho Hospital Battle A Microcosm Of Debate Over Industry Consolidation
A federal court’s ruling dissolving the merger of the state’s biggest hospital system and biggest doctors’ practice may discourage future ventures.
Obama Sharply Criticizes Republicans As He Announces 8 Million Have Enrolled
President says others have been denied the law’s benefits because many states haven’t expanded Medicaid.
Hospitals Get Into Doctor Rating Business
After some doctors at University of Utah Health Care noticed scathing online reviews about themselves in 2012, the hospital system decided the best way to respond was by posting its patients’ ratings of physicians on the hospital’s own website. The hospital was already randomly surveying patients about their experiences with physicians. Now, when potential patients […]
