For High-Risk Women, Some Breast Cancer Drugs To Be Free
Starting next September, women at increased risk for breast cancer will be able to get some drugs shown to help prevent the disease without a co-pay, the Obama administration said Thursday. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended last September that clinicians give medications such as tamoxifen or raloxifene to such women to reduce their risk of the disease. […]
Nonprofit Health Centers Go Into For-Profit Insurance Business
A growing number are starting managed care plans to boost revenue and gain more control over patient care.
Thousands Waiting For Medicaid Coverage Are Stuck In Limbo
State Medicaid programs have not received data on many applicants because of healthcare.gov’s software problems.
Six Things That May Move Public Perception Of Obamacare
How valuable people find their new health coverage will help shape public opinion of the law going forward.
Catastrophic Obamacare Policies Prove Hard Sell So Far
The Obama administration’s decision this week to allow people to buy catastrophic-level policies if their individual health plans had been canceled comes amid reports that few people have bought these less expensive policies sold in new online insurance marketplaces. In California, only 1 percent of those who had picked a plan in the first two months since the marketplace opened […]
Thousands In Obamacare’s High-Risk Pools Get Month’s Reprieve
The program’s extension is one of several initiatives the Obama administration announced Thursday to make it easier for consumers to get health coverage despite balky enrollment websites.
West Virginia, Virgin Islands, Work Together On Medicaid
West Virginia and the U.S. Virgin Islands don’t have much in common. It was 82 degrees and sunny today in St. Thomas, while Charleston, W.Va., saw snow and a high of 32. But when it comes to Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor, the Mountain State and Caribbean territory are now joined […]
More Than 110,000 Signed Up For Coverage Through Healthcare.gov In November
Navigators report a surge in consumer interest since the website became easier to use.
Consumer Data Errors, Other Bugs Reduced At Healthcare.gov, Administration Says
For the first time since its mangled Oct. 1 launch, users can now go to the federal government’s insurance enrollment website and get detailed information about the costs and benefits of health plans in their county without first enrolling. Before this week, the “window shopping” feature on healthcare.gov showed only average monthly premium prices until […]
Many Consumers Report Improvements With Healthcare.gov
Vickie Fleisher-Gann had been trying since Oct. 1 to complete her Obamacare application so she could start shopping for insurance on healthcare.gov, but she kept getting stopped by error messages. With her policy expiring at the end of the year, she feared time was running out. On Sunday morning, the former Harrisburg, Pa., hospital administrator finally was able to […]
Should Consumers Give Healthcare.gov A Second Chance?
This KHN story was produced in partnership with As you probably know from all of the talking (and screaming) heads on TV, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) stumbled out of the gate with a glitch-ridden enrollment site, cancellation of some insurance policies and other technical glitches that have made Steve Jobs roll over in his […]
Doctors Groups Share Concerns About Narrow Networks, Confusion With White House
The nation’s top physician groups told White House officials Tuesday they are worried about what consumers will encounter after Jan. 1, when millions are expected to gain coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The groups expressed worries that patients may unknowingly be signing up for “narrow network” plans that don’t include their current physician or […]
Even Without Expansion, S.C. Will See 16% Jump In Medicaid Enrollment
Officials say publicity for the Affordable Care Act and its requirement that most people get insurance will attract tens of thousands of people who are currently eligible for Medicaid but have not enrolled.
Uninsured In Mich. County Can Pay For Dental Care With Volunteer Work
The “pay-it-forward” program has served more than 4,000 adults in the Battle Creek area since 2007.
Florida Regulator, Blues Plan Agree To Insurance Fix Proposed By Obama
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said he will allow insurers to adopt President Barack Obama’s plan to extend current policies facing cancellation so that consumers can keep the coverage they have now. In fact, he was permitting plans to do that months before the president suggested it. Most carriers will be unaffected because the state had […]
What Consumers Need To Know About The Obama Plan For Canceled Health Policies
Under the president’s plan, insurers will be permitted to extend this year’s policies into next year, but it’s far from clear that insurers will want to follow through. Some state regulators may not even let them.
Supporters and opponents of the federal health law still can’t decide whether to call it the “woodwork” or “welcome mat” effect — the millions of people currently eligible for Medicaid who are not enrolled and who are expected to sign up as a result of the Affordable Care Act. The Obama administration’s first enrollment report released […]
Will Low Online Enrollments In The Fall Hobble The Health Law?
Numbers released by the government Wednesday deepened doubts about the law’s immediate viability, and proposed fixes have shortcomings.
Medicaid Chief Thanks State Leaders, Even As They Skip Expansion Option
It wasn’t all hugs and kisses, but the nation’s top Medicaid official on Tuesday told Medicaid directors from around the country that she was proud of the job they were all doing — even though half of their states opted against expanding the state-federal health insurance program for the poor under the health law. “Hats off […]
Humana Exec Predicts Obamacare Open Enrollment Extension
Humana, one of nation’s largest health insurers, said Wednesday that it expects the Obama administration to extend open enrollment for its troubled online marketplaces beyond March 31. But a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Julie Bataille, said, “Consumers still have ample time to enroll in the six-month open enrollment period.” Millions […]
