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 […]
Obama Administration Hoping 800K Enroll By End Of November
About 800,000 people are expected to enroll in the new online health insurance marketplaces by the end of November, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said Tuesday at a congressional hearing. A CMS official said later that estimate includes people signing up for Medicaid as well as private insurance. In a testimony […]
Study Points To “Imbalance” In Spending On Doctor Training
Florida and New York have roughly the same population, but New York has five times as many Medicare-sponsored residency training positions and seven times the Medicare funding graduate medical education. The numbers give a glimpse into the “imbalance” in how Medicare distributes its $10 billion a year for graduate medical education (GME), according to a study […]
Zients Vows Healthcare.gov Will Work Smoothly By End Of November
A subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, which built the federal data hub, will oversee the fixes.
Administration Says 700,000 Have Applied For Obamacare Coverage
The Obama administration said Thursday that 700,000 people have completed applications for coverage in the health law’s new marketplaces — a key step before people can begin shopping for insurance plans. But a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services refused to break out how many of these applicants came through the 14 state-run […]
Are Federal Call Centers Up To The Task Of Enrolling Millions In Health Plans?
Despite the president’s urging that frustrated consumers use call centers, advocates say they’re not “a realistic alternative” for comparing and selecting coverage.
In Some States, Most Early Marketplace Enrollees Qualify For Medicaid
In several states, most of the people enrolling through new online insurance marketplaces are signing on to Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor. The reason? Many of the uninsured are poor, and applicants don’t have to pay anything to sign up for Medicaid. Shoppers applying for private health coverage through the marketplace […]
After 63 Tries, Reporter Creates Account On Federal Health Exchange
After 17 days and 63 attempts, I finally made it. I was able to create an account on the federal health insurance exchange at http://www.healthcare.gov — a task which has frustrated millions of Americans. But as soon as I signed in with my name, address and social security number, I got thrown a trick question as […]
States’ Medicaid Decisions Cost Community Health Centers
Community health centers will pay a steep price for states’ decisions not to expand Medicaid under the federal health law. A new study by George Washington University researchers estimates that 518 health centers in the more than two dozen states not expanding Medicaid will lose out on $555 million next year because their uninsured patients won’t […]
Report: 5.2 Million Adults Will Fall Into ACA Coverage Gap Next Year
About 5.2 million poor, uninsured adults will fall into the “coverage gap,” created by 26 states choosing not to expand Medicaid under the federal health law next year, according to a study released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.) These people are projected to have incomes too high to qualify […]
