Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Law Requirements Squeeze Some Part Time Workers
This story was produced in partnership with Some school districts and state and local governments are limiting part-time workers’ hours or letting them go to comply with the Affordable Care Act. And it’s not all political. This month in Delaware, which has embraced the health law, officials decided to limit all casual and seasonal employees, […]
Updating The Latest Efforts On Fixing Healthcare.gov
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey was on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Monday talking about efforts the federal government is making to fix the troubled healthcare.gov website for purchasing health insurance. Watch the video below. This is part of a regular Monday morning segment on Washington Journal. Tune in each week to stay informed about the latest developments […]
Medicare Budget Woes Coming Sooner Than Experts Thought
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. Americans are living and working longer than ever. And Medicare, the health plan that’s supposed to help senior citizens, is facing budget problems sooner rather than later. By 2023, about 70 million people will get health care paid for by Medicare, and their tab is expected to hit […]
Medical Schools See Record Numbers Of Enrollees
In the face of projected doctor shortages and debate about the future of medicine, a record number of students applied to, and started, medical school this year. About 20,000 students enrolled in medical school in 2013, around 2.8 percent more than the year before, according to the data distributed by the Association of American Medical Colleges […]
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 […]
Navigators Tread Water As Website Problems Continue
Updated: Dec. 19, 2013 Navigators in states relying on the flawed federal exchange healthcare.gov are focusing on bolstering excitement and education about the law as they wait for fixes to the website. “It’s slowed us down,” says Patsy Dowling, executive director of Mountain Projects Inc., a 130-employee nonprofit in Western North Carolina, which won a […]
Study: Low-Income Californians Want Better Health Care Information
For many low-income Californians, enrolling in health insurance is just one hurdle to overcome in getting the care they want. A new report says better communication with doctors and obtaining clearer information is also high on their wish lists. California is home to nearly 7 million uninsured people – 15 percent of the national total, […]
Judge Greenlights Legal Challenge To Health Law’s Subsidies
There are more days in court ahead for the health law. On Tuesday, a federal judge delivered a mixed decision, allowing a lawsuit to proceed that challenges whether the government can legally provide some health plan subsidies. The subsidies are being given to people who meet certain eligibility requirements to help pay for coverage purchased from the new […]
A View From The States: Health Care Continues Stumbling Startup
States are making some progress getting customers signed up for health insurance. But it isn’t pretty. Here is a roundup of dispatches from KHN’s radio partners at NPR member stations: Alaska averaged one sign up a day last week on the state’s new Affordable Care Act marketplace, where it was taking up to three hours […]
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 […]
Updates: The Latest On The Health Law’s Insurance Exchanges
KHN’s Jenny Gold was on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Monday giving an update on the health law’s insurance exchanges and previewing President Obama’s comments Monday on the exchange’s rollout. Watch the video below. This is part of a regular Monday morning segment on Washington Journal. Tune in each week to stay informed about the latest developments […]
Healthcare.gov Problems Snarling Enrollment; State Exchanges Doing Better
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. The Obama administration’s hopes ran high that millions would flock to enroll for health insurance on state and federal exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act. Those exchanges went online Oct 1. The administration projected that half a million individuals or families would enroll within 30 […]
Think All Caregivers Are Unhappy? They’re Really Not
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. The stereotype of caring for a family member is that it’s so stressful it harms the caregiver’s health. But that’s not necessarily so. Studies are conflicted, finding that caregiving can harm or help the caregiver. Here’s one on the plus side: A study finds that people […]
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 […]
Minn. Reports 3,700 Enrollments Underway, But A Rocky Road For Consumers
Officials from MNsure, the online health insurance marketplace in Minnesota, provided the first public glimpse into how many Minnesotans have not only created accounts on the new health insurance site, but also committed to choosing a plan and paying for coverage. MNsure officials say about 3,700 visitors to the site are in the enrollment process […]
In Week Two, Washington State Exchange Enrollment Nearly Triples
About 25,000 Washington state residents have enrolled in health plans through the state’s online insurance exchange marketplace during its first two weeks. That figure is nearly triple the 9,500 residents who completed their enrollment during the first week that the exchange, called Washington Healthplanfinder, was open for enrollment. An additional 37,000 people have completed applications […]
Shutdown Not Hurting Seniors’ Ability To Get Medicare Plan Information
The government may still be shut down — for now — and federal websites still caution visitors that information may not be up to date while the government is closed. But Medicare beneficiaries do not have to worry about getting accurate details from the plan finder website during the current open enrollment season, officials said. […]
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 […]
Rocky Opening Leaves Health Law’s New Co-Ops Jittery
Nothing is more important for a startup burning through cash than winning customers and revenue. So problems with the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplaces, also known as exchanges, aren’t just an inconvenience for the likes of Evergreen Health Co-op. They’re a threat. “It’s slowly getting better. Some people have gotten to the enrollment stage before […]