Latest KFF Health News Stories
850,000 Floridians Stuck In Health Care Limbo — And No Solution In Sight
With legislators seemingly deadlocked on Medicaid expansion in Florida, residents in the “coverage gap” are stitching together their medical care through personal ingenuity, half doses of medicines and low-cost clinics.
Federal Marketplace More Adept Than States At Enrolling Customers, Study Finds
The research by Avelere Health shows that the exchange the federal government runs in three dozen states had a higher percentage of new and returning enrollees than the other marketplaces run by individual states.
Study Finds Lackluster Sign-Ups On State-Run Health Insurance Exchanges
Enrollment in private plans fell 2 percent in Washington state, but officials say the study doesn’t take account of the fast-growing Medicaid numbers.
Many People With Substance Abuse Problems May Find Few To Treat Them
More people are getting insurance coverage for addiction treatment, but there’s already a shortage of trained professionals.
Shifts In Earnings For Consumers Near Medicaid Line Can Threaten Coverage
Marketplaces face challenges ensuring that low-income customers continue to get coverage if their incomes change to put them above or below the Medicaid eligibility line.
High-Deductible Health Plans Can Ruin Finances
While coverage that requires enrollees to have ‘skin in the game’ is supposed to spur smarter consumer choices, the costs can be staggering for some.
Consumers Contributing Less To Health Savings Accounts, Study Finds
The accounts are designed to provide a way for people with high-deductible insurance plans to save money tax free to use on health expenses.
The Red State Solution On Medicaid: Georgia’s Not Part Of It
The final piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s series on Arkansas’ privatized Medicaid expansion looks at how several red states are considering such a model as a politically palatable way to extend coverage to the poor.
To Avoid Extra Payments, Notify Your Marketplace Plan When You Move
KHN’s consumer columnist answers readers’ questions about what happens to your plan when you move out of state, smoking cessation expenses and sending workers to the exchange to buy policies.
Many People Entitled To Hefty Subsidies Still Opt Against Coverage
A study by health consultant Avalere finds that three-quarters of those eligible for the highest levels of premium help enrolled in marketplace plans, but many others with only slightly higher incomes did not.
High-Deductible Plans Bring Lower Costs Now, But Will They Bring Pricey Problems?
Companies that introduced these plans experienced overall savings in the first three years, according to a new study.
It’s Obamacare’s First Tax Season. Can The IRS Handle It?
Delayed refunds, mistakes feared as an understaffed IRS confronts the complexities of the Affordable Care Act.
Tax-Time Tribulations: Health Law Complicates Filing Season For Many
The financial consequences of not getting insurance and the effort to reconcile premium subsidies with income are new dynamics in the current tax season.
Health Law Brings No Drop In Insurance Enrollment At Work, Study Finds
A survey by benefits consultant Mercer finds that most large employers already met the law’s requirement to provide coverage to those who work 30 hours or more.
Most Americans Unaware Obamacare Subsidies Are At Risk
When informed about the challenge before the high court, about two-thirds said that lawmakers should restore subsidies if the justices strike them down.
Missouri Medicaid Turns To Wellness Incentives
Incentives designed to spur enrollees to exercise, eat healthier and make regular doctor visits are built into Medicaid managed care contracts that Missouri officials recently awarded to three insurers.
Most N.Y. Marketplace Plans Lack Any Coverage For Out-Of-Network Care
Except for a few insurers in Albany and the western part of the state, all the policies sold in the individual market are HMOs that will not pay anything toward routine expenses from doctors or hospitals not in their networks.
Health Coverage In Limbo For Many Small-Business Employees
About a half-million Washingtonians get health insurance through associations or trusts. But the future of such plans is under review by state regulators, and so far many of the plans have been rejected.
New Federal Rule Will Extend Medical Leave Rights To Same-Sex Couples In All States
The rule guarantees legally married same sex couples can take unpaid time off to care for a spouse or sick relatives, even if they live in a state that doesn’t recognize the marriage.
South Florida Doctors Explain Co-Insurance, As Well As Cholesterol Counts
Doctors in South Florida are placed in the sometimes awkward position of explaining to thousands of newly insured patients that their coverage doesn’t cover everything.
