Latest KFF Health News Stories
Tax Time Reprieve For Obamacare Procrastinators
The Obama administration announced a special enrollment period from March 15 to April 30 for healthcare.gov consumers who discover they owe a penalty after filling out their tax returns.
Texas Has High Stakes in Lawsuit Over Health Law
Nearly 1 million Texans who signed up for health insurance through healthcare.gov would be affected if the court invalidates subsidies in federal exchange states – and not just the ones getting subsidies.
Beyond ‘Repeal And Replace,’ Ideas Emerge To Improve, Simplify Health Law
Health policy experts present a list of possible fixes to the health law, including changing how subsidies are calculated and eliminating the individual mandate.
Some Seeking Insurance Told They Didn’t Qualify, Others Balked At Cost, Poll Finds
Confusion about federal assistance stymied many from getting insurance in the first year of the health law marketplaces.
One South Florida ZIP Code Leads The Nation In Obamacare Enrollment
Saturation advertising in one Hispanic-heavy city in South Florida has led to unusually high rates of health plan sign-ups through the federal insurance exchange — and they lead the nation in health law insurance enrollment.
Tax Preparers Brace To Be Bearers Of Bad Health Law News
With Affordable Care Act open enrollment ending Feb. 15, taxpayers could find themselves shut out of health insurance – and saddled with big fines – if they don’t do their taxes early this year.
Hatch Vows To Dismantle Health Law But Predicts Bipartisan Success On Other Issues
The new Republican chairman of the Senate Finance Committee says the GOP will chip away at Obamacare “piece by piece.” Still, he says he will work with Democrats to continue funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program and overhauling Medicare pay for doctors.
Limited Insurance Choices Frustrate Some Patients In California
California is seen as an Obamacare success story, but about 30,000 people there are stuck with only one choice of insurer on the exchange.
Burwell Calls For Congress To Work With Her On Health Issues
The chief of the Department of Health and Human Services says Democrats and Republicans can reach accord on many issues beyond the health law.
Alaska Health Plan Premiums, Highest In Nation, Are Triple Those In Phoenix
A look at the 10 least and 10 most expensive places for health insurance shows a wide gap in prices for the same type of coverage.
Health Insurance Startup Collapses In Iowa
Obamacare provided billions in seed money to help establish insurance companies called co-ops. One of the biggest has now gone under, and its state overseer is telling clients to switch carriers.
How A State’s Choice On Medicaid Expansion Affects Hospitals
In negotiating the creation of the Affordable Care Act, hospitals took a big gamble, with the expectation that they would soon have millions of new Medicaid customers. In states that expanded Medicaid, the bet paid off. Sarah Varney of Kaiser Health News reports on financial gains made by some hospitals as more patients are able to pay their bills, and the heavy price being paid by hospitals in states that opted against expansion.
Millions Have Already Enrolled In 2015 Health Policies, Deadline Still 7 Weeks Off
More than 6 million Americans are already signed up for Obamacare policies for 2015.
Deciding Whether Subsidized Health Insurance Is Worth The Hassle
A California woman had a bad experience with the state’s insurance exchange the first time around and struggled with whether to re-enroll her family.
With 1.5 Million Sign-Ups So Far, Obamacare Enrollment Is Brisk
State and federal exchanges report strong interest in 2015 plans, smoother exchange performance and better-trained assisters.
Pa. Man Hates The Law That Will Pay For His Health Insurance
Self-employed accountant is one of an estimated 600,000 low-income Pennsylvanians who will be eligible for expanded Medicaid beginning Jan. 1.
For North Carolina’s Working Poor, Fears Of Losing Coverage, Owing Uncle Sam
But for those who hover around the poverty line, a slump can put them into the “no help” category in the Carolinas and 21 other states that haven’t expanded Medicaid coverage.
Federal Officials Urge Marketplace Consumers To Look For Better Deals In 2015
People who bought coverage on healthcare.gov for this year could likely find cheaper premiums if they shop again.
Consumers Will Pay More Out Of Pocket Next Year For Specialty Drugs
More insurers selling Affordable Care Act plans will charge consumers higher rates for medicines that treat multiple sclerosis, hepatitis C and other serious illnesses, Avalere studies say.
Nearly Half A Million Select Obamacare Plans Through Healthcare.gov In First Week
HHS says it will provide weekly and monthly snapshots of the signups in the 37 states relying on the federal exchange.
