Latest KFF Health News Stories
Obama Announces 11.4 Million People Enroll In Marketplace Plans
The tally, higher than the administration’s estimate but slightly below the CBO’s projection, will likely change as customers granted extra time finish up the process and others fall off after failing to pay premiums.
First Edition: February 18, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Questions Raised About Report On Morcellator By Surgeons’ Group
The Wall Street Journal reports that an official of the group supporting the use of the controversial surgical device was also a paid consultant to a morcellator’s manufacturer. In other news about the health care industry, the Journal also has a collection of articles about medical innovation, and KHN examines some difficulties for determining if a doctor is in an insurance network.
NPR’s Diane Rehm Plays Role In Right-To-Die Debate
Her husband’s slow and painful death prompted her to speak out about the lack of legal medical help for the dying. Meanwhile, the issue of assisted suicide is playing out in several state legislatures.
Viewpoints: Troubles With The GOP Health Alternative; Rise In Co-Payments Is A Problem
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
News outlets look at health care developments in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas.
New Benefits Spotlight Shortage Of Mental Health Providers
Nearly 100 million Americans are living in areas with inadequate numbers of mental health providers, reports The Wall Street Journal. The Kansas City Star looks at the unaddressed mental health problems of children.
States Have The Tough Job Of Deciding When To Require Vaccinations
As some residents grow more concerned with risks of epidemics, they turn to government to intervene. Also, some doctors are learning how to take a harder line with parents who oppose vaccinations.
Veterans Say New ‘Choice Card’ System Is Confusing
The ‘choice card’ was meant to give those facing long waits for health care the option to see a private doctor, but some say it isn’t working. Meanwhile, the head of the embattled agency says he has fired 900 people as part of a process of restoring accountability.
Kitzhaber Faces Questions From Congressional Panel About Cover Oregon
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform asks the departing governor to save all documents related to the shutdown of Oregon’s troubled insurance exchange. The panel wants to know whether campaign advisers played a role in the decision to switch to the federal health insurance exchange.
Wyo. House Speaker Looks To Expand Medicaid Through Budget Process
The powerful GOP leader of the Wyoming House says a Senate committee’s rejection of expansion did not, in fact, kill the prospects for expansion in his state. Meanwhile, media outlets in California, Wisconsin and North Carolina track Medicaid developments in those states.
Burwell Makes Enrollment Inroads In Texas
The HHS secretary has spent a lot of time in Texas seeking to sell her enrollment message and it seems to be paying off, Politico reports. News outlets also look at enrollment efforts and exchange issues in Washington state and Minnesota.
Millions In Health Coverage ‘Gap’ Won’t Be Penalized
Many low-income, working adults who fall into the so-called coverage gap — meaning they are ineligible for either federal subsidies or Medicaid — may qualify for an exemption to the health law’s penalty for not having insurance. Media outlets also look at how the health law is complicating tax season, why an Iowa co-op failed and how state Republican lawmakers have been more successful at undermining the law than their federal counterparts.
Some GOP Governors Vow To Make No Changes If High Court Invalidates Subsidies
Reuters surveyed officials in the states that would be directly affected if the Supreme Court strikes down federal health care subsidies and five Republican executives said they would not rescue the program. Other news outlets examine Republican strategies and the plaintiffs in the case.
Enrollment Deadline Extended For Those Who Encountered Hiccups
The Obama administration announced a one-week “special enrollment” period ending Feb. 22 for people trying to enroll through healthcare.gov who encountered technical glitches or faced long waits through the call center on the final weekend. Most state exchanges have outlined similar policies.
Meanwhile, Washington state became the first to extend the enrollment period to the April 15 tax filing deadline. Democrats are asking the federal government to do the same.
First Edition: February 17, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Save CHIP; Pharmacy Benefits Managers; Doctors’ Role In End-Of-Life Debate
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Research Roundup: Reporting Study Misconduct; Coordinating Mental Health Benefits
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
A selection of health policy stories from Minnesota, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Texas, Delaware, Iowa, Colorado, Kansas and California.
Newtown Panel Offers Recommendations For State Mental Health System
The Connecticut commission created by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre released a draft report that included a wide-ranging list of action items.
