Covered California Resolves Pregnancy Snafu
By Emily Bazar
October 5, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Officials at the state exchange say they have fixed their computer system to stop switching some low-income pregnant women into Medi-Cal without their approval.
Covered California resuelve lío de embarazo
By Emily Bazar
October 5, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Oficiales en el mercado de seguros estatal dicen que han arreglado su sistema de computación para frenar el traspaso de mujeres embarazadas de bajos ingresos al Medi-Cal sin su aprobación.
Republicans’ Repeal-And-Replace Plan Narrowly Passes House
May 5, 2017
Morning Briefing
After two false starts and weeks of compromise negotiations, House Republican leaders gathered enough votes to pass the American Health Care Act, their replacement for Obamacare. The bill passed 217-213, with 20 Republican defections. GOP House members who supported the legislation were jubilant afterwards, having followed through on a years-long campaign pledge.
Cigna Profits As Medicare Softens Penalty Policy
By Phil Galewitz
March 10, 2016
KFF Health News Original
A new policy preserves Cigna’s access to bonuses while the insurer fixes “widespread” failures in its Medicare plans.
Pregnant Women Dumped By Covered California Into Medi-Cal, Without Notice Or Consent
By Emily Bazar
May 3, 2016
KFF Health News Original
The problem won’t be fixed until September, though the state’s congressional delegation calls for quick action.
Study Finds Lackluster Sign-Ups On State-Run Health Insurance Exchanges
By Lisa Stiffler, Seattle Times
April 9, 2015
KFF Health News Original
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.
Charlotte Broker Gets Federal Insurance Subsidies For Hundreds Of Homeless People, Raising Legal, Ethical Questions
By Ann Doss Helms, Charlotte Observer
June 30, 2015
KFF Health News Original
He says they’re better off having some insurance coverage, even if they have high deductibles. But advocates say they lose access to free clinics and can’t afford to use their coverage because of the deductibles.
Obamacare Enrollment Falling Short In Washington State
By Lisa Stiffler, The Seattle Times
February 6, 2015
KFF Health News Original
While enrollment in the state’s Medicaid program has surged, the number of residents signing up for private plans is less than expected as the Feb. 15 deadline looms.
Arkansas Medicaid Plan Offers Mixed Lessons
By Edgar Walters, Texas Tribune
January 21, 2015
KFF Health News Original
An influential Texas group says Arkansas’ experiment using federal money to buy private insurance for the poor has cost more than expected and should not be emulated by other states.
1,700 Hospitals Win Quality Bonuses From Medicare, But Most Will Never Collect
By Jordan Rau
January 22, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Penalties for readmissions and patient injuries erase bonuses hospitals earn for meeting stiff quality criteria. Fewer than 800 will end up with higher payments.
Bipartisan Work Continues On Plan To Fix Medicare Doc Pay
March 18, 2015
Morning Briefing
House leaders are working on a $213 billion plan to permanently change how doctors are paid for treating Medicare patients. In related news, the reauthorization of CHIP continues to be a hot topic, and a popular, anti-human trafficking bill is being held up in the Senate because of a controversial abortion provision.
Telemedicine Bolsters ICU Care In Rural Maryland Hospitals
By Rita Rubin
February 12, 2014
KFF Health News Original
A new telemedicine technology, Maryland eMedicare, allows critical care physicians to monitor ICU patients hundreds of miles away.
Rehospitalization Rates Fell In First Year Of Medicare Penalties
By Jordan Rau
December 9, 2013
KFF Health News Original
During the first eight months of this year, fewer than 18 percent of Medicare patients ended up back in the hospital within a month of discharge, the lowest rate in years, the government reported Friday. This drop occurred during the first year that Medicare financially penalized hospitals for their readmission rates, and the government seized […]
Monthly Premiums For A ‘Benchmark’ Silver Plan In Federally Run Insurance Marketplaces
September 29, 2013
KFF Health News Original
This chart lists sample premiums in the 36 states where the federal government is running the online insurance marketplaces.
Why Some State Health Exchanges Worked
By Christine Vestal Michael Ollove, Stateline
December 11, 2013
KFF Health News Original
The most successful exchanges kept things simple, amply tested systems
Why New Medicaid Enrollment is Soaring
By Christine Vestal, Stateline
November 6, 2013
KFF Health News Original
A Stateline survey indicates at least 1.5 million people have already signed up or have been pre-qualified for expanded Medicaid in the 19 states that have provided counts.
Obamacare: What It Will Cost In Washington State
By Carol M. Ostrom, Seattle Times
August 2, 2013
KFF Health News Original
Four companies to offer 31 health plans on new state exchange at a variety of prices.
Panel Tells Congress Medicare Is Unfairly Penalizing Hospitals Serving The Poor
By Jordan Rau
June 14, 2013
KFF Health News Original
An important feature of the health law designed to bring down the rate of patient readmissions is backfiring on safety-net hospitals, says a report by a congressional advisory agency.
Medicare Effort To Cut Readmissions Isn’t Counting Patients Who Come Back To ER
By Jordan Rau
April 9, 2013
KFF Health News Original
A study published Tuesday says Medicare may be missing factors that lead to post-hospital health problems because it isn’t counting many discharged patients who come back to the emergency room but aren’t admitted. The study in Annals of Emergency Medicine looked at 11,976 patients discharged from Boston Medical Center, the largest safety net hospital in New […]
Advocates Urge More Government Oversight Of Medicaid Managed Care
By Jenni Bergal
July 5, 2013
KFF Health News Original
The health law’s expansion of Medicaid is putting a spotlight on how regulators monitor the performance of privately-run plans.
