Latest KFF Health News Stories
News outlets provide updates, analyses and post-mortems from California, Maryland and Minnesota.
Docs, Hospitals ‘Wade Into World Of Social Services’
This pair of stories takes a look at a program that seeks to provide services beyond medical care to help improve people’s well-being.
State Exchange Officials Air Difficulties, Lessons During Capitol Hill Hearing
A House panel heard testimony from officials from five states — Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Oregon — that faced problems during the health law’s open enrollment period and from California, which has had success.
More Young Workers Decline Employer Health Coverage
Despite the mandate that most Americans carry health insurance or pay a penalty, young workers employed by large companies signed up for job-based health plans at a lower rate than last year, according to a report by payroll services company Automatic Data Processing Inc. Meanwhile, Connecticut gets another insurer, and employers continue to shift health care costs to their workers.
18 Dems Join House GOP On Bill To Change Law’s Definition Of Full Time
The legislation is bolstered by Republican charges that employers are cutting part-time workers’ hours so that they don’t have to provide insurance to those workers.
Viewpoints: Debate Rolls On About Enrollment Numbers; Ryan’s Plan ‘Squeezes Seniors’
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Research Roundup: Mental Health Parity; Nurses’ Workload; Can Restaurants Reduce Portion Size?
This week’s studies come from Health Affairs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, George Washington University, The Urban Institute, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Kaiser Family Foundation.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a Capitol Hill hearing in which state exchange officials discussed the difficulties they faced with the operation of their online insurance marketplaces.
Open Enrollment Is Over — What’s Ahead For The Health Law Now?
News outlets are beginning to focus on the next set of implementation chores, as well as the ways in which the law will impact the health care marketplace.
Obama Administration Points To Official End — April 15 — For Enrollment Extension
The Wall Street Journal reports that this cut off will apply to the hundreds of thousands of people who started signing up for insurance on the federal health exchange but got held up during their last-minute shopping. Also in the news, the latest from California and Georgia in terms of deadlines and enrollment efforts.
Ryan Budget Plan Stirs Opposition On Both Sides Of The Aisle
The proposal from House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., would cut $5 trillion over the next decade by repealing the Affordable Care Act and making sharp cuts to health care programs for the middle class and the poor. Democrats are incorporating the proposal into their midterm campaign strategy, while some Republicans, angered by the House leadership’s handling of the ‘doc fix’ vote, are also expressing doubts.
Medicare Will Release Billing Data From Doctors
The information will include data on what services doctors used, the average amount they charged Medicare and what they were paid. Doctors have fought such disclosures in the past.
Jindal Offers Alternative To Health Law
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal unveiled a 26-page health plan that emphasizes the role of states in keeping health costs down while giving consumers more flexibility. He also reiterates the need to repeal Obamacare.
Companies Continue To Shed Retiree Health Coverage
McClatchy reports on this trend. Among American workers, employer-provided retiree coverage has dropped from 29 percent in 1997 to 17.7 percent in 2010.
State Roundup: Battles Fought Over Lyme Disease, Autism and Abortion
In Texas, abortion providers file suit to block a state rule that could shut down many of the state’s remaining clinics, while lawmakers in Vermont and N.Y. seek to protect doctors who prescribe long-term antibiotics for patients with lasting symptoms attributed to Lyme disease. In Kansas, a mandate to cover autism treatments is sent to Gov. Sam Brownback for his signature.
With Eyes On Upcoming Congressional Elections, Democrats See Glimmer Of Hope In Enrollment Numbers
For months, Republicans have viewed the health law as a powerful weapon against Democratic opponents, but the better-than-expected enrollment figures offered Democrats a positive counter-argument. Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, continues to voice dissatisfaciton with his own “Obamacare” health policy.
New Medicaid Era Takes Different Paths In Mich., Wis.
The neighboring states opt for different approaches to Medicaid expansion. Meanwhile, in Missouri, two Republican lawmakers clash over whether to accept the health law’s expansion and the Pennsylvania governor says he is nearly ready to pull back his proposal that is languishing with federal officials.
Confident From Enrollment Numbers, Obama Turns Focus To GOP Health Care And Budget Plans
President Barack Obama continued to tout the success of the health care law, using the momentum to attack the House GOP’s new budget proposal, as well as providing a blueprint for the defense of the law for Democrats in upcoming elections.
Failed State Exchanges Set Sights Too High, Say Experts
Common themes characterize several failed state exchanges, including trying to do too much the first year and having tangled lines of authority, reports CQ HealthBeat. Meanwhile, officials who oversaw those troubled marketplaces prepare to testify before congressional committees.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
