Latest KFF Health News Stories
Minnesota Exchange Bill Moves Forward Without Abortion Restrictions
Abortion restrictions were cut from the final version of Minnesota’s health insurance exchange bill, which also settles on how to fund the exchange website.
Budget Plans Underscore Deep Divide On Capitol Hill
News outlets compare and contrast how the two budget blueprints released this week — one by House Republicans, the other by Senate Democrats — treat Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlement programs.
Obama Visits House GOP, Points Out Willingness To Make Changes To Medicare
Lawmakers who attended the closed-door meeting said he focused on changes in how cost-of-living increases are calculated, but press reports indicate that partisan differences remain deep.
UnitedHealth Faces Mental Health Parity Legal Challenge
Medpage Today reports on this development.
Experts Offer Views On Controlling Health Care Costs
At two different forums, health care policy experts talk about changes in policy that might slow health spending.
Stakeholder Associations Offer Limited Support For ‘Enroll America’ Efforts
CQ HealthBeat reports that insurers, hospitals and trade groups are offering only “limited interest” in the campaign to educate Americans about the health law’s coverage expansion. Meanwhile, other supporters are backing the grassroots effort to keep the Obama administration’s agenda — including the Medicaid expansion — on track.
Calif. Lawmaker Pushes Expanded Role For Mid-Level Health Professionals
A series of proposed bills would widen how much care California’s mid-level health workers could give to patients in order to meet the growing demand for health care services as the health law takes hold.
Senate Dems Block Effort To Undo Health Law
The tea-party-led effort, which was defeated 52-45, attempted to add language to a government spending bill that would repeal the law’s funding. But House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, says the House — which approved the effort — will vote again to repeal the measure.
Report Estimates Employer Costs From States’ Refusal To Expand Medicaid
According to Bloomberg, the report by Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. estimates the cost to employers to be $1 billion. Meanwhile, other news outlets report on state-level decisions and developments related to the expansion.
Health Insurance Exchanges Likely To Offer Wide Choice
NBC News reports the exchanges may offer an “overwhelming” array of plans to choose from to people who have not purchased insurance before. Other media detail how the federal government is attempting to streamline the enrollment process and how states are racing to meet deadlines to set up the marketplaces.
NYC Soda Ban Appeal Set For June
Also, The New York Times examines Mississippi’s ban on localities restricting calorie content and portion size.
Several news outlets explore questions raised about the impact of the law.
The release of House and Senate budget plans this week has spurred disparate views of the process and where it might lead.
State Roundup: Calif. GOP Wants Mental Health Gun Audit
A selection of health policy stories from California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kansas and Colorado.
Viewpoints: Failures In Treating Ovarian Cancer; A Moral Analysis Of Obesity; Bloomberg’s Overreach
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Weekend Reading: Humanizing Hospitals, Splurge Of Health Data and Huge Sodas
This week’s articles come from The New York Times, The Atlantic, Time and Mother Jones.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that compare and contrast how the two budget blueprints released this week — one by House Republicans, the other from Senate Democrats — would treat Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlement programs.
Dick And Jane Sign Up For The Exchange
CMS recently released draft versions of the applications consumers will fill out to buy policies in the new health insurance marketplaces. Critics worry the process may be overwhelming to consumers.
Colorado Sets Its Exchange Fee
The price of policies in Colorado’s health insurance exchange will include a 1.4 percent fee to help fund exchange operations.
Applying For Benefits In Online Marketplaces Might Be Daunting
The Associated Press reports that the draft version of the application for a three-person family is 15 pages while the online version has 21 steps, some with additional questions. In other implementation news, a Commonwealth Fund study finds that 24 states and the District of Columbia have chosen benchmark plans that specify what must be covered by health insurance policies sold in and out of their online marketplaces.
