Birth Centers Boost Deliveries While Easing Labor Pains
By Phil Galewitz
October 12, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Staffed by midwives and bolstered by Obamacare, low-tech birth centers away from hospitals are up almost 60 percent since 2010.
Kentucky’s Exchange Success Doesn’t Translate To Small Business Participation
By Phil Galewitz
November 5, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Despite strong enrollment in Kentucky’s online health insurance marketplace, participation in its exchange for small employers also created by the Affordable Care Act has mostly been a dud.
State Obamacare Exchanges ‘Sustainable’ Without Federal Aid, Official Tells Congress
By Phil Galewitz
December 9, 2015
KFF Health News Original
But CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt declines to predict fate of the 13 remaining state exchanges in congressional testimony.
Uninsured People Eligible For Obamacare Face Average $969 Penalty In 2016
By Phil Galewitz
December 9, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Average penalties are set to rise 47 percent next year for Americans who can afford insurance but choose to remain uncovered, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.
Kentucky Strategy Will Test Need For State-Run Obamacare Exchanges
By Phil Galewitz
December 2, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Experts say Gov.-elect Matt Bevin’s plan to drop Kynect and use the federal healthcare.gov marketplace would have little impact on consumers, if it happens.
Study: Health Plan Buyers Will Save Money If They Shop
By Phil Galewitz
November 18, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Premiums could jump 15 percent next year for millions if they keep 2015 plans, reports the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Aid-In-Dying Advocacy Group Girds For Battles After California Victory
By Phil Galewitz
November 18, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Compassion & Choices counts on human-interest stories to shape debate as 23 states weigh aid-in-dying bills this year.
Exchanges Face Sign-Up Challenges As Health Law’s 3rd Open Enrollment Begins
By Phil Galewitz
October 30, 2015
KFF Health News Original
After millions of people signed up for Obamacare over the past two years, the ones still lacking insurance may be harder to both find and persuade to enroll.
Medicaid Spending Soars — Mostly In Expansion States
By Phil Galewitz
October 15, 2015
KFF Health News Original
New report finds the annual increase in Medicaid spending is the largest in at least two decades, spurred by the federal health law expansion.
Chronically Ill Pay More in Obamacare Plans Than Employer Coverage
By Phil Galewitz
October 5, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Patients on typical silver plans pay twice as much as workers with job-based insurance for prescription drugs each year, researchers find.
GAO: More Oversight Needed Over Medicare Advantage Provider Networks
By Phil Galewitz
September 30, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Congressional watchdog says the government checks few health plans to ensure accurate provider listings and adequate access for seniors on Medicare Advantage.
New Hope Beats For Heart Patients And Hospitals
By Phil Galewitz
September 11, 2015
KFF Health News Original
The number of heart valve surgeries has risen more than 50 percent since 2012, demonstrating the hospital industry’s record of finding new ways to fill beds and increase revenue even as advances in health and technology shrink demand for inpatient care. Still, patient risk and cost concerns persist.
Special Report: King V. Burwell
June 25, 2015
Page
King v. Burwell Supreme Court upholds health law’s subsidies Obamacare’s Next 5 Hurdles To Clear 1 Medicaid Expansion Cost concerns; 21 states still resist 2 Anemic Enrollment Tougher sell for remaining 18 million eligible 3 Market Stability Premiums, insurer expenses in flux 4 Affordability The ‘Cadillac’ tax, growing out-of-pocket costs 5 Political Resistance Boehner’s lawsuit […]
5 Challenges Facing Medicaid At 50
By Phil Galewitz
July 27, 2015
KFF Health News Original
The federal-state health care program covers nearly half of all births, one-third of children across the country and two-thirds of people in nursing homes.
Obamacare’s Next 5 Hurdles to Clear
June 26, 2015
KFF Health News Original
In its first five years, the Affordable Care Act has survived technical meltdowns, a presidential election, two Supreme Court challenges — including one resolved Thursday — and dozens of repeal efforts in Congress. But its long-term future still isn’t ensured. Here are five of the biggest hurdles left for the law.
