Health On The Hill – April 6, 2010
Obama administration officials have begun the process of implementing health care overhaul legislation that the president signed into law last month.
All Coverage
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True or False: Seven Concerns About The New Health Law
The bill signed by President Obama is long and technical, so it’s no wonder that consumers are confused. KHN staff writers check out several key concerns.
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Changes Coming To Insurance Plans
Consumers soon will see plans without lifetime coverage limits or the ability to drop enrollees retroactively, plus there will be added benefits for children and reviews of rate increases.
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Government Trying To Cut Health Care Costs With Healthy Eating Program
Efforts to alter a modern lifestyle too dependent on processed foods are being supported by the federal government and are crucial to the nation’s fiscal health as medical spending for chronic diseases including diabetes, arthritis and heart disease threatens to overrun the health system.
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Flexible Spending Accounts Getting Slightly Less Flexible
Changing rules on flexible spending accounts mean that starting next year, you can use money from an FSA account to pay for eyeglasses or acupuncture but not an aspirin — that is, unless you have a prescription for it.
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Interview with NIH Director Francis Collins
Video interview with physician-geneticist Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.
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The New Health Law Will Affect States’ Budgets
State officials like the amount of increased federal spending in the new health care law, but they worry that their costs could go up and their workload will become heavier.
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Long-Term Care Program Debuts In New Health Law
The act will promote saving for long-term assistance and will especially benefit senior citizens. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
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Insurance Protection For Adult Children Won’t Come Fast Enough For Some Parents
A much-publicized provision of the new health overhaul law would give parents the option of keeping adult children on their insurance plans until age 26, but many details affecting eligibility and timing remain to be worked out.
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Medicaid Expansion Now Could Save Some States Money
Starting April 1, the first federal funding from the health overhaul law becomes available to expand coverage of Medicaid programs. Some states are seeking to use that money in current programs that cover low-income people who do not qualify for Medicaid.
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“Here & Now” Audio: States Must Now Make Health Care Reform A Reality
KHN’s John Fairhall and Oregon Health Authority’s Barney Speight discuss how states will implement health care reform, on WBUR’s “Here & Now” radio show.
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Medicare Plans That Broke Rules Include Familiar Names
A multinational company and two members of the Fortune 500 were named among six insurers found in violation of Medicare marketing rules when federal inspectors checked their books and sat in on presentations as “secret shoppers.”
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Primary Care Crisis Has Been A Long Time Coming
Calls for more primary care go all the way back to 1933 when the Journal of the American Medical Association noted “the overgrowth of specialism” and the “fadeout of the general practitioner.”
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Closing Medicare Drug Gap Helps Democrats Sell Reform
The health overhaul package passed by Congress will gradually eliminate the so-called Medicare Part D “doughnut hole,” making prescription drugs more affordable for many seniors.
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The First Test Of New Health Law: Covering Hard-To-Insure People
In a test of the Obama administration’s ability to smoothly implement the sweeping health care overhaul law, officials at the Department of Health and Human Services have just 90 days to launch an insurance program for people who can’t get private coverage because of health problems.
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Health On The Hill: The Reform Bill Is Signed, What’s Next?
With a package of legislative changes to the health care bill on its way to President Obama, congressional Democrats have concluded work on their plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system. Republicans have said they will continue in their efforts to repeal the bill while Obama and Democrats are focused on the measure’s implementation.
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Transcript: Health On The Hill – March 26, 2010
With a package of legislative changes to the health care bill on its way to President Obama, congressional Democrats have concluded work on their plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system. Republicans have said they will continue in their efforts to repeal the bill while Obama and Democrats are focused on the measure’s implementation.
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Federal Agencies To Iron Out Health Care Details
Health care experts say enforcement of the new health care bill will fall to the Department of Health and Human Services and the IRS. One expert says the pages of regulations could dwarf the 2,400-page bill. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
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Transcript: President Obama’s Health Care Rally In Iowa
President Barack Obama’s speech on health reform takes place today, in Iowa. Read his speech, as released by the White House.
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Text: The President’s Executive Order On Abortion Funding And The Health Bill
The White House released the text of President Barack Obama’s executive order on abortion funding and the health bill.
