Latest KFF Health News Stories
What Happens To A Consumer Who Gets Exchange Plan Buyer’s Remorse?
KHN’s consumer columnist looks into issues raised by readers about health law coverage.
Study: Limited Competition Raised Obamacare Prices
Many insurers only dipped a toe into the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplaces for their first year. Cigna, one of the country’s largest insurers, offered 2014 plans to individuals in fewer than half a dozen states. Humana is only in a little more than a dozen states. The biggest health insurer, UnitedHealthcare, didn’t offer any policies […]
Texas Nurse Practitioners Look to Ease Supervision Rules
Texas lawmakers loosened some supervision requirements during the last legislative session, but nurse practitioners are still battling for increased autonomy in the state Medicaid program.
Gaps In Kids’ Dental Coverage A Trouble Spot
New data indicate that difficulties persist despite the health law’s efforts to expand pediatric dental insurance.
A Reader Asks: Will Using Electronic Cigarettes Affect My Insurance Rates?
Whether e-cigarettes are subject to the tobacco surcharge is a matter of debate.
Leaving Jail Doesn’t Have To Mean Losing Health Care
California is among 25 states to open Medicaid to childless adults, including thousands of ex-offenders. Covering this group is expected to save money and perhaps reduce recidivism.
By The Numbers: Mental Illness Behind Bars
There are now three times more people with serious mental illness incarcerated in the United States than in hospitals, and the types of behavioral and mental health problems among inmates are becoming more severe.
Survey: Many Women Unaware How Health Law Benefits Them
A large number of women face significant barriers to health care, and while the health law will likely help them get services, some are unaware of the benefits already in effect, according to a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the foundation.) Intended as a […]
Medicare Reverses Denial Of Costly Treatment For Hepatitis C Patient
Walter Bianco, an Arizona man denied access to new drugs to cure his hepatitis C infection, will get the costly medications after all. After Kaiser Health News and NPR described his plight in a story that aired Monday, federal Medicare officials said they would look into the case. Bianco’s appeal of an earlier denial had […]
Pennsylvania’s Medicaid Expansion To Require 723 New Workers
The number of state workers needed to expand the federal-state health care program for poorer Americans is far higher than most states have needed — typically in the dozens, not hundreds.
Workers At Obamacare Processing Center Have Little To Do, Says Ex-Employee
The allegations have spurred members of Missouri’s congressional delegation to call for investigations of the taxpayer-funded center that processes paper applications for the new health care law.
Study: Diabetes Afflicts 1 In 3 Hospitalized Patients Over 34 In California
In California, roughly one in three hospitalized people over 34 years old has diabetes, increasing the complexity and cost of their care, according to a report released Thursday. Hospitalizations for patients with diabetes on average cost about $2,200 more than for patients who didn’t have the disease, regardless of the reason they were admitted, according […]
Old-Fashioned Company With New-Fangled Problem: Obamacare
AmeriMark Direct, based in Cleveland, is seeing a jump in insurance costs and is debating whether to drop coverage for its 700 workers.
For Medicaid Patients, Access To Primary-Care May Not Be As Advertised
A survey conducted in Seattle found that half the time, primary-care providers listed as accepting new patients on Medicaid managed-care organization websites, in fact were not accepting new patients.
Do Seniors Have Too Many Medicare Plans To Choose From?
Most seniors face a dizzying array of options each year when it comes time to choose a Medicare health or prescription drug plan. Beneficiaries can select from an average of 18 health plans and 31 prescription drug plans. In South Florida, they have 88 plan choices altogether. While choice may sound like a good thing, […]
Brew Pub Owner Frustrated That Health Plan Prices Still Jumping
The volatility in insurance rates irks a small business owner in Northeast Ohio, despite the introduction of the ACA.
Insurer Working Hard To Keep Up With Call Demand
In Pennsylvania, Independence Blue Cross’ success in enrolling 283,000 new members has presented several challenges.
Defining What ‘Defined Contributions’ Mean For Work-Based Health Insurance
KHN’s consumer columnist examines the pros and cons of this trend, which could give employees more responsibility for their health coverage.
Harvard: Overused Medical Services Cost Medicare Billions
Medical overtreatment is the inverse of former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s definition of pornography: while easy to define in concept, it can be hard to know it when you see it. A treatment that is appropriate for one patient can also be unnecessary or even counterproductive for another, depending on the patient’s condition. This […]
What Surge? Nation’s Primary Care System Holding Up Well So Far Under Obamacare
Some say early concerns were exaggerated, though late enrollment and Medicaid problems also have cut demand.