Latest KFF Health News Stories
Letters To The Editor: Nurse Practitioners In Primary Care; The Future Of Bare-Bones Health Plans
Letters to the Editor is a periodic KHN feature in which readers can comment on our recent stories.
Medicare Head Tavenner Apologizes For Healthcare.gov Problems
But while Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said in her Capitol Hill testimony Tuesday that some website subcontractors hadn’t met expectations, she offered few other details on the problems. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Politico Pro’s Jennifer Haberkorn discuss.
Minnesota Marketplace’s Latino Outreach Events Get Off To A Slow Start
An information session at a beauty salon in the heart of St. Paul’s Latino community helps clear up confusion but yields no enrollments so far.
Short-Term Plans Can Skirt Health Law Requirements
Some consumers may be attracted to these policies, which can run several months or as long as 364 days, because the premiums are lower.
My Other Pre-Existing Condition: Unstable Insurance
After bouncing through seven insurers in 13 years, a freelance writer hopes the system will keep him covered for good.
Updating The Latest Efforts On Fixing Healthcare.gov
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey was on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Monday talking about efforts the federal government is making to fix the troubled healthcare.gov website for purchasing health insurance. Watch the video below. This is part of a regular Monday morning segment on Washington Journal. Tune in each week to stay informed about the latest developments […]
Choral Director May Be First Healthcare.gov Enrollee In Philadelphia Area
“You are definitely enrolled,” the director was told after a lengthy signup process. But she is still awaiting confirmation from Independence Blue Cross.
Prevention For Profit: Questions Raised About Some Health Screenings
Tests offered by for-profit companies are mostly non-invasive and fairly affordable. But some of them are not recommended by national organizations because they can lead to further testing that does more harm than good.
Medicare Budget Woes Coming Sooner Than Experts Thought
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. Americans are living and working longer than ever. And Medicare, the health plan that’s supposed to help senior citizens, is facing budget problems sooner rather than later. By 2023, about 70 million people will get health care paid for by Medicare, and their tab is expected to hit […]
Pennsylvania Governor Talks Up Plan To Expand Medicaid His Way
Only about half the states so far are planning to expand Medicaid coverage to thousands of low-income adults. Pennsylvania’s Republican governor has a plan to do that, with caveats.
Zients Vows Healthcare.gov Will Work Smoothly By End Of November
A subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, which built the federal data hub, will oversee the fixes.
Medical Schools See Record Numbers Of Enrollees
In the face of projected doctor shortages and debate about the future of medicine, a record number of students applied to, and started, medical school this year. About 20,000 students enrolled in medical school in 2013, around 2.8 percent more than the year before, according to the data distributed by the Association of American Medical Colleges […]
A Reader Asks: I Don’t Have Children, So Why Do I Have To Buy Pediatric Dental Insurance?
Insurance columnist explains that the essential health benefits that all new individual and small-group health plans must offer reflect a core package that experts thought everyone should have access to.
Administration Says 700,000 Have Applied For Obamacare Coverage
The Obama administration said Thursday that 700,000 people have completed applications for coverage in the health law’s new marketplaces — a key step before people can begin shopping for insurance plans. But a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services refused to break out how many of these applicants came through the 14 state-run […]
Lawmakers Challenge Healthcare.gov Contractors On Website Problems
For more than four hours in a Capitol Hill hearing Thursday, House Energy and Commerce Committee members grilled contractors who helped build the health law’s problem-plagued online insurance marketplace. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Politico Pro’s Jennifer Haberkorn discuss the next steps.
Navigators Tread Water As Website Problems Continue
Updated: Dec. 19, 2013 Navigators in states relying on the flawed federal exchange healthcare.gov are focusing on bolstering excitement and education about the law as they wait for fixes to the website. “It’s slowed us down,” says Patsy Dowling, executive director of Mountain Projects Inc., a 130-employee nonprofit in Western North Carolina, which won a […]
Health Law Brings Changes In How Therapists Do Business
Mom-and-Pop shops give way to large group practices that often accept discounted rates from insurers.
Are Federal Call Centers Up To The Task Of Enrolling Millions In Health Plans?
Despite the president’s urging that frustrated consumers use call centers, advocates say they’re not “a realistic alternative” for comparing and selecting coverage.
The health law gives consumers until March 31 to sign up for health insurance, but it may be weeks before coverage begins. So the administration says it will not penalize anyone who signs up by that date.
Study: Low-Income Californians Want Better Health Care Information
For many low-income Californians, enrolling in health insurance is just one hurdle to overcome in getting the care they want. A new report says better communication with doctors and obtaining clearer information is also high on their wish lists. California is home to nearly 7 million uninsured people – 15 percent of the national total, […]