Latest KFF Health News Stories
Federal Shutdown Alarms State Health Officials
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has furloughed more than half its staff as a result of the federal shutdown. That worries states, particularly as the flu season begins.
Healthcare.gov Offers New Shopping Feature — Sort Of
With consumers in 36 states struggling to access a federal exchange website to compare health plans, the Obama administration launched a new online tool Thursday that lets users see premium estimates by state, health plan and two age categories. One of the biggest criticisms of healthcare.gov was that consumers had to create an account before they could even look to see what […]
California Working Overtime To Enroll Consumers On Marketplace — And To Train People To Help
Once consumers are primed to enroll, the hand-off to counselors has been rocky. Many counselors are still attending training or are awaiting background checks and state-issued licenses; some just need a computer log-in.
A Reader Asks: My Coverage Is Intermittent. Can I Do Better On The Marketplace?
A contract worker looks for more consistent coverage.
Mississippi Consumers Try And Try Again To Use Healthcare.gov
In Mississippi, one of 36 states dependent on the federally run health insurance marketplace, consumers continue to face long delays and other technical difficulties.
Looking For D.C.’s Best Hospitals? Here’s A Little Advice
A cottage industry of nonprofits and companies offer grades and rankings of hospitals. But they often measure different things.
Some Good News About Saving For Retirement Health Costs
Saving for health care after retirement is less costly than it was just a few years ago thanks to the slowed growth of health care spending. But that’s just part of the picture. A new report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that Medicare beneficiaries, who are 65 years or older, would need to […]
Hawaiians Still Unable To Shop On State Exchange
Hawaii, President Barack Obama’s birthplace, has the only online health insurance marketplace that has not yet launched. Ten days after the Hawaii Health Connector was supposed to allow consumers and small employers to shop and enroll for coverage, officials are using paper applications and referring people to insurers’ websites to check prices. About 100,000 people are uninsured in Hawaii. It is […]
Five Lessons From Massachusetts About Obamacare Rollout
Health reform in Massachusetts — also known as “Romneycare” — had a messy start in late 2006, but the state figured out how to make sure nearly everyone has insurance coverage.
Health Law Fight Complicated By Shutdown, Debt Ceiling Battles
Fights over defunding the health law remain at the center of legislative battles eight days into a federal government shutdown and just a week before the nation hits its debt ceiling. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and CQ Roll Call’s Emily Ethridge discuss the latest.
N.Y. Exchange Says 40,000 Have Applied For Coverage
New York’s online insurance exchange on Tuesday said more than 40,000 people have completed applications for coverage so far, though not all have chosen a health plan. Officials from the exchange, called NY State of Health, said these applicants were found eligible to buy a health plan. Nationally, nearly 80,000 people have applied for coverage in the […]
FAQ: Dental And Vision Care Part Of ‘Essential Benefits’ For Kids
The health law provides for subsidized coverage for basic and preventive services for kids, and some states are requiring that they be included in every policy.
28,000 Sign Up For Health Insurance Through California’s Exchange
More than 16,000 applications on behalf of 28,700 people have been completed through the state’s insurance marketplace, Covered California, officials announced Tuesday. Executive Director Peter Lee said 16,311 applications, some representing several family members, were completed between Oct. 1 and Oct. 5 and another 27,305 are in process. Lee did not specify how many of […]
Navigating The Marketplaces: Reader Questions Answered
KHN’s Julie Appleby, the Washington Post’s Sarah Kliff and Consumers’ Checkbook’s Robert Krughoff answered readers questions today about enrollment in the health law’s new insurance marketplaces. A transcript of the discussion follows. READER QUESTION: My daughter earns $22,000 a year. Her employer offers insurance. Does she have to get insurance through her employer if it’s not more […]
Join A Live Discussion Today On Washingtonpost.com
KHN’s Julie Appleby joins The Washington Post’s Sarah Kliff and Consumers’ Checkbook’s Robert Krughoff to answer readers questions about enrollment in the health law’s new insurance marketplaces today at 12:00 noon ET. If you can’t participate in the discussion live, you can submit your questions in advance: http://live.washingtonpost.com/affordable-care-act-what-are-your-thoughts-and-questions.html A full transcript of the Q&A session […]
Problems Continue For Some Users On Minnesota’s Health Insurance Exchange
Intermittent problems with MNsure’s online insurance marketplace persist, but officials are saying consumers will have an easier time this week.
Why Some Veterinarians Have a Bone To Pick With Obamacare
Dr. Douglas Aspros says the federal health law is increasing his costs to buy medical equipment, which he has no choice but to pass onto his patients — most whom are uninsured. None of Aspros’ patients, though, will benefit from the law’s expansion of coverage. Aspros, you see, treats dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, parrots and other […]
Brokers and insurers can sell their traditional products, but they may also sell some plans available on the marketplaces that offer subsidies for customers.
Costliest 1 Percent Of Patients Account For 21 Percent Of U.S. Health Spending
Most of these patients have multiple chronic illnesses and all too often they wind up in emergency rooms because they have enormous difficulty navigating the increasingly fragmented, complicated and inflexible health-care system.
Addressing A Dangerous Epidemic: Abuse Of Painkillers And Other Prescription Drugs
About 50 Americans die every day from a prescription drug overdose — a tally that, in most states, turns out to be more than deaths from car accidents. In a new report, “Prescription Drug Abuse: Strategies to Stop the Epidemic,” researchers at the Trust for America’s Health found that rates of overdose and addiction doubled […]