Latest KFF Health News Stories
Some specialty drugs can cost consumers — even those with insurance — thousands of dollars a year, but manufacturers often provide aid for those who meet specific income and program requirements.
Former Foster Youth Stay Insured Until 26
Former foster youth in California are eligible for Medi-Cal until age 26 under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA). Marcy Valenzuela has been without health insurance for the last four years. By the time she was 18, she had lived in several foster placements, had become addicted to drugs and spent time in juvenile hall. The 25-year-old is getting her life back on track, starting with her health.
In Southwest Georgia, The Affordable Care Act Is Having Trouble Living Up To Its Name
In an area with moderate incomes and cost of living, insurance premiums on the new health law marketplace are nearly the highest in the country.
The 10 Most Expensive Insurance Markets In The U.S.
The ranking is based on the lowest price “silver” plan, which is the mid-level plan that the majority of consumers are selecting. The listed monthly premiums are for a 40-year-old person.
When Your Parent Is The State, It’s Tough For Young Adults To Stay Insured
Many former foster kids are entitled to Medicaid coverage until they turn 26 but eligibility workers ? and they themselves
Joining GOP Trend, U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Urges Fix, Not Repeal, Of Obamacare
The business lobbying group urges Republicans to shift their focus from repealing the health law to changing it in Congress. But some tea party Republicans want to continue the fight.
ACOs Saving Some Money, But Medicare Is Short On Details
Accountable care organizations are saving some money, though what exactly that means is still unclear. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Thursday that overall, provider groups involved in Medicare ACO programs saved a total of $380 million in the first year. Sounds like a lot of money, but CMS declined to explain which […]
Rep. Waxman, Passionate Advocate For Medicaid And Public Health Issues, Announces His Retirement
Former Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, known for his aggressive investigations, has been one of his party’s central figures in health care.
Can I Get My Insurance To Pay For An IUD Removal?
KHN’s consumer columnist says the procedure is considered preventive and should be covered by most health plans.
California Marketplace Among First to Post Customer Health Plan Ratings
Californians shopping for insurance policies through the state’s online marketplace can now compare plans based on customer quality ratings as well as cost. Covered California assigned star ratings to the health plans based on member survey responses. The surveys were taken before the insurance marketplace opened, so they only compare plans that had a track […]
Health Law Is A Tough Sell To Uninsured
Uninsured Americans — the people that the Affordable Care Act was designed to most aid — are increasingly critical of the law as its key provisions kick in, a poll released Thursday finds. This month’s tracking poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 47 percent of the uninsured said they hold unfavorable views of […]
Expensive Hospitals: Strong Reputations But Little Evidence Of Better Care, Study Finds
A study of autoworker claims found that hospitals with the highest prices tended to have the strongest reputations and tight holds on their local markets yet showed little evidence of providing better quality care. The actual prices insurers pay hospitals are closely guarded secrets in health care. That has made it hard for health researchers […]
WellPoint Discloses Big Sign-Ups Through Health Exchanges
The biggest player in the Affordable Care Act’s online insurance marketplaces delivered encouraging news to Obamacare supporters Wednesday. After weeks of uncertainty about how many people have been applying for coverage that started Jan. 1, their age spread and whether or not they’re paying premiums, WellPoint disclosed higher-than-expected early membership growth and said it expects to make […]
Parsing The President’s 9 Million Enrollees
Nine million. That’s the number President Barack Obama touted last night as having signed up for health insurance. That total is important to supporters as a sign that the law is working — and as an indication of the difficulties Republicans would face to rescind the law or roll back certain provisions. Critics have pointed out […]
To Schedule A Doc Visit, Get In Line
Need to see a doctor? You may have to wait. A survey of physician practices in 15 metropolitan areas across the country, which was taken before the health law expanded coverage, found that the average wait time for a new patient to see a physician in five medical specialties was 18.5 days. The longest waits were […]
Video: Obama Says 9 Million Have Enrolled Under Health Law
President Obama used Tuesday night’s annual State of the Union address to urge more Americans to enroll in the new insurance exchanges.
Ex-Microsoft Exec Brings Lists And Whiteboard To Overhaul Of Obamacare Website
Former software engineer Kurt DelBene restores and races cars when he’s not looking under the hood of big computer systems.
We’ve had a lot of response from readers and listeners to our story on NPR’s Morning Edition on Monday, The Clubfoot Correction: How Parents Pushed For Better Treatment. Readers wrote that they or their children had received casting and boots-and-bars treatment for clubfoot. Some happened many decades ago—some fairly recently. We thought some more explanation […]
GOP Senators’ New Health Overhaul Plan Would Tax Some Workers’ Benefits
A health care overhaul plan released Monday by three Senate Republicans may reveal how the party will handle the issue for the 2014 elections and beyond. Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Richard Burr of North Carolina unveiled a legislative framework that would scrap much of the 2010 health law, replacing those provisions […]
Readers Ask How Divorce, Student Status Will Affect Marketplace Applications
KHN’s consumer columnist reassures a consumer who is divorcing that subsidies can be based on new income projections, not what was earned jointly the year before and offers suggestions about what exchange out-of-state students should use.