Latest KFF Health News Stories
What You Should Know About The Obamacare Delay On Some Out-Of-Pocket Caps
The federal health law brings many big changes to the nation’s health system; in some ways the changes are spelled out in detail in the law, and in other ways we learn about them only as implementation proceeds. As KHN’s Julie Appleby reported in April, and the New York Times reported yesterday, the law’s cap […]
How Much Of A Subsidy Will You Get In Obamacare? Here’s An Estimate
If you buy your own health insurance, you’ve no doubt heard that subsidies will be available next year to help pay the premiums. But will you get a subsidy and how much? Researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation have a report out Wednesday that provides some insight. Based on their analysis, about 48 percent of adults […]
A Nevada Health Plan — Without The Insurance
A novel medical discount plan negotiates lower prices at the doctor’s office or hospitals for members who aren’t insured.
Poll: Majority Favors Charging Smokers Higher Insurance Rates, But Not Overweight People
Fifty-eight percent of Americans surveyed favor charging smokers higher insurance rates, but only 41 percent would charge overweight people more, according to a Gallup poll released Monday. Under the Affordable Care Act, states have the option of allowing health plans participating in online insurance marketplaces to charge smokers up to 50 percent higher premiums than non-smokers. […]
As Lawmakers Roam Their Home Territory, Health Law Arguments Simmer
The battle over the Affordable Care Act shows absolutely no signs of abating, so it’s no surprise that the packets distributed by both parties on Capitol Hill for members heading home for the August recess paint the 2010 health care law in starkly different ways. Before leaving town for the five-week-long break, House Republicans held […]
Wash. Rejection Of 5 Companies’ Health Plans Draws Criticism
Critics say the rejection of individual plans from five companies that applied to sell inside the insurance marketplace will limit consumer choices and hurt continuity of care.
Obamacare Presents Complex Choices For People With Disabilities
Some categories of essential benefits under the health law, like maternity care and preventive care, are straightforward. But “habilitative services” — including treatments like physical and speech therapy — are much more subjective.
Supreme Court Decision On Same-Sex Marriage Leaves Many Couples Awaiting Federal Rules On Insurance
The recent ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act didn’t address question of tax implications for health care for couples who live in a state that doesn’t recognize marriages.
Talking The Health Law’s Impact On Hospitals Serving Medicare Patients
KHN Reporter Jordan Rau was on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Monday where he talked about the latest round of readmissions penalties in Medicare. Read more: Armed With Bigger Fines, Medicare To Punish 2,225 Hospitals For Excess Readmissions KHN reporters will be returning to C-SPAN’s Washington Journal each Monday throughout the summer. Tune in each week to stay […]
More High-Deductible Plan Members Can’t Pay Hospital Bills
As employers and insurance companies shift more health costs into workers’ pockets, hospitals are making a discovery. The pockets aren’t bottomless. “The number of accounts that we’re seeing that relate to these high-deductible plans has been building, and it has been putting pressure on our bad debt levels,” Tenet Healthcare financial chief Daniel Cancelmi told […]
In States That Don’t Expand Medicaid, Some Of The Uninsured May Still Get Help
Some could get help buying private coverage by projecting their future incomes to exceed the federal poverty level.
President: GOP Shutting Down Government To Defund Obamacare Is ‘A Bad Idea’
Republicans have made it their “holy grail, their number one priority” to deny millions of Americans health insurance coverage through the 2010 health care law, President Obama said today.
Q&A: How ACA Will Affect People With Autism
Autism advocates expected Obamacare to require insurers to cover treatment. But political pressure from states and insurers yielded a more ambiguous result.
Mapping A Strategy To Reach Uninsured In King County, Wash.
Maps that show where the highest levels of uninsured live will help them target these areas for education and outreach in order to boost insurance coverage as required by the federal Affordable Care Act.
The Health Care Battle Over Navigators
After lobbying from insurance agents, states move to regulate a key to Obamacare’s insurance marketplaces.
Red State Idaho Embraces Obamacare Insurance Exchange — Reluctantly
Gov. “Butch” Otter and employer groups fought to keep control of their health insurance marketplace — the only GOP-controlled state to run a state-based exchange –
Sebelius: We’re Open to ‘Uniquely Texan’ Approach
The federal government is open to allowing Texas to expand Medicaid coverage under Obamacare in a way that is “uniquely Texan,” HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday in Austin.
Fuzzy Math Behind Florida’s Health Insurance Projections, Group Says
After the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation released a chart and related information last week projecting that individual monthly health insurance premiums would rise 30 to 40 percent next year thanks to Obamacare, some critics cried “fuzzy math!” This week, the Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy, a left-leaning nonprofit research and education group, issued a […]
Anti-Obamacare Forces Ramp Up Campaign To Stop Implementation
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. With less than eight weeks to go before the official launch of the new health care marketplaces under the federal health law, backers of the law are ramping up to encourage people to sign up. But there’s another effort gearing up this month as well. Opponents […]
Health Insurers Tune In To Twitter For Customer Service
Companies are amping up their social media presence in an effort to help patients and do quick damage control on complaints aired in this public sphere.