Latest Morning Briefing Stories
For Workers Leaving Their Jobs, Health Exchanges Offer Insurance Choices Beyond COBRA
The health law’s new online insurance marketplaces will create new opportunities for people who lose their jobs and their employer-based health coverage, but consumer advocates worry they may not realize this and lock themselves into pricier coverage than they need.
FAQ: What You Need To Know About The New Online Marketplaces
These marketplaces open Oct. 1 and will allow individuals and small businesses to compare insurance coverage.
Marketplace Premiums Likely To Mirror Plans Sold Privately
Individuals purchasing a policy outside the exchange won’t qualify for subsidies, however.
Individuals With Medical Conditions Will Not Pay A Penalty On Premiums
Older people will pay more than the young, and smokers could face a surcharge.
States Balk At Terminating Medicaid Contracts Even When There’s Fraud Or Poor Patient Care
Officials won’t use “nuclear option” for fear of disrupting services to patients.
Long-Term Care Panel Releases Recommendations But Fails To Offer Plan To Help Pay For Services
The group tackles wide-ranging list of concerns, but the lack of a financing plan raises strong objections from some members.
Each Marketplace Plan Must Offer 10 ‘Essential Benefits’
These include prescription drugs, emergency and hospital care and mental health services, among others.
Obamacare Insurance Co-ops At The Starting Gate
The health law created 24 nonprofit, insurance company startups that will compete with long established companies starting next month.
Two Types of Subsidies To Help Cover Costs Will Be Available
Lower-income buyers may get help paying the premium and help on covering expenses such as deductibles and co-payments.
Applying For Marketplace Coverage Will Also Determine Eligibility For Subsidies
Tax credits to help pay for premiums will be available to people earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $46,000 for an individual.
Health Marketplaces Open For Shopping Oct. 1
Coverage will begin Jan. 1.
Consumers With Serious Medical Problems Need To Carefully Assess Total Plan Costs
The price of premiums isn’t the only expense to consider when evaluating policies from the insurance marketplace.
Nurse Practitioners Try New Tack To Expand Foothold In Primary Care
Advanced practice nurses say that despite growing need for primary care, they are stymied by insurers that won’t credential them.
Health Marketplaces Are Open To Nearly Everyone
But individuals who already have insurance through work, Medicare or Medicaid don’t need to shop there.
A Reader Asks: When I Retire Can My Husband Get Coverage On The Marketplace?
Consumer columnist says he likely can, but the bigger question is whether he will qualify for subsidies to help defray costs.
Navigators Say GOP Lawmakers’ Information Requests Are ‘Shocking’
Organizations that received federal grants to hire and train workers to sign up consumers for health insurance say lawmakers are asking for too much too soon.
Complex Personal Issues May Cloud Decisions About Buying Insurance
Even the people trained to help consumers navigate the new online marketplaces may not have all the answers.
Some Hospitals Turn To Post-Discharge Clinics To Help Hold Down Readmissions
A study finds that a third of adult patients discharged from a hospital don’t see a physician within 30 days — and experts say this is a key reason so many of them need to come back in.
A Reader Asks: I Get Coverage Through My Estranged Husband. Can I Choose To Go To The Marketplace?
Consumer columnist offers caution about the financial implications of that switch.
Don Berwick’s Newest Phase: Candidate, But Still Dr. Quality
The former acting administrator of CMS, now running for governor of Massachusetts, explains his “Letter to the People of England,” a call for continuous learning to improve quality within Britain’s National Health Service.
