Latest KFF Health News Stories
Will Health Reform Bring New Role, Respect To Primary Care Physicians?
By paying primary care doctors to cut specialist and hospital revenue, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is helping to alter the medical spoils system.
Lawsuit Accuses Anthem Blue Cross Of ‘Fraudulent’ Enrollment Practices
Consumer group alleges the insurer put out inaccurate information about benefits and providers to gain market share.
Conflicting Views Of Supreme Court’s Contraception Decision Cloud Other Cases
If the justices thought they were creating a clear path for others to follow, they were wrong.
Some Plans Skew Drug Benefits To Drive Away Patients, Advocates Warn
Groups file complaint with federal officials saying four Florida insurers discriminated against people with HIV in setting up pricing structure for drugs, and another analysis finds that many silver plans place medications for costly diseases in highest formulary tier.
Florida Shifts Medicaid Mental Health Strategy
It offers a plan geared to people with serious mental illnesses that will coordinate physical and behavioral services.
Did The Supreme Court Tip Its Hand On Contraception Cases Yet To Come?
Advocates on both sides of the debate think the Hobby Lobby ruling could help their causes.
Who Shopped The SHOP Exchanges? Very Few Small Businesses
This story is part of a partnership that includes WNYC, NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. (details) Monteith Illingworth and Chris Abbate both have small public relations firms in Manhattan. Both offer their employees health coverage through Oxford Health, a division of insurance giant United Healthcare. Both faced double-digit premium […]
Proposal To Add Skimpier ‘Copper’ Plans To Marketplace Raises Concerns
Advocates say the plans could expose consumers to unacceptably high out-of-pocket costs if they get sick.
Hobby Lobby Decision May Not Be The Last Word On Birth Control Coverage
State laws and an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruling may come into play.
Court Ruling Geared To ‘Closely Held’ Firms, But What Is That?
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority, favors a tight definition for businesses that can be exempted from the health law’s contraceptive mandate. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg suggests the consequences may be farther reaching.
FAQ: High Court’s Hobby Lobby Ruling Cuts Into Contraceptive Mandate
The court says closely held corporations may be exempted from the health law’s mandate that employer health plans cover certain types of contraception at no cost to the employee.
What The Hobby Lobby Decision Means For Employers
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and legal analyst Stuart Taylor discuss Monday’s ruling on the health law’s contraception mandate, examining what the decision could mean for future challenges to the law.
Washington And Other States See New Insurers On Exchanges
This story is part of a partnership that includes Capital Public Radio, NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. (details) SEATTLE — Washington State’s health insurance exchange is looking to be an attractive marketplace for new health insurance carriers, according to an early analysis of insurer premium rate filings by McKinsey […]
A Reader Asks: Can New Employees Be Forced To Wait 90 Days For Coverage?
KHN’s consumer columnist says a 90-day delay is allowed by the health law, but employees have other options to get through that time.
Advocates Worry Conn. Decision Could Undermine Autism Coverage
That state has defined autism behavioral therapy as a type of medical benefit not subject to the mental health parity law, a move that allows insurers more latitude to limit the benefits they offer.
A Reader Asks: Can Our Plan Kick Off Our Daughter Because Her Job Offers Coverage?
KHN’s consumer columnist says the health law initially allowed some plans to do that, but that provision is no longer valid.
Survey: Most Buying On Insurance Exchanges Were Uninsured
The most satisfied were those who received subsidies; the least satisfied had their previous plans canceled.
Insurers Push Back Against Growing Cost Of Cancer Treatments
Many are encouraging the use of less-costly regimens and paying the same for drugs, whether they’re given in hospital outpatient settings or doctors’ offices.
Readers Ask: Are Insurance Premiums Capped? Do Doctors Have To Accept Medicare?
KHN’s consumer columnist answers inquiries from readers.
Say What? Many Patients Struggling To Learn The Foreign Language Of Health Insurance
Decoding premiums, co-insurance, co-pays and deductibles has some people reeling