Latest KFF Health News Stories
What Surge? Nation’s Primary Care System Holding Up Well So Far Under Obamacare
Some say early concerns were exaggerated, though late enrollment and Medicaid problems also have cut demand.
D.C. Health Insurance Tax Triggers Insurer Pushback
All insurers that sell health-related policies would be required to pay the assessment, even those whose products aren’t sold on the exchange.
A Reader Asks: Where Can I Find Insurance Options Between Open Enrollments?
KHN’s consumer columnist answers a reader’s question about what happens when, because of special circumstances, one must shop for health coverage through the online insurance marketplaces even though it’s not open enrollment season.
California’s Small Business Health Insurance Exchange Off To Slow Start
The program, which provides subsidies to businesses with fewer than 25 employees, has been beset by delays and technical problems. “It’s absolutely making me crazy,” says one frustrated business owner.
Employers Eye Moving Sickest Workers To Insurance Exchanges
The idea, which could save companies big money, is stirring interest and concern.
For Asian Immigrants, ACA Coverage Contains Mysteries
In navigating the health law, Asian immigrants in Philadelphia, find that the obstacles can be both cultural and political.
Even With Obamacare, Many Latinos Still Seek Treatment In Mexico
Patients say they drive across the border because costs are lower, waits are shorter and doctors speak their language.
Who Really Pays For Health Care Might Surprise You
Implementation of the health law has renewed discussions of who wins, loses and gains access to health insurance. But questions persist. Here’s a corrective to common misconceptions about who pays for health care.
Some Obamacare Enrollees Emboldened To Leave Jobs, Start Businesses
A study says that up to 1.5 million people — no longer tied to their jobs because of the affordability of the health insurance that comes with it — may use the health law to leave their current jobs and start new businesses.
Health Law Presents Options, Challenges For Colorado Small Businesses
About half of small businesses in Colorado are seeing double-digit premium increases under the ACA.
Emanuel: Although ‘Not A Perfect Law,’ ACA Is Protecting Patients
The former White House adviser talks about his new book and some of his surprising predictions about health care in the next decade and beyond.
From Zero To 3.3 Million Sign-Ups: How California ‘Won’ The Obamacare Race
No state signed more people up for health law coverage in the first health law enrollment period, but a sometimes faulty website and spotty customer service often frustrated the process.
Health Plans Scramble To Calculate 2015 Rates
There’s a lot riding on these cost calculations for insurance companies, consumers and even the health law’s future.
With Medical Debts Rising, Doctors Are More Aggressive About Payments
Between 2008 and 2012, multispecialty practices saw their bad debt go up 14 percent, according to a recent survey, and some have begun to change their business practices in response.
Medical debt is worrisome and embarrassing, but more importantly, it can have long-term financial consequences. Here are some tips that may be helpful to avoid or alleviate medical debt.
A Reader Asks: If Our Income Changes, Can We Change Plans?
KHN’s consumer columnist says people who qualified for premium and cost-sharing subsidies but later have earnings that put them over that limit can switch to less expensive plans.
Most States To Rely On Federal Website For 2015 Enrollment
Tight deadlines and technical challenges dampen enthusiasm among states to set up their own online insurance marketplaces.
In Seattle, Insurers And Hospitals Complain About New Rules
State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler says rules will help consumers see which providers are in-network and ensure they get the coverage they have paid for.
Florida Blue: Health Law Enrollments ‘Exceeded Expectations’ But Premiums May Rise In 2015
Many of those in Florida who bought insurance plans on the health law’s federal marketplace were previously uninsured — one of the reasons premiums will likely rise in 2015, a senior executive for insurer Florida Blue says.
Waiting For Medicaid To Kick In
About 800,000 people in California are presumed to be eligible for the newly expanded program but lack final approval. For a Los Angeles hairdresser and others like her, that means medical appointments are on hold.
