Latest KFF Health News Stories
Five Things To Know About Obamacare Premiums: A Guide For The Perplexed
These pointers will help you make sense of contradictory headlines about how much insurance could cost you when the Affordable Care Act marketplaces open for enrollment in October.
Florida Officials: Health Insurance Prices Will Spike; Feds Disagree
State insurance officials unveiled proposed prices for health plans to be sold on the exchanges beginning Oct. 1. But those plans, and the prices, have yet to be approved by the federal government and could change.
Does My Insurance Have To Cover Pregnancy Benefits For My Dependents?
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader about whether the health law requires employer-sponsored insurance to cover maternity benefits for an employee’s dependents.
Benefits On Health Marketplace Plans Will Be Similar But Costs Will Vary
In response to readers’ questions, columnist explains that all policies offered on the online exchanges must cover 10 “essential health benefits,” but the plans will be classified according to the proportion of costs that consumers will be responsible for paying.
Enrolling Healthy, Young Adults Crucial To Success Of New Health-Care Law
For the growing campaign to enroll the uninsured in health insurance as part of the monumental health-care overhaul, signing up healthy young adults – the “young invincibles” – is crucial to success.
Maryland Regulators Slash Rates For Obamacare Insurance Policies
Consumer advocates praise rates that are more affordable, but others question whether they can be sustained.
Letters to the Editor is a periodic KHN feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection.
Patient Advocates Seek A Gentle Transition From High Risk Pools To New Exchange Plans
Many states had special programs to provide insurance to people with medical problems. Some of those programs will disappear after January when the federal health law offers guarantees of coverage.
Analysis: N.Y. Insurance Market Is ‘Poster Child’ For Individual Mandate
Insurers offer less expensive premiums, betting the mandate will attract young and healthy consumers into a market long dominated by the sick.
New York is one of five states that required insurers to sell to everyone prior to passage of the health law but did not require consumers to buy coverage, leading to some of the nation’s highest premiums.
Texas Groups Promote Health Insurance Exchange With No Help From State
State officials have no plans to help educate consumers about new insurance options. Other groups are stepping in, but some worry it won’t be enough.
Obama On Health Law: ‘Working The Way It’s Supposed To’
Video: In remarks at the White House Thursday the president touted lower-than-projected premiums that have been announced for health insurance marketplaces in several states.
Obama Says Health Law Is Saving Consumers Money
President uses speech to push back against critics, highlight law’s benefits to middle-class and working Americans.
Large Insurers Opt Out Of Missouri’s Health Exchange
UnitedHealthcare, Cigna and Assurant Health say they won’t participate, at least initially.
A Handful Of State Marketplaces Opt Not To Charge Smokers More For Premiums
The health law allows insurers to charge smokers 50 percent higher premiums than nonsmokers but some states have decided not to allow that distinction in plans sold on the new online exchanges.
Connecting Minnesota’s Latino Community To Health Care
One-in-eight Minnesota Latinos is uninsured. As the health law rolls out, community clinics in the state will be connecting Latinos to their new insurance options.
Educating Florida About Health Care Reform Starts With Conversation
Enroll America kicks off campaign in Florida to get people signed up for health law’s insurance plans with a training session organizers.
In Addition To Premium Credits, Health Law Offers Some Consumers Help Paying Deductibles And Co-Pays
Although much has been made about the tax credits that will help people afford to pay insurance premiums, the cost-sharing assistance can substantially reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Health Exchange Pitch To Sports Fans Started In Fenway
The Red Sox helped get the word out about Massachusetts’ health reform in 2007, and in Colorado at least, the state is marketing its new insurance exchange to fans of the Rockies.
National Health Plans, Designed To Spur Competition, May Be Unavailable In Some States Next Year
The federal health law requires two plans in every state, but few insurers are lining up to play.
