Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
Advocates Urge More Government Oversight Of Medicaid Managed Care
The health law’s expansion of Medicaid is putting a spotlight on how regulators monitor the performance of privately-run plans.
FAQ: What Workers And Employers Need To Know About The Postponed Employer Mandate
Companies with at least 50 workers now have until 2015 to provide coverage. Here’s what that change means – and doesn’t mean – for employees and employers.
Delay In Major Health Law Provision Raises Doubts At Critical Stage Of Rollout
The decision to give large employers an extra year to cover their workers was praised by business leaders but complicates the implementation.
Business Groups, Consumer Advocates, Politicians, Policy Makers React To Mandate Decision
Opponents of the federal health law, especially business groups and conservatives, were quick to praise the decision by the Obama administration to delay enforcing the employer mandate provision by one year. Some supporters said the decision would not create major problems.
Employers To Get An Extra Year To Implement Health Law Requirement On Coverage
In announcing the delay, the administration says it will give businesses time to comply and allow the government to consider simpler solutions.
Income — Not Assets — Will Determine Subsidies In Online Insurance Marketplaces
KHN’s insurance columnist answers readers’ questions about qualifying for help paying premiums under the health law and how student health plans will be treated.
