Latest KFF Health News Stories
When An Insurer Balks And Treatment Stops
A 22-year old man from Orange County, Calif., alleges in a lawsuit that his health insurer stopped paying for a crucial — and expensive — immunotherapy drug, leading him to become seriously ill. Treatments for patients with similar conditions are increasingly denied or interrupted, experts and patient advocates say.
Senators’ Dueling Web Shoutouts Echo Nation’s Partisan Divide On Obamacare
In the early stages of the Senate’s attempts to write a health care bill, a Republican and a Democrat each solicit constituents’ Obamacare experiences from opposite ends of the spectrum.
GOP Health Bill Pleases Most Republicans, But Not Many Other Americans
While nearly half of Americans support Obamacare, fewer than a third are in favor of the Republican replacement legislation.
Two Medicare Advantage Insurers Settle Whistleblower Lawsuit For $32 Million
Freedom Health and Optimum HealthCare agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging they overbilled Medicare.
Defensores desconfían de nuevas reglas para inscribir en planes de salud en el otoño
En el otoño, corredores y aseguradoras podrán guiar a los consumidores en el proceso para obtener un plan de salud de principio a fin. Pero algunos piensan que no mostrarán todas las opciones por igual, sino aquéllas por las que obtendrían una comisión.
Consumer Advocates Wary Of New Marketplace Rules For Brokers
Federal officials relaxed their rules this month about how brokers and insurers can work with individuals to apply for health law policies.
Molina Healthcare, A Top Obamacare Insurer, Investigates Breach Of Patients’ Data
“It’s unconscionable that such a basic, security 101 flaw could still exist at a major health care provider,” says one cybersecurity expert.
A Busy Week For Health: Budget Cuts, CBO Scores And Mitch McConnell’s Cryptic Signal
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Julie Rovner discuss some of the developments that shook up health news this week.
Tab For Single-Payer Proposal In California Could Run $400 Billion
A state Senate panel considering the measure said money for existing public programs could cover half the cost. But the rest might have to come from new taxes — a serious political obstacle.
GOP’s Health Bill Could Undercut Some Coverage In Job-Based Insurance
In states that take up the bill’s option to change the essential health benefits, the out-of-pocket spending limits and annual and lifetime caps on coverage in large group plans could fray.
Quiz: Help Us Take The Pulse Of Our Readers
Even the most exalted among us realize health care policy is complicated. Here’s a pop quiz to see what you have learned as a regular reader of Kaiser Health News.
Preexisting Conditions And Continuous Coverage: Key Elements Of GOP Bill
The Republican health plan would require insurers to offer coverage to people who have preexisting medical conditions. But if states opt to allow insurers to charge sick people more than healthy ones, people who have been more than 63 days without coverage could see significantly higher insurance costs.
Trump Says He Knows About Health Care, But Some Of His Facts Seem Alternative
In two interviews, the president reveals some surprising views of health policy.
Rural Shoppers Face Slim Choices, Steep Premiums On Exchanges
The larger an area’s population, the more likely insurers will compete in that market, according to an Urban Institute analysis.
Parents Of Sick Children Fear Trap If States Have Say On ‘Preexisting Conditions’
“I’m not going to risk my son’s health on the political whims of Jefferson City,” says one Missouri father, whose son requires about $20,000 to $30,000 in medical care expenses a year. The new GOP health bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act lets states decide whether or not insurers must cover people with preexisting conditions, such as birth defects.
Why Blue States Might Ditch Beloved Obamacare Protections
With limited federal subsidies under the GOP health care bill, experts say states like California and New York would be under pressure to cut costs. That could mean shrinking benefits and dropping the prohibition against charging sicker patients higher premiums.
Some GOP Congress Members Could Pay Politically For ACA Repeal Vote
Some political analysts and community advocates say members of California’s Republican congressional delegation, which voted unanimously for the House bill, could be haunted at the polls.
Sounds Like A Good Idea? High-Risk Pools
A KHN video looks at a Republican plan to establish a federal high-risk insurance pool.
Cómo aliviar el dolor financiero de los planes de salud con deducibles altos
Pase lo que pase con el Obamacare, es bastante seguro que una tendencia en la atención de salud continuará: cada vez más personas tendrán planes de salud con deducibles altos. Cómo enfrentarlos.
Mom’s Policy, Medicaid Or A Health Exchange Plan: What’s A Grad To Do?
The federal health law has opened up new options for young adults but it can sometimes be confusing. A quick guide to the choices.
