Insurance

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Maine Voters Chose Medicaid Expansion. Why Is Their Governor Resisting?

KFF Health News Original

Even though voters in Maine decided to expand Medicaid through a ballot measure, the law’s fate is still unclear. Gov. Paul LePage says the Legislature must find funds for it without raising taxes. Advocates say the law is on their side and expansion must be implemented.

Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ While You Were Celebrating …

KFF Health News Original

In this episode of “What The Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss this week’s news, including release of the administration’s new rules on association health plans, as well as some health-related court rulings and other events that happened around the holidays.

Bonus Tucked Into GOP Tax Bill For Those Aiming To Deduct Medical Expenses

KFF Health News Original

The House sought to eliminate the tax deduction, generally used by people with serious illnesses or those who need long-term care services but it was eventually restored in the final bill — and expanded.

Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ 2017: The Year In Health Policy

KFF Health News Original

In this episode of “What The Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss this week’s news, including health issues in the just-passed tax bill and a look back on the year in health policy.

No Sweeteners Added To Tax Bill To Spread Use Of Health Savings Accounts

KFF Health News Original

These accounts are exempt from taxes and linked to high-deductible health plans. Republicans tried last summer in their unsuccessful efforts to replace the health law to make the accounts more enticing for consumers, but they didn’t make those changes in the current tax bill.

Canada’s Single-Payer Health System: What Is True? What Is False?

KFF Health News Original

It’s a regular part of the politically charged debate over health care. But the lines sometimes blur between rhetoric and how Canada’s system actually works.

Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Farewell, Individual Mandate

KFF Health News Original

In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss health issues in the emerging tax bill, including the likely repeal of fines for those who fail to obtain health insurance. They also talk about the end of “open enrollment” for 2018 individual health insurance coverage.

Good Deals For Some, Sticker Shock For Others As ACA Enrollment Winds Down

KFF Health News Original

In Tennessee, an Obamacare consumer saw her rate go from $750 to just $5 a month. But a man in Maryland had to buy a less comprehensive plan to keep his costs under $1,000 a month. Income and geography determine prices for health insurance in the fifth year of Affordable Care Act coverage.

Consumers Who Froze Their Credit Reports Could Hit A Glitch Enrolling In Insurance

KFF Health News Original

The federal marketplace generally uses credit reports to help verify identities, but that doesn’t work if consumers have put a security freeze on them — as some did after the Equifax breach this year. Workarounds for this issue exist, but they make the process more time-consuming.

Sign-Up Deadline Is Friday, But Some People May Get Extra Time

KFF Health News Original

Although in most states the insurance marketplace deadline is Friday, some consumers might be entitled to a special enrollment period if their 2017 plan is being discontinued or they are from states designated by the federal government as hurricane disaster areas.