Latest KFF Health News Stories
Too Soon To Deride High Obamacare Rate Hikes
Prices for plans sold on the health law exchanges won’t be final until the fall, and some of the highest rate increases may be for plans that do not have very many people enrolled in them.
New St. Louis Dental Clinic Looks To Close Gaps In Coverage
The state Legislature approved funding this year to allow about 250,000 low-income adults with Medicaid to receive dental services.
Adult Dental Coverage Expanding Slowly in Medicaid
The health law mandated dental care for children, but not for adults. Still, some states are slowly making more services available.
Some Insured Patients Still Skip Care Because Of High Costs
Georgia resident Renee Mitchell is generally pleased with her insurance — a silver-level Obamacare plan. But she still struggles to keep up with her part of the bills.
Texas’ Tough Abortion Restrictions Mostly Upheld By Appeals Court
Abortion rights groups say the ruling would leave only eight clinics open statewide.
Organ Donation: State Efforts Have Done Little To Close The Supply Gap
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that most state-based policies to encourage organ donation in the United States have fallen flat.
Insurer Uses Patients’ Personal Data To Predict Who Will Get Sick
A Philadelphia health insurance company analyzes its clients’ health data and other factors to find the frailest and assign them health coaches. That may improve health, but is it a breach of privacy?
Anti-Abortion Activists See Mixed Results In Texas Legislature
Legislation tightening rules for minors seeking abortions passes in Texas and is expected to become law. Another bill favored by abortion opponents fails.
Growing Pains For State Obamacare Exchanges
Minnesota, Colorado and Connecticut are figuring out how to continue running their health insurance marketplaces as federal start-up funding runs out.
Florida To Review Proposed Obamacare Rate Hikes For First Time
After two years with its hands tied, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation will be able to review proposed rate increases in a market seeing double digit hikes.
Paramedics See Roles Expand – Minus The Lights And Sirens
In Reno and around the country, community paramedics are providing more primary and preventive care and taking nonemergency patients to facilities other than ERs.
More Patients, Not Fewer, Turn To Health Clinics After Obamacare
Patients are flocking to community health clinics for care in North Carolina and elsewhere. Clinic leaders think health law advertising has driven up demand, especially for people in the Medicaid gap.
Pennsylvania Governor Plans State Insurance Exchange To Protect Subsidies
It is unclear whether the Republican-dominated General Assembly has to approve Wolf’s plan, which is designed protect residents’ subsidies should the Supreme Court void subsidies in states that rely on the federal exchange.
More Than 1.3M Floridians May Lose Their Obamacare Subsidies, More Than Any Other State
The subsidies are at the center of a Supreme Court case challenging the health law. In King v. Burwell, the plaintiffs argue that the language of the health law restricts the subsidies to states that established their own exchanges.
Consumers Drawn To Low Prices Of Temporary Health Plans Despite Risks
The policies offer a stopgap for people between jobs, but enrollees still pay a federal tax penalty because the policies fall short of health law standards.
Could Medicaid Have Helped Miami Man Avoid Amputation?
Travails of an uninsured man with diabetes put him on the front lines of the fight raging in the Florida Legislature this week over Medicaid expansion.
Texas Puts Brakes On Telemedicine — And Teladoc Cries Foul
The Texas Medical Board issued tough new rules for telemedicine, and the nation’s largest telemedicine provider, based in Dallas, is suing to stop the rules from going into effect.
Newly Insured Californians Wary Of Costs But Embracing Coverage
Though many newly insured Californians say they have trouble paying premiums, they find care easier to access than the uninsured and are more confident in their ability to pay for it, according to a survey.
For Millions In Georgia, A Toothache Not Treated By Obamacare
The Affordable Care Act has done little to reduce the number of Americans who lack dental coverage.
South Florida Lawmakers Discuss Medicaid Expansion At Forum
With a special legislative session set for next week, state lawmakers and hospital representatives discussed the future of health care in Florida, including Medicaid expansion.
