Latest KFF Health News Stories
Wash. Rejection Of 5 Companies’ Health Plans Draws Criticism
Critics say the rejection of individual plans from five companies that applied to sell inside the insurance marketplace will limit consumer choices and hurt continuity of care.
Obamacare Presents Complex Choices For People With Disabilities
Some categories of essential benefits under the health law, like maternity care and preventive care, are straightforward. But “habilitative services” — including treatments like physical and speech therapy — are much more subjective.
In States That Don’t Expand Medicaid, Some Of The Uninsured May Still Get Help
Some could get help buying private coverage by projecting their future incomes to exceed the federal poverty level.
President: GOP Shutting Down Government To Defund Obamacare Is ‘A Bad Idea’
Republicans have made it their “holy grail, their number one priority” to deny millions of Americans health insurance coverage through the 2010 health care law, President Obama said today.
Mapping A Strategy To Reach Uninsured In King County, Wash.
Maps that show where the highest levels of uninsured live will help them target these areas for education and outreach in order to boost insurance coverage as required by the federal Affordable Care Act.
The Health Care Battle Over Navigators
After lobbying from insurance agents, states move to regulate a key to Obamacare’s insurance marketplaces.
Red State Idaho Embraces Obamacare Insurance Exchange — Reluctantly
Gov. “Butch” Otter and employer groups fought to keep control of their health insurance marketplace — the only GOP-controlled state to run a state-based exchange –
Transforming Prenatal Care To Lower Infant Mortality
Einstein Medical Center hopes a program funded by the health law and geared to women with high-risk pregnancies will reduce North Philadelphia’s high infant mortality rate.
St. Louis’ Busiest Safety Net Hospital Braces For Health Law Challenges
Christian Hospital’s struggle to serve the disadvantaged is not likely to get easier under the Affordable Care Act.
Many Consumers With High-Deductible Plans Are Concerned About Health Law Changes
Many policy holders are not aware that the plans, which generally have low premiums and can have high out-of-pocket costs, don’t meet the standards set in the health overhaul.
State Premium Watch: Pricing In The New Insurance Marketplaces
KHN is gathering the data from states that have approved and published premiums for the online marketplaces that will open Oct. 1 under the federal health law.
Armed With Bigger Fines, Medicare To Punish 2,225 Hospitals For Excess Readmissions
Penalties will total $227 million, but many hospitals will see their fines go down in October in the second year of the program.
Sources and Methodology: A Guide To Medicare’s Readmissions Data And KHN’s Analysis
Kaiser Health News’ data on hospital readmissions penalties comes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Readmissions Penalties By State: Year Two
This chart lists state averages of readmission rates and the number of hospitals in each state that will be penalized.
Obamacare: What It Will Cost In Washington State
Four companies to offer 31 health plans on new state exchange at a variety of prices.
Univision Obamacare Deal Could Put WellPoint, Blues Ahead Of Competitors
The partnerships with the Spanish-language media giant are among the most concrete ways to date that insurers have invested in the marketing of Obamacare, but they also could skirt a key principle of the Affordable Care Act: that it should foster insurer competition and consumer choice.
Officials Face Obamacare ‘Data Hub’ Questions On Capitol Hill
Mary Agnes Carey speaks with Politico Pro’s Jennifer Haberkorn about two House committee meetings on Capitol Hill Thursday where IRS and CMS officials were grilled about implementing a system to verify consumer income under the health law.
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.
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.
