Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
Enrolling Healthy, Young Adults Crucial To Success Of New Health-Care Law
For the growing campaign to enroll the uninsured in health insurance as part of the monumental health-care overhaul, signing up healthy young adults – the “young invincibles” – is crucial to success.
Obamacare Canvassers Seek Out Florida’s Uninsured
Enroll America volunteers use census data and telephone surveys to identify people without coverage but finding them can still be challenging.
Maryland Regulators Slash Rates For Obamacare Insurance Policies
Consumer advocates praise rates that are more affordable, but others question whether they can be sustained.
Letters to the Editor is a periodic KHN feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection.
Florida Providers Jump On ACO Bandwagon
The health care model encouraged by the Affordable Care Act rewards physicians for coordinating patient care and controlling costs.
Deciphering The Health Law’s Subsidies For Premiums
Tax attorney Cathy Livingston helps explain how consumers with lower incomes will be able to get financial assistance when buying a health insurance policy on the new online marketplaces.
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.
