Latest KFF Health News Stories
After Newtown Shootings, Questions About Mental Health Insurance Coverage
Gaps in insurance coverage for mental health treatment persist despite new laws — including the health law and the Mental Health Parity Act of 2008 — expanding such coverage. Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about mental health care in America.
More ACA Lawsuits: The ‘Contraceptive Mandate’ Versus Religious Freedom (Analysis)
While the legal challenges to the health law’s contraception coverage mandate pose no threat to the measure as a whole, they have all the ingredients of a legal donnybrook that might well end up before the high court.
Medicare Silver Bullets: What’s The Best Way To Control Costs?
KHN asked a range of health policy experts the following question: If you could make only one change to Medicare to control costs, what would it be and why?
HHS Tells States It Will Not Fund Partial Medicaid Expansion
In a letter to governors, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says states that expand Medicaid must cover people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level to get enhanced funding.
Governors Weigh Options On Health Insurance Exchanges
What’s at stake if they build state-based exchanges, partner with the federal government — or let federal regulators run everything?
Medicare Changes Loom As ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Negotiations Pick Up
Health on the Hill: KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about Republican and Democratic proposals and possible cuts in federal health care spending.
Health Plans Gear Up To Sell Directly To Consumers
Insurers develop new business strategies as the health law upends old models.
Insurance Surcharges Will Fund Most Online Exchanges Created Under Health Law
The fees will make the markets self-supporting, but some state officials and insurers worry they could put coverage out of reach for some consumers.
Analysis: Health Exchanges And The Litigation Landscape
Health law critics are continuing their fight against the sweeping overhaul with legal challenges that aim to undermine the law’s employer and individual mandates.
Options For Parents To Cover A Sick Child
Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about how to find affordable coverage for a child with a preexisting medical condition.
Minnesota Facing Bigger Bill For State’s Health Insurance Exchange
Minnesota’s state health insurance exchange will cost $54 million in 2015 to operate; earlier estimates were $30 to $40 million.
Obama Administration Gives Smokers A Way Out Of Higher Insurance Premiums
Consumer groups praise the rules as a way to encourage smokers to quit, but one workplace expert dismisses them as “a dumb idea.”
Administration Expected to Release Many New Rules For Health Law Shortly
Among the highly anticipated announcements are regulations on the new state insurance exchanges, taxes for medical devices, funding for hospitals treating the uninsured and insurance coverage for contraception.
Obama Administration Extends Deadline For State Exchanges — Again
Bowing to a request from Republican governors, the Obama administration announced late Thursday that it would give states more time to decide whether to build online insurance markets that will help millions of people buy health coverage starting next fall.
States Count Down To Decisions On Health Exchanges
With time running out, 17 states and D.C. commit to setting up the new markets, eight are undecided and the rest weigh partnering with the federal government — or letting the feds take over.
Computer Issues May Hamper Online Insurance Markets
Cascading delays related to technical issues could make October 2013 target for open enrollment difficult, if not impossible, to meet.
Colorado’s New Element In Exchange Plan: Certainty
The outcome of last week’s election means Colorado’s home-grown insurance exchange is green-lighted.
Nevada Quietly Moves Ahead On Health Law
Nevada was one of the 27 states that challenged the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act in court. But now GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval is moving forward on a key part of the law.
Obama Administration Extends Deadline For State Exchanges
The decision is a concession to the reality that many states had delayed planning as they waited to see who won the presidential election.
Missouri, Kansas Reject State-Run Health Insurance Exchanges
The moves by Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon open the door for increased federal involvement in health care in staunchly Republican territory.
