Latest KFF Health News Stories
President’s Win Is Reprieve For ‘Obamacare’
The president’s victory cements the Affordable Care Act, expanding coverage to millions but leaving weighty questions about how to pay for it.
Federal Deficit Talks Could Impact Obama’s Moves On Health Law
Mounting pressures to reduce spending could lead the administration to change several key provisions of the health overhaul.
Obama Win Boosts Health Law, But States Still Control Its Destiny
State lawmakers will control big coverage decisions, including whether to expand Medicaid to cover millions of uninsured.
Halvorson: Premium Costs In The Exchanges Will ‘Depend Entirely’ On Participation
The Kaiser Permanente chairman and CEO offers his take on a wide variety of health care issues insurers face in the current marketplace.
Q&A: Does The Health Law Require Me To Cover My Adult Child?
Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about the obligations of insurers — and parents — under the 2010 health law.
Consumer Advocate Cautions That State Rules Will Impact Scope Of Health Law
Timothy Stoltzfus Jost talks to Michelle Andrews about a report he co-authored for state insurance commissioners about setting up the federal law.
How The Individual Mandate Penalty Will Be Calculated
Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about the requirement to carry health insurance in 2014 and the options for subsidized coverage.
Accountable Care Explained: An Experiment in State Health Policy
ACOs are among the most ambitious of the new Medicaid cost containment and quality improvement schemes that have arisen in response to the federal health law and state fiscal pressures.
Video: Weighing The Impact Of Health Issues On Campaign 2012
KHN hosts a discussion on the Obama and Romney plans with former Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle and conservative health care analyst Avik Roy, followed by a reporters’ roundtable with KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Sarah Varney, Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post and Politico’s Jonathan Allen.
Health Policy Finds Its Way Into Town Hall Debate
Even when the questions aren’t about health care, many of the responses are. Here’s what Obama and Romney had to say Tuesday night about contraception, Medicare and the health law.
Safety-Net Hospitals Brace For Cut To Federal Subsidies
Because more people are supposed to be insured, the health law trims funding that is used to defray the expenses of treating a large number of uninsured and poor patients.
Romney: People Don’t Die For Lack Of Insurance
The GOP presidential nominee’s claim – in an interview with The Columbus Dispatch – is belied by a large and growing body of academic studies.
In New Health Exchange, Human Element Of Customer Service Is Up For Debate
Health insurance exchanges are supposed to make it easy to compare plans side-by-side, but concerns persist that without human assistance, buying coverage in them could prove daunting.
Critical Decisions Await Patient, Family Members When Medicare Deadline Looms
Every day, at least 10,000 people turn 65 and most become eligible for Medicare. That can raise lots of questions: for those still working, should they enroll or keep their company’s health plan? If they retire, how does that affect spouses and children?
Insurers Get Ready For Exchanges, But Exchanges May Not Be Ready For Them
Insurers are spending big dollars on marketing, technology and risk analysis of the new health care landscape. But with exchanges supposed to go live in late 2013, where and how companies will plunge – and how deep – is far from clear.
Denver Debate: Obama And Romney On ‘Obamacare’
The bulk of Wednesday night’s presidential debate in Denver focused on the topic of health care. In this segment, President Barack Obama and former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney discuss the 2010 health law.
Medicare Revises Hospitals’ Readmissions Penalties
Federal officials made small errors in calculating how much hospitals will be docked for having too many patients return within 30 days. Many hospitals will lose a bit more money under revised calculations.
States Moving Ahead On Defining ‘Essential’ Health Insurance Benefits Under Federal Law
At least 16 states have decided on a minimum set of benefits for individual and group health plans starting in 2014, and many more states are close to decisions.
Analysis: Access To Health Care Beginning To Look Like Airline Travel
This metaphor may be useful in decoding the gradations and complexities of insurance coverage and access to care.
Branding Health Insurance Exchanges To Make The Sale
Just the word “exchange” sounds to many like off-putting government-speak, so California, like many other states, is eager to come up with a more appealing name for these new marketplaces.
