The Health Law

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Q&A: Can I Be Denied Coverage For My Daughter Who Is Returning To College?

KFF Health News Original

The health law allows parents to enroll their adult children in their insurance plan until they are 26. A reader asks Michelle Andrews if that applies to individual plans.

Report: Mass. Health Law No ‘Budget Buster’

KFF Health News Original

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation finds that the state spends $91 million more per year, or 1.4 percent of the state budget, for near-universal health insurance coverage. “That’s a very tiny additional cost to taxpayers for huge benefits,” says MTF President Michael Widmer.

Massachusetts Health Reform, From The Front Lines

KFF Health News Original

Massachusetts Medical Society President Dr. Lynda Young offers her views on how the practice of medicine has changed in the six years since the state’s health reform law took effect and how issues of health care costs continue to be an everyday concern.

Massachusetts On Track To ‘Crack The Code’ For Health Care Cost Control

KFF Health News Original

As his state’s health reforms mark their sixth anniversary, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick explains how he hopes to confront the next health reform challenges — controlling health care costs and overhauling the payment system.

The Next Health Reform Move: Overhauling Payment Practices

KFF Health News Original

As Massachusetts policy makers and stakeholders focus on efforts to control health care costs through payment reform, Health Care for All’s Paul Williams outlines the considerations that are crucial to ensuring that patients experience a higher quality of care, and the most vulnerable are protected.

Massachusetts Health Reform: On The Right Path

KFF Health News Original

Lynn Nicholas, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, outlines how tackling health care cost, payment and quality issues is the next necessary step in order to make the state’s reform achievements sustainable.

Different Takes: How Massachusetts Can Control Health Care Costs

KFF Health News Original

Kaiser Health News asked Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick, Massachusetts Hospital Association President Lynn Nichols, Health Care For All’s Paul Williams and Massachusetts Medical Society’s Lynda Young about how the state can reform the health care payment system to control costs.

Video: Santorum Still Swinging At Romney About Health Care Record

KFF Health News Original

After his primary victories in Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia, Mitt Romney attacked President Obama on a variety of social and economic issues, briefly mentioning health care. Meanwhile, challenger Rick Santorum went after Romney by reprising his theme that the former Massachusetts governor would be a weak candidate against Obama on health care.

Webcast Replay: Deconstructing The Supreme Court’s Historic Health Law Arguments

KFF Health News Original

Our panelists, who answered questions from readers that even the justices didn’t ask, includes KHN Senior Correspondent Mary Agnes Carey; Stuart Taylor, attorney, author and KHN legal analyst; Tom Goldstein, Goldstein & Russell, P.C., and publisher of SCOTUSblog; and Julie Rovner, health policy correspondent, NPR.

Vigorous Questions On Severability, Medicaid On Final Day

KFF Health News Original

The justices heard from the opposing lawyers about issues as basic as ‘what is liberty?’ and whether it’s better to ‘fix’ flaws in legislation or scrap it entirely. Legal analyst Stuart Taylor, Jr., talks with Jackie Judd about the last 2

Transcript Highlights: The Severability Arguments Before The Supreme Court

KFF Health News Original

The Supreme Court tackled Wednesday morning the question of whether the health law in its entirety should be struck down if the insurance mandate is declared unconstitutional.

If Mandate Is Overturned, Obama Could Need Help To Salvage The Health Law

KFF Health News Original

Should the Supreme Court throw out the requirement to carry insurance, the administration might need assistance from Congress or the insurance industry to complete the overhaul.

Your Guide To What Happened At The Supreme Court, Day 1

KFF Health News Original

The first day’s arguments focused on the Anti-Injunction Act and whether the court can rule on the case before a penalty is imposed on those who do not have health insurance. KHN’s reporter inside the court, Stuart Taylor, tells Jackie Judd that all the justices, except one, seemed eager to ask questions.

The Health Law And The Supreme Court: A Primer For The Oral Arguments

KFF Health News Original

The fate of the health law is at the center of the most-anticipated arguments in more than than a generation. Here are key points to keep in mind while watching the action.

Free Health Clinics At A Crossroads

KFF Health News Original

Free health clinics have long been places people turn to when they don’t have health insurance or any money to pay for care. But the health law’s expansion of coverage puts free clinics in uncharted territory.