The Health Law

Latest KFF Health News Stories

OTC Medicines Cut From 2011 Flexible Spending Accounts

KFF Health News Original

Beginning in 2011, the new health law bars payments for over items such as aspirin, vitamins and cough medicine from the popular accounts set up with pretax dollars. Consumers can still get the coverage with a prescription.

Video: Obama, Rand Paul On Health Law

KFF Health News Original

On CBS’ “60 Minutes” President Barack Obama acknowledged that taking on “something as big as health care” probably “wasn’t great politics.” Senator-elect Rand Paul, R-Ky., a favorite of the tea party, told ABC’s “This Week” why he believes the law should be repealed.

Attacking The Health Law: The GOP’s Confusing And Incompatible Arguments

KFF Health News Original

The Republicans and their allies spent a lot of time – and a lot of money – attacking the new health law and promising to undo it. And they did so with such a fury that almost nobody seemed to notice they were making a pair of arguments that were fundamentally incompatible.

HHS Cuts Premiums For Some High Risk Pools

KFF Health News Original

Trying to spur enrollment in a new health insurance program for uninsured people with pre-existing medical conditions, the federal government is doing something private insurers almost never do: slashing rates.

Video: Obama On Election Results And Health Law

KFF Health News Original

In the wake of the GOP victories on election night, President Barack Obama held a news conference to talk about the “shellacking” he and his party took. He was asked about the impact of the health law on the vote. Here is an excerpt of that part of the event.

Riding An Elevator With Boehner: What Would You Say?

KFF Health News Original

Less than 24 hours after Republicans won control of the House, soon-to-be-speaker John Boehner denounced the new health care law, saying it would “kill jobs in America, ruin the best health care system in the world, and bankrupt our country” — and renewed his vow to try to repeal it. Kaiser Health News asked people around the country to answer the following question: “If you ended up in an elevator with Rep. Boehner, what single thing would you urge him to do about health care in this country?”

Transcript: Health On The Hill – The Election’s Impact On The Health Law

KFF Health News Original

With major gains in Congress, in governors’ races and in statehouses across the country, Republicans will continue to push for repeal or significant changes to the health care law. President Obama says while he is open to making some modifications, he and Democrats will resist major changes to the measure.

Health On The Hill – November 3, 2010

KFF Health News Original

With major gains in Congress, in governors’ races and in statehouses across the country, Republicans will continue to push for repeal or significant changes to the health care law. President Obama says while he is open to making some modifications, he and Democrats will resist major changes to the measure.

With Newly-Elected Governors, GOP Gains Clout To Fight Health Reform Law

KFF Health News Original

New state officials could slow the pace of implementation, seek waivers from some provisions, veto state legislation and appoint like-minded people to important positions, such as insurance commissioner slots.

Text: The Republican ‘Pledge’ On Health Care

KFF Health News Original

In late September, led by Minority Leader John Boehner, some House Republicans released “A Pledge to America” — an outline of their plan should they gain control of Congress. Here is the excerpt that deals with health care.

Insurance Commissioners Loom Large In Health Law

KFF Health News Original

Voters don’t give much thought to who runs their state department of insurance. And in many places no one can name the person holding this office. But as key provisions of the new federal health law begin to take effect, insurance commissioners will become paramount.

3 States To Vote On Health Insurance Mandate

KFF Health News Original

Voters in Arizona, Colorado and Oklahoma will decide whether to accept constitutional amendments prohibiting the federal health law’s keystone individual mandate – the provision to require everyone have health insurance beginning in 2014.

Health On The Hill Transcript: The Campaigns And Health Reform

KFF Health News Original

With the elections less than one week away, ads making claims about the health law are flooding the airwaves. Many Democrats continue to not mention health reform, while Republicans criticize the law as too large, too expensive and intrusive into Americans’ lives.

Physician-Owned Hospitals Racing To Meet Health Law Deadline

KFF Health News Original

Nationwide, new physician-owned hospitals are scrambling to open by the end of the year. Beginning Jan. 1, the health law bans them from taking part in Medicare, making it hard for the facilities to survive.