Latest KFF Health News Stories
Part-Time Workers To Get Help On Health Insurance
The new health care law promises to make it easier for part-time workers to find and buy affordable coverage, starting in 2014. Until then, they don’t have a lot of options.
Transcript: Health On The Hill
The Department of Health and Human Services is facing July 1 deadlines for creation of high-risk pools to help individuals who have been without health insurance for six months or longer and a new web portal to provide consumers with information about health insurance plans.
Health On The Hill – June 28, 2010
The Department of Health and Human Services is facing July 1 deadlines for the creation of high-risk pools to help individuals who have been without health insurance for six months or longer and a new web portal to provide consumers with information about health insurance plans.
HHS Launching Health Website For Consumers This Week
A new federal website will give consumers a list of all private and government health care plans for individuals and small businesses in their areas. Insurers and advocacy groups are clashing over the data to be provided.
As Congress temporarily delayed the 21 percent Medicare pay cut to doctors, it failed to resolve the issue of COBRA benefits and Medicaid funding for hard-pressed states.
Battle For Health Reform Moves Down Under
Australian prime minister’s drive for health overhaul is reminiscent of U.S. effort.
About Those Presidential Promises
Despite the relentless sales pitch, there was always a lot of skepticism among voters that such a government-heavy plan would leave them alone and be cost-free. Now, of course, their skepticism is being validated.
How New Health Insurance Regulations Could Affect Some Premiums, Coverage
As he trumpeted what he called a new “Patient’s Bill of Rights” Tuesday, President Barack Obama tried to calm fears that the new health law would increase insurance costs.
Text: The Obama Administration’s New ‘Patient’s Bill Of Rights’
The White House today released a “Fact Sheet: The Affordable Care Act’s New Patient’s Bill of Rights,” the Obama administration’s summary of new regulations issued by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Rising Costs Spur Increase In Health Savings Accounts
High deductible health plans and the associated health saving accounts that allow people to put aside money tax-free to cover medical expenses get mixed reviews from many consumers. But supporters of the plans worry that the health overhaul may hamper their use.
Obama To Meet Tuesday With Insurance Executives
The President will also discuss the health law’s new benefits, cost savings.
Transcript: Health On The Hill
The Senate has passed a six-month payment increase for Medicare physicians but it is unclear if the House will pass that measure.
Health On The Hill – June 21, 2010
The Senate has passed a six-month payment increase for Medicare physicians but it is unclear if the House will pass that measure.
After a five-day legislative saga, Senate Democrats were unable to pass a tax extender bill that included provisions to prevent a 21 percent reduction in physicians’ Medicare payments and to extend enhanced federal Medicaid funding. But after a compromise with the GOP, the Senate passed just a Medicare pay fix.
Feds To States: Set Up Health Insurance Pools For High-Risk Patients By July 1
The federal government is giving states until June 25 to say how they intend to run high-risk pools to insure people who have been denied coverage due to a pre-existing medical condition and have been uninsured for at least six months.
Market-Based Reform Initiatives Are Key To Health Law Success
Consumer-directed health plans have been useful in controlling the rise of health costs over the last several years, but the survival of these plans is threatened by the new health overhaul law.
Health On The Hill – June 15, 2010
The Senate is debating ways to reverse a 21 percent cut in Medicare physician payments that began on June 1. The legislation would also include additional Medicaid money for states.
Cheers, Jeers For New Federal Rules On Changes In Health Benefits
A new Obama administration regulation lays out how employers and insurers can revise their health plans
Both Parties Try To Score Points Off Health Care Law
The overall health care plan remains unpopular, and Republicans are campaigning on a promise to repeal the law and replace it with something less costly. But when it comes to repeal – well, Democrats think that could help them, too.
Medicare Advantage: You Get What You Pay For
In the long run, there’s no getting around the fact that Advantage plans will shrink in generosity and availability. Anything else would defy a fundamental law of economics that also happens to be a fundamental law of politics: you get what you pay for. And that might not be a bad thing.
