The Health Law

Latest KFF Health News Stories

10 Experts Weigh In On Plan To Replace Public Option In Health Bill

KFF Health News Original

Can a spinoff of the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program help some of the country’s uninsured? Experts evaluate a proposal that the Office of Personnel Management, which manages the FEHBP, oversee national health plans.

Dissecting The Claims On Both Sides Of Health Reform Ads

KFF Health News Original

Jackie Judd and Jordan Rau discuss the accuracies and inaccuracies of recent television ads on health care reform legislation. So far, over $165 million has been spent by groups trying to influence the debate.

Health On The Hill – December 7, 2009

KFF Health News Original

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., continues his efforts to find consensus on a health care package that can win 60 votes. He has asked a group of party moderates and progressives to work on several issues, including creating an alternative to the “public option” health insurance plan Reid has in his bill.

The True Costs Of Reform

KFF Health News Original

In the health reform debate, there is widespread confusion over the definition of cost–a confusion that has been hanging over this debate for the last few months and is continuing to distort it.

Health Reform: The Big Issues Bedeviling Harry Reid

KFF Health News Original

To get the necessary 60 votes to pass health overhaul legislation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid must resolve Democrats’ disagreements on the public option, abortion, cost and affordability.

New Survey: ‘Cadillac Tax’ Would Force Employers To Trim Health Insurance Costs

KFF Health News Original

Two-thirds of employers would raise deductibles, change insurers or scale back coverage to avoid the so-called Cadillac tax on high-cost benefits proposed in the Senate Democrats’ health care bill, a survey to be released Thursday by consulting firm Mercer says.

Health Bill Would Affect Food, Drug Industries

KFF Health News Original

The Senate and House health care overhaul bills are each about 2,000 pages long. While the bills are mostly aimed at revamping the health insurance system, tucked in the pages are provisions that would spell big changes for the food, drug and medical device industries, too.

Recession-Driven Cuts Threaten Efforts To Expand Adult Day Care

KFF Health News Original

Facilities, which generally provide social and medical services, rely heavily on funding from state governments and charities, which have been hit hard by the recession. Advocates say the 4,000 state-licensed centers around the country provide a cost-effective alternative to nursing homes and allow caregivers to remain in the workforce.

New Report: Insurance Plans For Most Americans Wouldn’t Cost More After Health Reform

KFF Health News Original

According to analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate Democrats’ health care overhaul bill would substantially reduce premium costs for 57 percent of people who buy subsidized coverage through new exchanges, while rates would hold steady or decline slightly for large and small employers.

White House Defends Overhaul’s Cost-Cutting

KFF Health News Original

Tiring of gripes that overhaul proposals won’t slow health spending, the White House chose the afternoon before the long Thanksgiving weekend to tell reporters, essentially, “They will, so.”

The CLASS Act: A Flawed But Powerful Game-Changer for Long-Term Care

KFF Health News Original

Pay attention to the CLASS Act. It can not only provide better long-term care for those who so desperately need this assistance, it can also become a new way to help those in need in an era of $1 trillion-plus budget deficits. But only if it is done right.

Health Reform’s Impact on Premiums: Winners, Losers And, For Many, A Question Mark

KFF Health News Original

If a Democratic health bill passes,certain individuals and small businesses initially would pay more for insurance, while others would pay less, experts predict. But the long-term outlook is less clear.