The Health Law

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Expert Advice For The Corporate Titans Taking On Health Care

KFF Health News Original

Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are partnering up to address employee health care costs and improve satisfaction. Can they deliver? And would repackaging health insurance involve drones?

Si hay pólipos, muchos pacientes pueden no calificar para colonoscopías gratis

KFF Health News Original

La situación puede cambiar si durante este exámen preventivo se detecta un pólipo y el médico decide extraerlo. Que establecen la ley de salud y el Medicare al respecto.

After Polyps Are Detected, Patients May No Longer Qualify For Free Colonoscopies

KFF Health News Original

While the federal health law made insurers cover the full cost of screening colonoscopies, consumers with a history of polyps who need more frequent tests may have to pick up some costs.

Idaho ‘Pushing Envelope’ With Health Insurance Plan. Can It Do That?

KFF Health News Original

Many eyes are on the Trump administration to see how officials respond to Idaho’s approach to health insurance, which flouts some aspects of the Affordable Care Act.

Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ CHIP (Finally) Gets Funded

KFF Health News Original

In this episode of “What The Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post discuss the short-term spending bill passed by Congress that reopened the federal government and funded the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years. The panelists also discussed the health programs still awaiting funding, and the intersection of religion and women’s health services at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Podcast: What The Health? Our First Live Show: What The Health Will Happen In 2018?

KFF Health News Original

In this episode of “What The Health?” — taped before a live audience — panelists discuss the potential federal government shutdown and what may be in store for health in 2018. They are joined by former Medicare and Medicaid head Tom Scully.

HHS Nominee Vows To Tackle High Drug Costs, Despite His Ties To Industry

KFF Health News Original

Alex M. Azar II, the former president of the U.S. division of Eli Lilly, says the U.S. drug system encourages price increases — but he intends to work on that problem.

Despite Prod By ACA, Tax-Exempt Hospitals Slow To Expand Community Benefits

KFF Health News Original

The Affordable Care Act mandated that hospitals exempt from taxes work to provide health benefits to the community. But a study finds that has been slow to get off the ground.

Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ While You Were Celebrating …

KFF Health News Original

In this episode of “What The Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss this week’s news, including release of the administration’s new rules on association health plans, as well as some health-related court rulings and other events that happened around the holidays.

Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ 2017: The Year In Health Policy

KFF Health News Original

In this episode of “What The Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss this week’s news, including health issues in the just-passed tax bill and a look back on the year in health policy.

No Sweeteners Added To Tax Bill To Spread Use Of Health Savings Accounts

KFF Health News Original

These accounts are exempt from taxes and linked to high-deductible health plans. Republicans tried last summer in their unsuccessful efforts to replace the health law to make the accounts more enticing for consumers, but they didn’t make those changes in the current tax bill.

Canada’s Single-Payer Health System: What Is True? What Is False?

KFF Health News Original

It’s a regular part of the politically charged debate over health care. But the lines sometimes blur between rhetoric and how Canada’s system actually works.

Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Farewell, Individual Mandate

KFF Health News Original

In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss health issues in the emerging tax bill, including the likely repeal of fines for those who fail to obtain health insurance. They also talk about the end of “open enrollment” for 2018 individual health insurance coverage.

Good Deals For Some, Sticker Shock For Others As ACA Enrollment Winds Down

KFF Health News Original

In Tennessee, an Obamacare consumer saw her rate go from $750 to just $5 a month. But a man in Maryland had to buy a less comprehensive plan to keep his costs under $1,000 a month. Income and geography determine prices for health insurance in the fifth year of Affordable Care Act coverage.

Consumers Who Froze Their Credit Reports Could Hit A Glitch Enrolling In Insurance

KFF Health News Original

The federal marketplace generally uses credit reports to help verify identities, but that doesn’t work if consumers have put a security freeze on them — as some did after the Equifax breach this year. Workarounds for this issue exist, but they make the process more time-consuming.