Latest KFF Health News Stories
With Health Law, ERs Still Packed
Emergency-room visits have increased at many hospitals. A shortage of primary-care doctors is one reason.
Analysis: California’s Enrollment Success Is Its Greatest Challenge
After signing up hundreds of thousands of Medi-Cal enrollees, the state now needs to figure out how to care for them.
16% Of Large Employers Plan To Offer Low-Benefit ‘Skinny’ Plans Despite ACA: Survey
The National Business Group on Health also found, based on 136 large employers’ responses, a continued move toward high-deductible, “consumer-directed” plans.
More Employers Limit Health Plan Networks But Seek To Preserve Quality, Says Adviser
Dr. Robert Galvin, who helps executives at 50 companies purchase health care for employees, tells KHN that workers must become savvier consumers.
Must A Divorced Dad Cover Adult Kids; Will Medicare Pay For Infusion Therapy
KHN’s consumer columnist Michelle Andrews explores a divorced mother’s efforts to get her ex-husband to keep their sons on his plan, one senior’s problems getting Medicare to cover his antibiotic infusion at home and what earnings one reader will have to count when applying for premium subsidies.
Washington’s $10 Billion Search For Health Care’s Next Big Ideas
A little-known office tests ways to improve care, but some wonder whether its achievements will match its budget.
Vermont Is ‘Single-Payer’ Trailblazer
Vermont plays the maverick again in trying to be the first state to implement a single-payer health care system.
Obamacare Creates ‘Upheaval’ At Free Clinics
With many of their patients now insured under the law, most W. Va. free clinics are choosing to get paid by Medicaid.
Cleveland’s Early Medicaid Expansion Paying Off
Cuyahoga County, Ohio, created its own Medicaid program for 28,000 residents. So far, E.R. visits have dropped 60 percent.
Health Law Calls For Some Workers To Be Automatically Enrolled In Coverage
A provision of the ACA that could be implemented as early as next year requires employers with more than 200 workers to sign up employees in one of the company’s plans. Workers may opt out, however.
A Doctor’s Perspective On Obamacare Plans
Low reimbursement rates cause one doctor to reject two out of three companies selling Affordable Care Act insurance in his state.
Allynne Noelle: Ballerina Gets Insured
Ballerinas risk injury and high health care costs every time they perform. Allynne Noelle, 32, principal ballerina with the Los Angeles Ballet, says the new health care law offers some relief.
Restaurant Owner Struggles To Afford Health Insurance
Sandra Lopez, 41, owns Las Fajitas, a popular Mexican restaurant in Newport Beach, Calif. She has to make decisions about health insurance coverage for her family and her business under the Affordable Care Act.
Good News On California ACA Rates. But Why?
Two top insurance officials in California have competing theories on what’s keeping prices in check for 2015.
A Reader Asks: With Job-Based Coverage, Can I Still Qualify For Cost-Sharing Subsidies
KHN’s consumer columnist Michelle Andrews explains that if the insurance offered through an employer is considered affordable, you can’t qualify for the health law’s program to provide financial help to cover costs such as deductibles and co-payments.
House Panel Focuses ‘Microscope’ On Marketplace Open Enrollment
House members examined concerns raised in a GAO report about the healthcare.gov website during a subcommittee hearing Thursday. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and CQ Roll Call’s Melissa Attias discuss.
The HHS is contacting hundreds of thousands of people with subsidized health plans bought under the ACA to verify their eligibility,
As Ballet Stretches Her Body’s Limits, Insurance Brings Peace of Mind
When you pirouette for a living, injury is nearly certain. But one veteran says coverage under the nation’s health law provided some relief.
California Makes Significant Progress In Enrolling Previously Uninsured, Survey Finds
But more than 40 percent of those who lacked coverage last fall still don’t have insurance.
Pitfalls Emerge in Health Insurance Renewals
Automatically renewing your Obamacare policy could cost you thousands.
