Latest KFF Health News Stories
Florida Blue: Health Law Enrollments ‘Exceeded Expectations’ But Premiums May Rise In 2015
Many of those in Florida who bought insurance plans on the health law’s federal marketplace were previously uninsured — one of the reasons premiums will likely rise in 2015, a senior executive for insurer Florida Blue says.
Health-Care David And Goliath Partner To Open After-Hours Clinic
In Seattle, an unlikely collaboration provides weekend and after-hours care for patients who in the past had turned to hospital emergency rooms for non-emergency treatments.
Is Bigger Better? Idaho Hospital Battle A Microcosm Of Debate Over Industry Consolidation
A federal court’s ruling dissolving the merger of the state’s biggest hospital system and biggest doctors’ practice may discourage future ventures.
Teresa Martinez: Waiting For Medi-Cal
Teresa Martinez, 62, from East Los Angeles makes $10,000 a year working as a hairdresser in a Koreatown salon. With her modest income she is likely to be eligible for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act’s Medi-Cal expansion.
Michigan Health Systems Seek Cure For Dearth Of Doctors
Michigan’s medical schools, doctors offices and health care networks are tackling a shortage of primary care doctors that is expected to worsen under the Affordable Care Act.
Waiting For Medicaid To Kick In
About 800,000 people in California are presumed to be eligible for the newly expanded program but lack final approval. For a Los Angeles hairdresser and others like her, that means medical appointments are on hold.
A Reader Asks: How Do We Prove We Have Insurance?
KHN’s consumer columnist says details about reporting insurance status have yet to be released by the government but will be part of federal tax returns next year.
Obama Sharply Criticizes Republicans As He Announces 8 Million Have Enrolled
President says others have been denied the law’s benefits because many states haven’t expanded Medicaid.
Obama Announces 8 Million Have Enrolled In Marketplace Plans
The president also announced that 35 percent of people who enrolled on the federally run healthcare.gov marketplace are under age 35.
Fully paid up but still no coverage
A 39-year-old Philadelphia day care teacher, made three monthly premium payments at more than three times the subsidized rate just to make sure she was covered. And her insurance has still been canceled three times
Focus On Marketplace Enrollment Overlooks Millions Who Bought Private Insurance
The federal government hasn’t been counting the number of people who buy non-exchange plans directly from insurance carriers — and that number could be substantial.
Patients Often Win If They Appeal A Denied Health Claim
The health law set national rules for appealing a denied claim, and advocates say consumers should take advantage of them.
Doctors Overlook Lucrative Procedures When Naming Unwise Treatments
In the “Choosing Wisely” campaign, medical specialty societies have published lists of procedures that doctors and patients should consider skeptically. But some groups overlooked their own dubious, but profitable procedures.
Sebelius Resigns; Obama Names OMB Chief Burwell To Head HHS
The cabinet member who shepherded the implementation of the health law told the president last month that she wanted to leave after open enrollment was finished, a White House official says.
Obama Hails Sebelius’ ‘Extraordinary Service’
Obama said in remarks at the White House that Kathleen Sebelius told him in March that she was going to step down as the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services after the health law’s first open enrollment period came to an end. Sebelius also spoke at the event Friday.
A Reader Asks: Do I Face A Penalty If My Kids’ CHIP Coverage Starts In April?
KHN’s consumer columnist says new federal guidance says as long as you applied during open enrollment you will not face a penalty.
Barriers Remain Despite Health Law’s Push To Expand Access To Substance Abuse Treatment
A decades-old Medicaid restriction prevents treatment centers with more than 16 beds from billing the program for residential services for low-income adults.
Early Drug Claims Suggest Exchange Plan Enrollees Are Sicker Than Average
But experts say it’s too early to draw conclusions about the impact on premiums.
Clients Save, Insurers Get Boost From Affordable Care Act
As enrollment continues for some, insurers like Independence Blue Cross in Pennsylvania are busy trying to show new customers how to use their policies.
Obama Administration Retreats On Private Medicare Rate Cuts
But insurers still contest the claim that rates will rise slightly after arriving at their own calculations of the originally proposed cuts.
