Latest KFF Health News Stories
How Health Reform Could Affect The ‘Young Invincibles’
Under the health bills being debated in Congress, young adults would be required to buy insurance – but they could buy low-cost “catastrophic” plans, requiring high deductibles. That’s igniting a fierce debate whether young adults – sometimes known as the “young invincibles” – would benefit from such plans.
Community Health Centers Providing Return On Investment
The federal stimulus package that sent nearly $2 billion to community health centers appears to have paid off in economic returns.
How Health Overhaul Would Affect The Uninsured
As a part of our “Are You Covered?” series, KHN and NPR also examine how the health overhaul would impact the uninsured.
As Focus Shifts To Jobs, The Uninsured Seek Solutions
Nurse practitioner Mary Mackie reviews a patient’s file with a health counselor in the temporary site of the New Orleans Faith Health Alliance. (Debbie Elliott/NPR) The national debate over health care appears to be taking a back seat to jobs creation – but the problem persists for people who have jobs but no health insurance. […]
Florida Health Insurance ‘Safety-Net’ Plans Falling Short
Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, a candidate for U.S. Senate who is critical of President Obama’s ideas on health reform, says the nation should instead adapt a plan he helped to enact: Florida Health Choices.
Pregnant African Tourist Gets Support, Costly Treatment From U.S. Health Care System
Don Emmanuel Kayembe, 2, was born with heart defects and congenital developmental issues while his mother, Jeanne d’Arc Kayembe, was in the United States on a tourist visa. She struggled to oversee his medical care while also trying to find a way to stay here.
COBRA Help For Laid-Off Workers May Come Before Christmas
The COBRA subsidy extension now pending in Congress could be considered in the Senate this weekend.
End Of COBRA Subsidy Rattles Newly Unemployed
As part of the economic stimulus, the government offered subsidies so laid-off workers could keep their health insurance. For some, the subsidies are running out.
How Health Reform Bills Would – And Wouldn’t – Affect Illegal Immigrants
This brief explainer examines the number of uninsured illegal immigrants, where they go for health services and how they would fare if current health reform proposals pass.
Baucus Plan Is Harmful To Low-Income Workers
Broadening health coverage is a worthy goal, but the Senate Finance Committee proposal comes at a high price
People Who Choose Not To Have Health Insurance
Not all of America’s 46 million uninsured people can be considered victims of a system that excludes them financially or because of pre-existing conditions. According to an unpublished Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of the CDC’s 2008 National Health Interview Survey, 2 percent of uninsured people said they simply didn’t want health insurance. Some experts say […]
Analysis: Can What Killed California Health Reform Strike Again?
In 2007, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed covering the state’s uninsured with a plan similar to the one Congress is now considering. By January 2008, his plan was killed by a state Senate committee. While Obama’s prospects remain stronger than Schwarzenegger’s ever were, the current effort is hitting roadblocks reminiscent of the California experience.
Fernando Arriola, 58, had full health coverage for years at his former job, but since starting his own contracting business, there are no affordable coverage options for him and his wife. Part of our special series produced in partnership with NPR: Are You Covered? A Look at Americans and Health Insurance.
Facing Aging Without Health Insurance
Fernando Arriola, 58, had full health coverage for years at his former job, but since starting his own contracting business, there are no affordable coverage options for him and his wife. Part of our special series, “Are You Covered? A Look at Americans and Health Insurance,” produced in partnership with NPR.
Children Gain Insurance, Adults Lose In 2008
Federal and state programs drive down uninsured rate for children, but adults continue to lose job-based coverage, according to Census report.
New rules being debated by Congress could mean consumers couldn’t be rejected because they have health problems and would include subsidies for lower-income people to buy insurance. But the rules won’t solve all the problems faced by those who don’t get insurance through their jobs.
Whatever Happened To the Uninsured?
What the uninsured are missing, plain and simple, is a group of individuals with the passion to organize them around the issue.
Amid Stimulus Money, Community Health Centers Look For Their Post-Reform Role
Maisha Challenger never thought she’d have to set foot in a community health center. “I have been working my whole life so I usually am used to going to a doctor’s office,” she said. But after she lost her job as an education lobbyist – and the health insurance that came with it – she […]
Community Health Centers Strained By Recession, Face Bigger Caseloads Under Reform
While health reform legislation includes additional funds for community health centers, proposals to expand health coverage to the underserved and uninsured could overwhelm facilities that already provide reduced-cost care to 18 million people.
What Counts as a Sacrifice in Health Reform?
Do the Democratic plans in Congress ask for changes that qualify as a “sacrifice”?
