Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Michigan To Reward Medicaid Enrollees Who Take ‘Personal Responsibility’
The state is among the first to use financial incentives to encourage enrollees to boost their health.
Mass. Inches Toward Health Insurance For All
The latest analysis shows that Massachusetts is close to having most of its eligible residents insured, some eight years after Gov. Mitt Romney signed its landmark state law. But a failed website has delayed the processing of applications, and some of those waiting may yet decide not to buy health plans.
More Than 1.7 Million Consumers Still Wait For Medicaid Decisions
Technological glitches at the federal and state levels and inadequate staffing have delayed eligibility determinations.
Jury Is Still Out On Medicaid Managed Care
While a growing number of states are contracting with managed care companies to manage their Medicaid programs, there are still questions about cost savings and quality.
Missouri’s Declining Medicaid Caseload Stands Out In National Report
Critics contend the state is making it harder for people to enroll or renew their coverage.
Obamacare Lightens Load For Cancer Patients
People with cancer can now get health coverage even if they lose their jobs and insurance.
Safety Net Hospitals Already Seeing More Paying Patients – And Revenue
Many inner-city hospitals in Medicaid-expansion states report big drops in the number of uninsured people for whom they provide care.
The Politics Of Health In 2014 Aren’t What You Think
Some embattled Democrats see Medicaid expansion as a winning issue.
ACA And The Children’s Health Insurance Program
The Affordable Care Act offers subsidies for low-income families who currently qualify for the federal-state Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), forcing states to make a decision on CHIP’s future.
For Medicaid Patients, Access To Primary-Care May Not Be As Advertised
A survey conducted in Seattle found that half the time, primary-care providers listed as accepting new patients on Medicaid managed-care organization websites, in fact were not accepting new patients.
For Asian Immigrants, ACA Coverage Contains Mysteries
In navigating the health law, Asian immigrants in Philadelphia, find that the obstacles can be both cultural and political.
Emanuel: Although ‘Not A Perfect Law,’ ACA Is Protecting Patients
The former White House adviser talks about his new book and some of his surprising predictions about health care in the next decade and beyond.
What Obamacare? Meet 4 People Choosing To Remain Uninsured
Despite a surge in enrollment in the two weeks before the April 15 deadline to enroll for insurance under the health law, many more Californians have not signed up.
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.
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.
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.
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
Adding Dental Care Contrasts With Mo. Legislature’s Opposition To Medicaid Expansion
Some of Missouri’s working poor have had no dental coverage since benefits were cut in 2005.
Texas Doctors Shun Insurance, Offering Care For Cash
Doctors who use the model say they can keep their costs down by avoiding the bureaucracy of the health insurance system.
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.
