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MNsure rates among nation's lowest despite 4.5% increase

Many assumed the exit of PreferredOne, the cheapest option in the state insurance marketplace, would push rates higher, but state officials say the premiums are still among the lowest in the country. Meanwhile, Colorado officials urge consumers to shop around to get the best insurance deals there.

3 Oct 2014

Study: Expanding Medicaid boosts health care access and use in rural populations

A new study in Health Services Research reveals that expanding Medicaid to cover more adults boosts health care access and use in rural populations.

3 Oct 2014

Missouri consumer group sues feds to get health insurance rates

The Consumers Council of Missouri brought suit to force the public disclosure of health insurance rate information ahead of open enrollment, which begins Nov. 15. The group said the Affordable Care Act requires officials to make rate information public so consumers have the opportunity to challenge the price of coverage.

3 Oct 2014

Longer looks: Dying at home; losing religion; Obamacare 2.0

He was still her handsome father, the song-and-dance man of her childhood, with a full head of wavy hair and blue eyes that lit up when he talked. But he was gaunt now, warped like a weathered plank, perhaps by late effects of an old stroke, certainly by muscle atrophy and bad circulation in his legs. Now she was determined to fulfill her father's dearest wish, the wish so common among frail, elderly people: to die at home. But it seemed as if all the forces of the health care system were against her - hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, insurance companies, and the shifting crosscurrents of public health care spending (Nina Bernstein, 9/25).

3 Oct 2014

Health exchange's one-year mark: Looking forward, looking back

As of Oct. 1, the health law's online marketplaces have been up and running for a year. News outlets offer status reports on what appears to have gone well, what problems remain as the second open enrollment period approaches and how these factors are playing politically.

3 Oct 2014

N.J. gets new insurer; Oregon shifts to HealthCare.gov

One year in, separating fact and political fiction about the Obamacare marketplaces remains difficult, reports CBS News.

1 Oct 2014

State highlights: Fla. toughens drug compounding laws; Conn. hospitals leave largest insurer

A selection of health policy stories from Florida, Connecticut, New York, Michigan, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Arkansas.

1 Oct 2014

Judge rules that states using federal health exchange can't offer premium subsidies

The decision by a federal district judge in Oklahoma is the latest ruling regarding whether consumers in states that opted to use the federal insurance marketplace are entitled to subsidies.

1 Oct 2014

Viewpoints: Mergers causing health costs to rise; reauthorize CHIP; Obamacare's influence on politics

Health care costs are going up, and there's a lot of debate about why. Is it the high cost of drugs or our aging population?

1 Oct 2014

Today is the deadline for thousands to provide information to keep subsidies

The administration has notified more than 300,000 people that they need to provide documentation to keep their health insurance subsidies.

1 Oct 2014

Viewpoints: Shop around for health coverage; 'gaming' Obamacare; FDA and painkillers

My colleagues Margot Sanger-Katz and Amanda Cox wrote recently that shopping around for the best price can be crucial for people renewing their coverage on the health insurance exchanges this fall.

1 Oct 2014

State highlights: New Calif. health laws signed; Mass. judge considers partners deal

A selection of health policy stories from California, Massachusetts, New York, the District of Columbia, Minnesota and Kansas.

1 Oct 2014

More insurers change how they pay medical providers

Commercial insurers are moving rapidly from the old system of paying health providers for every test or procedure they do toward payments based on the value rather than volume of services, according to a report by Catalyst for Payment Reform, a business coalition focused on health care costs.

30 Sep 2014

NRA announces exclusive member discounts from UnitedHealthcare on manual medical rates

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) announced exclusive member discounts from UnitedHealthcare on manual medical rates for fully insured business groups with 51 or more eligible employees.

30 Sep 2014

During first debate, Iowa Senate candidates Ernst and Braley clash on the health law

News outlets offer updates on how the Affordable Care Act is playing in Iowa, Arkansas and Minnesota races.

30 Sep 2014

State highlights: Calif. health insurers and contraception coverage; Alaska sues Xerox over Medicaid payment systems

Health insurance policies in California will have to cover all federally approved contraceptives for women by 2016 without charging co-payments under legislation signed this week by Gov. Jerry Brown, countering trends in other states and the U.S. Supreme Court. The bill, SB1053 by Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, expands state laws that required coverage for most birth-control drugs and devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The new law mandates coverage for all FDA-approved contraception, prohibits co-payments and includes managed-care Medi-Cal plans, which are not expressly covered by current laws (Egelko, 9/27).

30 Sep 2014

Report: Finding care is difficult for some new Medicaid enrollees

State standards for access to care for Medicaid recipients vary widely and are rarely enforced, says a soon-to-be released report by the Health and Human Services Department's inspector general. Meanwhile, Tennessee's governor pursues Medicaid expansion talks, and confusion continues in Pennsylvania about what benefits will be available to enrollees in that state's expansion plan.

30 Sep 2014

Health Insurance News and Research

MNsure rates among nation's lowest despite 4.5% increase

Study: Expanding Medicaid boosts health care access and use in rural populations

Missouri consumer group sues feds to get health insurance rates

Longer looks: Dying at home; losing religion; Obamacare 2.0

Health exchange's one-year mark: Looking forward, looking back

N.J. gets new insurer; Oregon shifts to HealthCare.gov

State highlights: Fla. toughens drug compounding laws; Conn. hospitals leave largest insurer

Judge rules that states using federal health exchange can't offer premium subsidies

Viewpoints: Mergers causing health costs to rise; reauthorize CHIP; Obamacare's influence on politics

Today is the deadline for thousands to provide information to keep subsidies

Viewpoints: Shop around for health coverage; 'gaming' Obamacare; FDA and painkillers

State highlights: New Calif. health laws signed; Mass. judge considers partners deal

More insurers change how they pay medical providers

NRA announces exclusive member discounts from UnitedHealthcare on manual medical rates

During first debate, Iowa Senate candidates Ernst and Braley clash on the health law

State highlights: Calif. health insurers and contraception coverage; Alaska sues Xerox over Medicaid payment systems

Report: Finding care is difficult for some new Medicaid enrollees

HealthCare.com launches new health insurance comparison website

Viewpoints: Hospitals helped by Medicaid expansion; why GOP candidates back OTC contraceptives

Bigger challenges forecast for health law's second enrollment drive

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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