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Some doctors refuse to see Obamacare enrollees

Subscribers are running into closed doors from some doctors listed in their plans' networks, reports The Miami Herald. Meanwhile, Connecticut advocates express concern about how a proposed overhaul of the state's health care system could change Medicaid, and in Washington state, providers scramble to keep up with demand.

15 Jul 2014

National Medicaid enrollment nears 7 million

The Obama administration released new enrollment figures showing 56 percent of those on the program are children. Meanwhile, Tennessee faces a deadline today for a plan to fix enrollment problems.

14 Jul 2014

NLC awards grants to eight cities to help enroll children, families in Medicaid and CHIP

To help implement local outreach efforts to enroll children and families in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, the National League of Cities today awarded grants and technical assistance to eight cities.

14 Jul 2014

Research roundup: Clinics and electronic records; young adults baffled by exchange; Medicare spending slowdown

We found that in 2012 nine out of ten health centers had adopted a EHR system, and half had adopted EHRs with basic capabilities. Seven in ten health centers reported that their providers were receiving meaningful-use incentive payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

14 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Parsing newest reports of coverage gains; 'scientific fraudsters'

It will take a while to understand fully how the Affordable Care Act affects the quality of health care and access to doctors in this country.

14 Jul 2014

Boehner's lawsuit against President Obama will target health law's employer mandate delay

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, is challenging the Obama administration's failure to enforce parts of the health law.

14 Jul 2014

Newly covered addicts unable to get residential care

Under an obscure, 50-year-old rule, Medicaid covers residential addiction treatment only if a center has 16 or fewer beds, severely limiting options for newly covered drug addicts and alcoholics, reports The New York Times.

14 Jul 2014

Mass. fix to insurance website passes preliminary test

New software for the health exchange has passed its initial testing and officials say they are cautiously optimistic that the state can run its own marketplace when enrollment begins in the fall. Also, Modern Healthcare examines where small business exchanges stand.

14 Jul 2014

Obamacare lowers uninsured rate, three studies find

According to three new studies, the health law has in its first year reduced the number of uninsured adults by between 8 million and 11 million, and the majority of enrollees report satisfaction with their plans.

13 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 11, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage of surveys that offer insight into how the health law is doing in terms of reducing the nation's rate of uninsurance.

11 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Turning to new legal challenges to ACA; is the law working?; Medicaid problems in N.C.

The Supreme Court's term ended in June with another Affordable Care Act ruling, and the ACA survived largely unscathed. Burwell v. Hobby Lobby has important ramifications for women's health and religious freedom but does not invalidate a single section of the law.

11 Jul 2014

McConnell counters Medicare ad with one of his own

Also, the Washington Post fact-checks another ad which positions Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., as a key Obamacare opponent and claims the health law increased insurance premiums 50 percent.

11 Jul 2014

Va. lawmakers to take up Medicaid debate in September

State Republican legislative leaders who opposed expansion of the health care program for low-income residents announced that they will call the legislature into session to weigh the governor's proposal.

11 Jul 2014

Congressional Democrats introduce legislation to undo Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision

With only a limited calendar to work with, Democrats view this push as an important aspect of the 2014 congressional campaign.

11 Jul 2014

Survey: People with new health law insurance are generally happy

About 9.5 million Americans gained coverage during the health law's open enrollment period, and the uninsured rate for working-age adults fell from 20 percent to 15 percent, according to a survey by the Commonwealth Fund.

10 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 10, 2014

Today's headlines cover health policy headlines from the marketplace, the campaign trail and regarding the health law's implementation.

10 Jul 2014

State highlights: S. Fla. doctor group gets $4M Medicare bonus; states' prisoner health care costs down slightly

A group of physicians in Palm Beach and Broward counties working under a new Medicare pay-for-performance program qualified for a $4.2 million bonus from the government this year for reducing costs while meeting health care quality benchmarks during their first year in the program. Accountable Care Options, the physician's group, is participating in the Medicare Share Savings Program, which encourages hospitals and doctors to hit certain health care standards designed to lower costs in the long run by reducing medical complications and trips to the emergency room.

10 Jul 2014