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In Calif., Anthem leads in enrollment; Md. Glitches blamed on IBM software

At the halfway mark, industry giant Anthem Blue Cross is holding on to a slim lead among health insurance providers with a 31% share of California's exchange market. The Covered California exchange released enrollment figures Tuesday for its 11 health plans from Oct. 1 to the end of December.

24 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 23, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about a new survey indicating that the nation's uninsured rate dropped modestly this month.

23 Jan 2014

Viewpoints: High court weighs home health care workers' union rights; abortion protections becoming 'all but meaningless'

On Tuesday, the justices were presented with a golden opportunity to further increase inequality. The court heard arguments in Harris v. Quinn, a case testing whether home-care providers who work under a union contract with the state of Illinois can avoid paying dues that support the union's collective-bargaining work.

23 Jan 2014

State highlights: N.Y. hospitals wait for Medicaid waiver

A selection of health policy stories from New York, California, Washington and Georgia.

23 Jan 2014

Adverse events for patients treated for heart attack and heart failure have declined, study finds

Adverse events for patients being treated for heart attack and heart failure have declined, according to a new study published in the January 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. However, the analysis funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that there has not been a significant decrease in adverse events for patients being treated for pneumonia and those who are recovering from surgery.

22 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 22, 2014

Today's headlines include a report that Target announced its plans to stop offering health coverage to part-time workers.

22 Jan 2014

Virginia Mason receives Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence

Virginia Mason announced today it has received the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ for the fourth consecutive year from Healthgrades, an online resource for comprehensive information about U.S. physicians and hospitals.

22 Jan 2014

Viewpoints: High Court's scrutiny of home health workers law; patient 'dumping' on LA's skid row; hospital fund raising

On Tuesday the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Harris v. Quinn, ... It was brought by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation (NRTW), whose mission is to use "strategic litigation" to "eliminate coercive union power and compulsory unionism abuses," in this case on behalf of several personal assistants who provide in-home services to persons with disabilities under Illinois's Medicaid program.

22 Jan 2014

Views on health law: 'Good start' on enrollment; is reinsurance a 'bail-out' or transfer of industry funds?

Enrollments in health insurance plans through state and federal exchanges are rising rapidly, especially among young adults, making it likely that the Affordable Care Act will achieve a large and stabilizing mix of enrollees by the end of the open enrollment period on March 31 (1/17).

22 Jan 2014

HHS to start with beneficiaries backlog in Medicare claims appeals

The Department of Health and Human Services moves to break up a big backlog of Medicare claims appeals, with beneficiary hearings taking precedent. In the meantime, The Fiscal Times looks at overpayment in private Medicare Fee-For-Service plans.

21 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 21, 2014

Today's headlines include news on the health law's implementation at both the federal and state levels.

21 Jan 2014

Healthcare.gov's back-end system still being built

A top Obama administration official told Congress Thursday that the automated system to send payments to insurance companies is still under construction and didn't offer a completion date, media outlets report.

20 Jan 2014

Viewpoints: Is overhaul really a 'war' on the young?; war on poverty requires spending; maternity leave in America

A long-shot lawsuit that could have damaged the effectiveness of health care reform got a well-deserved brushoff from a federal district judge on Wednesday.

20 Jan 2014

Research roundup: Nursing home transitions; the impact of raising Medicare premiums; workers' views of job-based insurance

Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.

20 Jan 2014

Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare applauds introduction of Better Care, Lower Cost Act of 2014

The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare – a coalition of home health providers dedicated to improving the integrity, quality, and efficiency of home healthcare for our nation's seniors – today commended Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Congressman Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) for introducing the Better Care, Lower Cost Act of 2014 (S.1932/H.R.3890) to improve the management of care for Medicare beneficiaries living with chronic conditions.

19 Jan 2014

President Obama signs law to increase funding for Alzheimer's research, education

At the urging of the Alzheimer's Association and its more than 600,000 advocates, the funding bill signed into law today by President Obama contained an unprecedented $122 million increase for Alzheimer's research, education, outreach and caregiver support. The Alzheimer's Association applauds the Obama administration for calling for increased Alzheimer's funding in the President's Fiscal Year 2014 budget and Congress for providing funding to enable the continued, effective implementation of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease.

18 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 17, 2014

Today's headlines include reports from Capitol Hill about passage of a $1.1 billion spending bill as well as testimony by an Obama administration official about healthcare.gov

17 Jan 2014

White House enlists Magic Johnson, Alonzo Mourning to 'jump start' efforts to urge young people to sign up for insurance coverage

This and other related marketing attempts are meant to spark young people's interest in obtaining health coverage before enrollment ends March 31.

17 Jan 2014

Wyden's Medicare proposal portends new powerful post

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the likely next Senate Finance Committee chairman, is flexing his political muscles by proposing a change to how Medicare treats and pays for care for chronically ill patients. Wyden is in line to take over chairmanship of the committee when Sen. Max Baucus is confirmed as U.S. ambassador to China.

16 Jan 2014

Insurers again extend payment deadlines for customers who signed up for Jan. 1 coverage on exchanges

News outlets in California offer examples of companies that are giving new customers more time to pay their first month's premiums while in Connecticut, one insurer is beginning to get a handle on the crush of enrollment.

16 Jan 2014

Medicare News and Research

In Calif., Anthem leads in enrollment; Md. Glitches blamed on IBM software

First Edition: January 23, 2014

Viewpoints: High court weighs home health care workers' union rights; abortion protections becoming 'all but meaningless'

State highlights: N.Y. hospitals wait for Medicaid waiver

Adverse events for patients treated for heart attack and heart failure have declined, study finds

First Edition: January 22, 2014

Virginia Mason receives Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence

Viewpoints: High Court's scrutiny of home health workers law; patient 'dumping' on LA's skid row; hospital fund raising

Views on health law: 'Good start' on enrollment; is reinsurance a 'bail-out' or transfer of industry funds?

HHS to start with beneficiaries backlog in Medicare claims appeals

First Edition: January 21, 2014

Healthcare.gov's back-end system still being built

Viewpoints: Is overhaul really a 'war' on the young?; war on poverty requires spending; maternity leave in America

Research roundup: Nursing home transitions; the impact of raising Medicare premiums; workers' views of job-based insurance

Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare applauds introduction of Better Care, Lower Cost Act of 2014

President Obama signs law to increase funding for Alzheimer's research, education

First Edition: January 17, 2014

White House enlists Magic Johnson, Alonzo Mourning to 'jump start' efforts to urge young people to sign up for insurance coverage

Wyden's Medicare proposal portends new powerful post

Insurers again extend payment deadlines for customers who signed up for Jan. 1 coverage on exchanges

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