Health Insurance News and Research

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Percentage of Americans without health coverage drops for 2nd year

The small decline was credited mainly to somewhat higher enrollments in Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the Children's Health Insurance Program.

19 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: Deep flaws in current health system often overlooked in Obamacare debate; 'Missouri bleeds jobs' while neighbors expand Medicaid; budget debate is best shot at stopping health law

Americans have had little understanding of the Affordable Care Act since it became law in 2010. With major provisions taking effect in January, half the country still does not know what the law does or what it means for them. While some of the confusion is no doubt due to the law's complexity and the highly charged political environment, a largely ignored but central factor is that people know little about the deeply flawed health insurance system that got us to this place (John Seffrin and Jim Guest, 9/17).

19 Sep 2013

Wide variation among states in access to care, coverage for poor

There is wide variation in access to health care for the poor among the states, with the higher-performing states making it more likely that their poorer residents have health coverage and get preventive care, a new study finds.

19 Sep 2013

Putting the health law puzzle pieces together, and making sense of it

News organizations help make sense of all the different moving parts of the health law -- attitudes, concerns, lawsuits and business decisions -- as the nation gears up for Oct. 1's launch of the health insurance exchanges.

19 Sep 2013

Obamacare navigators caught in debate over data security

As Republican congressmen demand more safeguards to ensure thieves don't impersonate government-funded navigators to steal consumer information, the Obama administration plans a high-level effort to reassure people that their data are safe.

19 Sep 2013

Florida battles over Obamacare intensify

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius made her third trip to Florida in a week to tout the health law, while state officials are taking steps to stymie enrollment in the new online insurance exchanges which open in two weeks.

19 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 18, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the Census Bureau's latest figures on the nation's uninsured as well as Congressional Budget Office long-term deficit projections and how that news fits into events in the ongoing Capitol Hill budget battles.

18 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: WSJ says GOP 'kamikaze' defunding mission will not go well; taxing Medicare benefits; problems with Penn. State's wellness program

These critics [like Heritage Action and the Club for Growth] portrayed the Boehner plan as a sellout because of a campaign that captured the imagination of some conservatives this summer: Republicans must threaten to crash their Zeros into the aircraft carrier of ObamaCare.

18 Sep 2013

Medicaid expansion increasingly in vogue with Republican governors

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder are the most recent to express interest, and even support, for the health law's Medicaid expansion.

18 Sep 2013

Health insurance exchange news: Investors say 4 million Americans will initially enroll

This number is well below the Congressional Budget Office's prediction of seven million. Meanwhile, USA Today reports that many Americans will pay less than $100 a month in premiums, based on an HHS report to be released today.

18 Sep 2013

As the clock ticks down, premium information still elusive in some states

The St. Louis Beacon reports that Missouri consumers will have to wait for the Oct. 1 launch date to get answers about how much the new coverage will cost. Other news outlets offer state-specific coverage of how the marketplaces are taking shape and what types of impact they might have.

18 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 17, 2013

Today's headlines include stories detailing how the health law's new online insurance marketplaces will work.

17 Sep 2013

PA. Gov. Corbett expected to announce Medicaid expansion plan today; issue also contentious in VA. governor's race

Corbett, a Republican, is reportedly likely to call for a hybrid program similar to what Arkansas is doing. In Virginia, Democrat Terry McAuliffe's vows to expand the program for low-income people could hold the state's budget hostage, Republicans argue.

17 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: GOP willing to move to default if they can't cripple health law; it's time to figure out if workplace wellness programs work

This year, as has been the case so often in the past, their target is President Obama's health care reform law. If it is not repealed or defunded or delayed or otherwise left bleeding in the public square, they will not pass a spending bill needed to keep the government open past Sept. 30. And if that doesn't cripple the health law (which it won't), they will resort to the far more serious threat of default, refusing to raise the nation's debt ceiling, no matter the catastrophe that would cause (9/14).

17 Sep 2013

Young people remain in the dark as Obamacare exchanges prepare to open

Several newspapers explore how uninformed many young people are about new online insurance exchanges which open in two weeks, even though their participation is considered crucial to the markets' success.

17 Sep 2013

New polls highlight the health law's uphill climb

A poll by the Wall Street Journal/NBC News found that many Americans still don't understand the overhaul and don't think it will help them. Also, A USA Today/Pew poll finds that the public view of this sweeping initiative is still very negative.

17 Sep 2013

Health law enrollment: Gearing up to get the message out

Health law outreach efforts are proceeding with fits and starts, as one company returns its "navigator" grant because of the high level of scrutiny, while others vow they will be ready to begin enrolling people in the health law's new coverage.

17 Sep 2013

NJIT student team to develop innovative interactive toys for autistic children

NJIT Distinguished Professor Atam P. Dhawan, PhD, recently joined the autism community at the NJ State House to be recognized for improving public and private autism services.

17 Sep 2013

Final countdown on for health exchange launches

Federal officials are happy with what may turn out to be a soft launch of the health law's insurance exchanges Oct. 1. In the meantime, states are busy readying consumers for the exchanges' kickoffs with informational sessions and campaigns designed at creating a better-informed public.

17 Sep 2013