Health Reform News and Research

RSS

Harkin lifts hold on Tavenner nomination

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Tuesday that he would allow the nomination of Marilyn Tavenner to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to go forward.

8 May 2013

For health law backers, part of challenge is managing expectations

Some Democrats worry they will face political repercussions if there are snags that can be exploited by Republicans.

8 May 2013

State roundup: Medicaid contractor sues La. over canceled deal

A Maryland-based company whose nearly $200 million Medicaid contract was canceled amid an ongoing federal investigation sued Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration Monday for terminating the deal (5/6).

8 May 2013

Health exchange marketing, consumer assistance efforts take center stage

News outlets report on the steps being taken by state governments, as well as by insurers, to raise awareness and market plans that will be available from the new online health insurance marketplaces.

7 May 2013

Viewpoints: Assessing the Oregon Medicaid experiment; health insurance hysteria; in Florida, 'toxic politics' beats out common sense

The people who got Medicaid used more health care, and seem to have done so smartly - they got preventive care, they got their diabetes diagnosed and began managing it.

7 May 2013

White House Medicare proposal draws ire from advocates, liberals

The Hill reports that President Barack Obama's plan to combine Medicare's doctor and hospital costs is unpopular among advocates for the elderly and some liberal Democrats.

7 May 2013

Employers seek to avoid health insurance mandate

The Wall Street Journal reports that some employers are pushing back against the requirement that companies must provide insurance to employees who work 30 hours a week or more.

7 May 2013

First Edition: May 6, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz, working in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports: "Florida is on course to spend $6 million to reach out to nearly 4 million uninsured people and help them sign up for coverage in the federal health law's online marketplace this fall.

6 May 2013

GOP sparring puts Medicaid expansion in limbo in several red states

News outlets report that several Republican governors who came out in favor of the expansion are battling with conservative lawmakers as legislative sessions wind down.

4 May 2013

Reid adds to Capitol Hill Democrats' concerns about health law implementation

Senate majority leader becomes the latest prominent Democrat to express concerns about the roll-out of the law, placing blame on Obama administration and on Republicans for resisting adequate funding.

4 May 2013

Viewpoints: Outrage at mistaken report on Hill health coverage; Two views of Florida's option on Medicaid

Because members of Congress are accustomed to high-quality medical care provided to them through federal employee benefit programs, one might expect that they would push for top quality care to be delivered through the exchanges too.

2 May 2013

Obama aims to tamp down fears about health law

During a Tuesday news conference, President Barack Obama acknowledged likely "bumps and glitches" as key provisions of the health law take effect, but said that many elements of the measure are already in place and "working fine."

2 May 2013

At the Florida State House, Medicaid expansion drama continues

News outlets also detail the latest expansion news from Oklahoma, Iowa, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine and Arizona.

2 May 2013

State highlights: Ore. for-profit hospitals' charity care lags

Top officials at the Mississippi State Department of Health say they're trying to prevent layoffs for 41 employees and 41 contract workers who were part of a program to help women with high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Mary Currier, the state health officer, said Friday that the social workers were told April 15 their jobs could be eliminated July 1 (4/28).

30 Apr 2013

Research roundup: Young women and delays in breast cancer diagnosis

Adolescents and young adults (ages 15-39) make up 5 and 6 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States and have the lowest five-year survival rates.

30 Apr 2013

Viewpoints: David Brooks sees growing concerns about health law implementation; Congress should stick to requirement to join the exchanges

It was always going to be difficult to implement Obamacare, but even fervent supporters of the law admit that things are going worse than expected. Implementation got off to a bad start because the Obama administration didn't want to release unpopular rules before the election.

29 Apr 2013

Survey shows millions of people struggling to afford health care

Eighty-four million people―nearly half of all working-age U.S. adults―went without health insurance for a time last year or had out-of-pocket costs that were so high relative to their income they were considered underinsured, according to the Commonwealth Fund 2012 Biennial Health Insurance Survey.

29 Apr 2013

Implementation news: Co-Ops face historic test, White House makes hire for health law PR push

Politico notes the support and challenges of nonprofit CO-OPs as alternatives to commercial insurance plans, while HealthyCal examines parts of the health law that may be giving pause to small businesses.

26 Apr 2013

Md. insurer proposes 25% rate hike because of health reform

The state's largest insurer -- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield -- wants to raise rates for individuals buying coverage on their own in order to offset the cost of the health law requiring that insurers accept patients with pre-existing conditions.

26 Apr 2013

Tavenner's smooth path to confirmation hits a bump

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, has put a hold on the Obama administration's pick to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in order to highlight his concerns about the administration's interest in raiding the health law's prevention fund to pay for the costs of getting health exchanges up and running.

26 Apr 2013