Jul 11 2014
Critics charge that some plans continue to discriminate against sick people by putting certain drugs in the highest-cost drug tiers, requiring consumers to pay big out-of-pocket expenses. Meanwhile, critics and supporters of the law wait anxiously for a court decision on a challenge to the health law's subsidies.
The Fiscal Times: Obamacare Insurers Hit High-Cost Patients With High Drug Prices
Some insurance companies are finding ways to get around one of Obamacare's most popular provisions that requires everyone to be covered equally -- regardless of any pre-existing condition. The anti-discrimination rule was meant to guard against insurers who historically charged higher premiums to sick people. But some insurers are still charging certain patients more by passing the extra costs on in the form of higher drug prices (Ehley, 7/10).
CQ Healthbeat: Court Watchers Click 'Refresh,' Ponder Long Wait For Halbig Ruling
It's a long shot to succeed, but the challenge to the health law filed by the plaintiffs in the court case Halbig v Sebelius would have a devastating effect on the overhaul if it ultimately prevails. Given the stakes, it's small wonder that opponents and supporters of the law are obsessively clicking their refresh buttons browsing the web for the federal appeals court decision in the case. The U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia, customarily posts its opinions between 10:00 and 10:40 Tuesday and Friday mornings. When Halbig wasn't among them on Tuesday, Twitter came alive, noting its absence (Reichard, 7/9).
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 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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