Jul 21 Older, sicker enrollees will likely drive up rates at Florida’s biggest health insurer By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News Several factors could drive up rates next year — including a paucity of younger and healthy enrollees and a greater-than-expected surge in people seeking expensive health services, CEO Patrick Geraghty said in an interview. Continue reading
Jun 19 Survey finds most Americans who purchased health care on exchanges were uninsured By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News Nearly six in 10 Americans who bought insurance for this year through the health law’s online marketplaces were previously uninsured—most for at least two years, according to a new survey that looks at the experiences of those most affected by… Continue reading
Jun 16 Many new patients overwhelmed by health care jargon By Anna Gorman, Kaiser Health News Health officials have spent much of the past year promoting the Affordable Care Act and enrolling people in coverage. Now they need to help consumers understand the basics of health insurance and how to use their policies, health care providers… Continue reading
Jun 09 More than 1.7 million Americans are stuck in Medicaid application limbo By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News While an unprecedented 6 million people have gained Medicaid coverage since September, mostly as a result of the Affordable Care Act, more than 1.7 million more are still waiting for their applications to be processed—with some stuck in limbo for… Continue reading
Jun 04 Hot sauce-induced stabbing accident leads to health insurance By Carrie Feibel, Houston Public Media After a knife accident, a woman who hadn't had health insurance decided it was time to sign up. Continue reading
Jun 02 Doctors turn to artificial intelligence when they’re stumped By Daniela Hernandez, Kaiser Health News Tech titans like Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple already have made huge investments in artificial intelligence to deliver tailored search results and build virtual personal assistants. That approach is starting to trickle down into health care too, thanks in part… Continue reading
May 19 Many kids in health care marketplaces are missing out on dental coverage By Marissa Evans, Kaiser Health News New data suggest the health care law is failing to fully deliver on its promise: A lot of parents didn’t buy dental coverage during the recent online enrollment period. That spells trouble, according to health experts. Continue reading
May 19 Can health insurers raise rates on e-cigarette users? By Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News Under the health law, insurers who sell plans on the individual market can take into account only four factors when determining someone’s premium: age, geographic location, family size and tobacco use. People who use tobacco can be charged up… Continue reading
May 16 Hundreds of millions spent to attack new health care law, little to defend By Carla K. Johnson, Associated Press The report, released Friday by nonpartisan analysts Kantar Media CMAG, estimates that $445 million was spent on political TV ads mentioning the law since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Spending on negative ads outpaced positive ones… Continue reading
May 12 Fears of doctor shortages under new health law may have been overblown By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News The headlines were ominous: Good luck finding a doctor under Obamacare. Not enough doctors for newly insured. Obamacare, doctor shortage could crash health system. Despite these dire predictions, the nation’s primary care system is handling the increased number of insured… Continue reading