Oct 14 What the Death of the CLASS Act Means for Long-Term Disability Care By Jason Kane Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius; Getty Images The Obama administration reversed course on a major provision of its landmark health care reform law Friday when Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the CLASS Act… Continue reading
Oct 07 Advisory Panel: Essential Health Benefits Package Must Be Affordable By Phil Galewitz The government moved a step closer Friday toward defining what "essential benefits" would be offered by companies selling coverage to millions of Americans in new insurance exchanges. In a 297-page report, the Institute of Medicine, a federal advisory panel, laid… Continue reading
Sep 28 White House Asks the Supreme Court to Consider Health Reform By Jason Kane Supreme Court; photo by Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images. The Obama administration asked the Supreme Court Wednesday to decide whether the president's landmark health care law is constitutional. In a White House blog post Wednesday afternoon, Stephanie Cutter, a deputy… Continue reading
Sep 08 Appeals Court Throws Out Health Reform Challenge President Obama delivers a speech on his health care plan for the nation on March 8, 2010 at Arcadia University in Glenside, near Philadelphia, Pa. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images. In one of the biggest victories for President Obama's… Continue reading
Sep 08 Health Reform Supporters Fret Over New Rules By mcarey Photo by Flickr user seiuhealthcare775nw Publicly, consumer and patient advocates continue to cheer wildly for last year's health care law. Behind the scenes, however, some worry that they are losing a few key battles to the insurance and business communities. Continue reading
Aug 30 Poll: Many Employees Don’t Want Changes In Their Health Insurance By Jordan Rau Employees love to gripe about rising health care costs, but a new poll finds most are not willing to sacrifice to pay less for their insurance. Only 27 percent of people with insurance provided through their employer said they… Continue reading
Aug 17 Proposed Rules Call for ‘Apples-to-Apples’ Health Insurance Comparison By Jason Kane Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images Finding the cheapest insurance plan for diabetes or breast cancer patients may soon be just as easy as flipping soup cans to compare calorie counts and sodium content. Under a set of proposed federal regulations… Continue reading
Jul 11 New Rules Unveiled for Health Care Exchanges By Betty Ann Bowser // Saying "flexibility is the name of the game," Department of Health and Human Services officials unveiled a broad framework for states to follow as they build their health insurance exchanges under the health reform law. The new regulations… Continue reading
Jul 08 As Cuts Loom, Study Finds Medicaid Works By Jason Kane Medicaid makes a big difference to the health and financial stability of the poor, a new study concludes. The simple finding from Harvard and MIT researchers hit Washington this week just as politicians appear ready to start chipping away at… Continue reading
Jul 05 Medicare Coverage of Pricey Cancer Drugs Sparks ‘Rationing’ Debate Photo by Bloomberg via Getty Images. As health care costs play an ever-increasing role in Washington's budget drama, Medicare officials announced last week they will continue to pay for two extremely expensive cancer treatments despite lingering questions about… Continue reading