health care

Obama Addresses Supreme Court Ruling Upholding Subsidies

12:16pm June 25, 2015

by Tamara Keith

President Obama made comments Thursday about the Supreme Court's ruling that upholds the nationwide availability of tax subsidies that are important to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

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In Win For White House, Supreme Court Upholds Obamacare Subsidies Nationwide

12:01pm June 25, 2015

by Renee Montagne

U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold the nationwide availability of tax subsidies that are crucial to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

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Retired California school teacher Mikkel Lawrence sits with his cat, Max. Lawrence has hepatitis C and has struggled to afford the medicine he needs to treat it.

Covered California Votes To Cap What Patients Pay For Pricey Drugs

5:30am June 24, 2015

by April Dembosky

The agency that administers Obamacare in California moved to make expensive medicines more affordable in 2016. In most plans, patients will pay no more than $150 or $250 a month.

Supporters of the Affordable Care Act rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on March 4. The Supreme Court is considering the case of King v. Burwell, which could determine the fate of health care subsidies for millions of people.

Republicans Don't Have A Plan Yet To Replace Obamacare Subsidies

6:03pm June 23, 2015

by Ailsa Chang

If the Supreme Court finds health care subsidies unconstitutional, conservatives will boast a win over Obamacare. But Republicans face a challenge — many of their constituents are getting subsidies.

"It would be disingenuous of me not to suggest that the link between the ... recommendations and insurance coverage hasn't put an additional focus on our work," says Dr. Michael LeFevre.

Health & Safety

Disputes Made Prevention Panel Stronger, Says Former Leader

5:51pm June 23, 2015

by Michelle Andrews

Dr. Michael LeFevre, who stepped down as chairman of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in March, describes how the health law changed how the group works and communicates its findings.

Fraud Still Plagues Medicare's Prescription Drug Program

11:39am June 23, 2015

by Charles Ornstein

More than 1,400 pharmacies billed for questionable prescriptions last year, according to the inspector general at Health and Human Services. That includes prescriptions for commonly abused opioids.

Long waits and lack of access to doctors is a continuing problem with California's Medicaid program, an audit finds.

California's Medicaid Program Fails To Ensure Access To Doctors

2:56pm June 22, 2015

by Anna Gorman

The state is not monitoring its Medicaid managed care plans to make sure they have enough doctors to meet patients' needs, an audit finds. And thousands of calls to an ombudsman were never returned.

Defeat By Deductible: Millennials Aren't Hip To Health Insurance Lingo

8:07am June 22, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

Researchers watched a group of young adults as they tried signing up for insurance on HealthCare.gov. Half didn't know what a deductible was. Needless to say, they struggled with enrollment.

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Nonpartisan government analysts say repealing Obamacare would modestly add to the budget deficit, boost the economy, and increase the number of uninsured Americans by more than 20 million.

Obamacare Repeal Would Add Billions to Deficit

6:29pm June 19, 2015

by Brian Naylor

A new report adds to the debate over the economic impact of the Affordable Care Act in advance of a much-awaited Supreme Court ruling.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks about a federal crackdown on Medicare fraud. With her are HHS Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson (from left), HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, FBI Director James B. Comey and Assistant Attorney General for the

Health & Safety

Doctors, Nurses Among 243 Charged In Million-Dollar Medicare Schemes

2:59pm June 19, 2015

by Bill Chappell

One doctor alone is accused of causing nearly $23 million in fraud losses, including "over 1,000 expensive power wheelchairs ... that were not medically necessary and often not provided."