health care

Breaking Up With HealthCare.gov Is Hard To Do

4:43pm November 28, 2013

by Annie Feidt

Lara Imler was one of the first people in Alaska to sign up for health insurance on HealthCare.gov. Turns out, the website miscalculated her subsidy. She wants to start over and get a new plan. But a stubborn software kink is standing in her way.

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Tim Wilsbach was pleasantly surprised to find better health coverage with a lower deductible on California's health insurance marketplace.

These Californians Greeted Canceled Health Plans With Smiles

1:28pm November 26, 2013

by Stephanie O'Neill

Insurance cancellation notices have sparked a political firestorm. President Obama proposed a delay, but California's health exchange board rejected that fix. Now, despite initial outrage, some people in the state who lost their plans are finding better coverage and good deals on the marketplace.

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Health & Safety

Health Exchanges Brace For A December Deluge

1:11pm November 25, 2013

by Julie Rovner

After a rocky start, the HealthCare.gov website is supposed to be able to handle 50,000 simultaneous users by the end of the month. That figure would represent about double the site's current capacity. An expected surge in demand will present a new test.

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Health & Safety

Medicare Project May Provide Better Care Less Expensively

6:55am November 21, 2013

by Jenny Gold

Fort Dodge, Iowa, is not exactly what you'd think of as a hotbed of health care innovation. But the small town in the western part of the state is part of a Medicare pilot project that economists say could be a pathway to the holy grail of health care: providing better care at a lower cost.

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Low-income adults formerly had few options for free health care. Leah Sessor had her blood pressure taken on April 14, 2012, during a free clinic at a racetrack in Bristol, Tenn.

Medicaid Enrollment Is Brisk Despite HealthCare.gov Troubles

11:16pm November 20, 2013

by Julie Rovner

If you advertise it, they will come. Sign-ups for Medicaid are brisk, even in states that haven't expanded their programs with an infusion of federal dollars. Experts call that the "woodwork effect" — getting the word out to people who were already eligible.

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Health & Safety

State Expedites 2014 Health Insurance Rates to Stave Off Cancelations

12:10pm November 20, 2013

State Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin is taking steps to reduce the number of health insurance cancelations as a result of the Affordable Care Act. More than 473,000 North Carolinians have received notice from their insurance companies that their plans have been terminated. Goodwin announced last week an expedited review for insurers to speed up the 2014 rates.

The authors of the Affordable Care Act included ways to offset the anticipated cost of subsidies.

How The Affordable Care Act Pays For Insurance Subsidies

3:44pm November 19, 2013

by John Ydstie

The health care law is helping low- and middle-income Americans pay for their insurance. Where does that money come from? In part, it is a matter of the well-off helping pay for those who have less. But that's not the full answer.

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President Obama met at the White House with CEOs from across the health insurance industry on Friday. Insurers, he says, will be allowed to renew for one more year health policies that don't meet the new national standards set by the Affordable Care Act.

Health & Safety

Can You Keep Your Old Health Plan? It May Depend On Where You Live

8:36pm November 15, 2013

by Julie Rovner

President Obama's proposal — designed to help reverse the recent cancellation of some health policies — seems to leave the decision up to insurance companies. But there are other decision-makers in the mix who are just as important: state regulators.

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Health & Safety

Medicare Penalizes Nearly 1,500 Hospitals For Poor Quality Scores

10:49am November 15, 2013

by Jordan Rau

Medicare has tied incentive payments and penalties to two-dozen quality measurements, including surveys of patient satisfaction and death rates. More than 1,200 hospitals are receiving bonuses. But more hospitals are being paid less for each Medicare patient they treat for the year that began Oct. 1.

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Health & Safety

Health Care Cancellation Cure Could Lead To Higher Premiums

10:49am November 15, 2013

by Jim Zarroli

The health care fix announced by President Obama on Thursday may be good news for some consumers, but it creates a big headache for insurance companies and regulators. An insurance industry trade group warns the last-minute change could destabilize the market and lead to higher premiums.

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