Health Insurance

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, says the latest version of the GOP bill would let states decide on required benefits.

Letting States Decide Health Coverage Could Make It Harder To Buy

3:17pm March 24, 2017

by Jay Hancock

House Republicans altered their health care bill to let states decide what coverage is required. That would make it harder to buy coverage for childbirth or chronic illness, analysts say.

Republicans have long argued that small businesses should be able to band together and buy coverage across state lines. This legislation enables that.

GOP Resurrects A Bill From 2003 To Help Small Firms Buy Health Insurance

3:10pm March 24, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

House Speaker Paul Ryan supports a bill that would allow "association health plans" to be sold nationally to small businesses. But critics say such plans tend to be skimpy and not well-regulated.

House Speaker Paul Ryan is trying to rally Republican lawmakers to vote for the American Health Care Act.

GOP Health Bill Changes Could Kill Protections For Those With Pre-Existing Conditions

5:10pm March 23, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

House Republicans are considering a deal that would remove the requirement that health insurance plans cover 10 essential health benefits, hoping to secure the votes of conservative lawmakers.

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Adding a work requirement to Medicaid could make it harder for people who have health problems from getting access to care, analysts say.

Medicaid Work Requirement Wouldn't Shrink Spending Much

7:06pm March 21, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

Most of the people on Medicaid are elderly, disabled or children, so a GOP proposal to require able-bodied recipients to work probably won't add up to big cost savings, analysts say.

Luke Franco, 26, works three jobs and doesn't know whether he qualifies for Medicaid or a subsidy to buy coverage on the exchange set up under the Affordable Care Act.

How Millennials Win And Lose Under The GOP Health Bill

8:36am March 19, 2017

by Kristin Gourlay

The Affordable Care Act covers 8 million millennials through Medicaid expansion, insurance exchanges, and the ability to stay on a parent's plan until age 26. The GOP health bill limits some options.

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Michael Botticelli, former director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on attacking America's epidemic of heroin and prescription drug abuse.

Former Drug Czar Says GOP Health Bill Would Cut Access To Addiction Treatment

6:30pm March 15, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

The director of National Drug Control Policy under President Obama, Michael Botticelli, says the proposed GOP health bill would decrease access to treatment in the middle of an opioid crisis.

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Surgeon and writer Atul Gawande has spoken out against the Republican plan to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act.

Surgeon On Health Care Bill: The Stakes Are 'Extremely High' For Patients

7:00pm March 13, 2017

The surgeon and writer Atul Gawande says the Republican plan to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act is unlikely to attract the young, healthy people who are crucial to the health insurance market.

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People will still be able to buy health insurance if they have pre-existing conditions, but its not clear how healthy the health insurance market would be under the GOP bill.

How Will People Who Are Already Sick Be Treated Under A New Health Law?

8:49am March 13, 2017

by Julie Rovner

People withe pre-existing conditions would still be protected from insurance discrimination under the new House GOP bill, but it remains to be seen how that benefit would be paid for.

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Leana Wen, Baltimore's health commissioner, says when women skip prenatal care because they can't afford it, their health and their children's health suffers.

I'm Pregnant. What Would Happen If I Couldn't Afford Health Care?

5:00am March 11, 2017

by Leana Wen

Prenatal care costs more than $10,000 on average. Dr. Leana Wen wonders what choices she would make if she didn't have health insurance to cover that, and how those choices would affect her baby.

Republicans on Monday evening unveiled their long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

5 Key Takeaways From The GOP Health Overhaul Plan

9:36am March 09, 2017

by Julie Rovner

The bill proposes big changes to state and federal Medicaid programs and tax advantages for people who can afford to save up for health care costs.