Health Insurance

If you owe a tax penalty for not having health coverage in 2016, don't expect an eventual Obamacare appeal to bail you out.

Even If You Expect Obamacare To Be Repealed, Don't Skip Paying Tax Penalty Now

12:40pm February 08, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

People who think the change in administrations may save them from having to pay a fine for not having insurance in 2016 could be in for a rude surprise.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., seen here with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., at a Jan. 18 hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, says he'd like to see the individual insurance market fixed before repealing Obamacare.

Trump, GOP Lawmakers Back Off From Immediate Obamacare Repeal

2:57pm February 06, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

Both are now saying it's going to take time to come up with a replacement for the Affordable Care Act. Figure at least a year, the president said Sunday.

Maureen O'Connell leads an insurance talk in St. Paul, Minn., in 2013 to help attendees understand how the federal health law could affect them.

Minnesota Moves To Shore Up Health Insurance Market

12:26pm February 06, 2017

by Mark Zdechlik

The Minnesota Legislature passed a bailout to make coverage under the Affordable Care Act more affordable, rejected an option for bare-bones insurance and is floating a state-sponsored public option.

With Congress vowing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, health insurance executives are looking at a very uncertain future. And they don't like uncertainty.

Health Insurers Say They Don't Want To Go Back To Being The Bad Guys

6:34pm February 03, 2017

by NPR Staff

Researchers asked health insurance executives what worries them most about Republican plans to repeal and replace Obamacare. They said incentives to keep healthy people enrolled need to be stronger.

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Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has long promoted what he calls his "Better Way Plan" to replace the Affordable Care Act. But Republicans in Congress have yet to coalesce around any of several approaches to replacement.

Employers Fear GOP Health Overhaul Could Damage Job-Based Insurance

5:00am February 03, 2017

by Jay Hancock

Large companies in particular — those that have always offered job-based medical coverage — say a poorly thought-out replacement might turn out to be worse for them and their workers.

Health Savings Accounts Are Back In The Policy Spotlight

1:12pm February 02, 2017

by Julie Appleby

Republicans hope to expand the use of health savings accounts to encourage consumers to be more judicious in using their coverage. How do the accounts work?

As Republicans look for ways to loosen the Affordable Care Act's coverage requirements, sales of short-term health insurance policies could take off.

Sales Of Short-Term Insurance Plans Could Surge If Health Law Is Relaxed

8:53pm January 31, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

Consumer advocates say that these short-term policies, often in force for six months or less, don't have important safeguards that customers need. But the coverage can be cheaper.

HealthCare.gov's open enrollment for 2017 started Nov. 1 and ends on Tuesday.

Last Chance To Sign Up For Obamacare, For 2017 And Maybe Forever

4:49pm January 31, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

People continue to enroll in Affordable Care Act coverage, even as huge questions loom about where millions of people will find health care in a year.

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For Rhode Island, Interstate Health Insurance Sales Didn't Pan Out

4:48pm January 31, 2017

by NPR Staff

President Trump and Republican lawmakers say that letting insurers sell health plans across state lines would save money. But when Rhode Island tried it, the results weren't encouraging.

Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, speaks during an enrollment event in Grand Park, in front of Los Angeles City Hall, on Nov. 14.

Repeal Ripples: 5 Insurance Exchange Chiefs Contemplate An Uncertain Future

4:12pm January 27, 2017

States running their own insurance exchanges instead of relying on the federal site had hoped the marketplaces would become thriving businesses. Now, the states aren't sure what the future holds.