Will the Iran Debate Defuse Partisan Battles Over Obamacare? July 23, 2015 News Release In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses whether the debate about the Iran deal may bring a respite for the Affordable Care Act from politics as usual, and how long it might last. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available.
New Survey Finds 68 Percent of Previously Uninsured Adult Californians Gained Coverage Since the ACA’s Implementation July 30, 2015 News Release Steep Drops in Problems Paying For and Getting Care among Recently Insured, But Affordability and Access Problems Remain Eligible Latinos Obtained Coverage at Similar Rates as Whites; People Ineligible Due to Immigration Status Now Make Up 41% of Remaining Uninsured MENLO PARK, Calif. – About two thirds (68%) of…
Survey Finds Many Primary Care Physicians Have Negative Views of the Use of Quality Metrics and Penalties for Unnecessary Hospital Readmissions August 5, 2015 News Release Primary Care Providers View Health IT as Improving Quality, But Tilt Negatively on ACOs Half of the nation’s primary care physicians view the increased use of quality-of-care metrics and financial penalties for unnecessary hospitalizations as potentially troubling for patient care, according to a new survey from The Commonwealth Fund and…
New Survey Examines Assistance Provided to Consumers During Second Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment August 6, 2015 News Release A new Kaiser Family Foundation survey of insurance brokers and assistance programs examines the help they provided to consumers during the 2015 open enrollment period for Affordable Care Act coverage. The 2015 Survey of Health Insurance Marketplace Assister Programs and Brokers provides estimates of the number of people helped and…
At CMS, the Mission Is Broader Than Medicare and Medicaid August 10, 2015 News Release In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses whether the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ broad new responsibilities implementing the Affordable Care Act and a more proactive approach to Medicare payment signals that it’s time for (another) name change. All previous columns by Drew Altman are…
The ‘Private Option’ Medicaid Expansion in Arkansas Has Helped Reduce the Uninsured Rate and Uncompensated Care Costs While Boosting the State’s ACA Marketplace August 26, 2015 News Release A new issue brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that Arkansas’ “private option” Medicaid expansion has helped reduce the number of uninsured and bring down uncompensated care costs while strengthening the state’s ACA marketplace. A Look at the Private Option in Arkansas draws upon early data as well as…
New Tracker Monitors Affordable Care Act Preventive Services Coverage September 9, 2015 News Release The Affordable Care Act requires private insurance plans to cover recommended preventive services with no out-of-pocket charges for patients. This slate of covered services can change when the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and other authorized groups add or modify recommendations; the federal government also periodically issues clarifications to guide…
How Primary-Care Physicians Are Handling the Influx of Newly Insured September 18, 2015 News Release In his column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Kaiser’s President Drew Altman is joined by The Commonwealth Fund’s President David Blumenthal to discuss the impact of the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion on the primary care delivery system. Their analysis is based on the Kaiser-Commonwealth National Survey of…
Public Strongly Favors End-of-Life Conversations Between Doctors and Patients, With About Eight in 10 Saying Medicare and Other Insurers Should Cover These Visits September 30, 2015 News Release Six in 10 Oppose ‘Cadillac Plan Tax’ on High-Cost Health Plans Set to Take Effect in 2018, But Cost Savings Argument Can Change Some Opinions Views on the Affordable Care Act Remain Divided: 45% Unfavorable, 41% Favorable As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services prepares to finalize a plan…
Nearly Half of the Uninsured, or 15.7 Million People, Are Eligible for Medicaid or Subsidized Affordable Care Act Coverage, Analysis Finds October 13, 2015 News Release State-Level Numbers Provide Estimates of How Many Could Be Reached During Third ACA Open Enrollment Period Weeks away from the Affordable Care Act’s third open enrollment period, a new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds nearly half (49% or 15.7 million) of the 32.3 million nonelderly people in the United States…