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The health law's new online insurance marketplaces will create new opportunities for people who lose their jobs and their employer-based health coverage, but consumer advocates worry they may not realize this and lock themselves into pricier coverage than they need.
These marketplaces open Oct. 1 and will allow individuals and small businesses to compare insurance coverage.
Individuals purchasing a policy outside the exchange won't qualify for subsidies, however.
Older people will pay more than the young, and smokers could face a surcharge.
Officials won't use "nuclear option" for fear of disrupting services to patients.
The group tackles wide-ranging list of concerns, but the lack of a financing plan raises strong objections from some members.
These include prescription drugs, emergency and hospital care and mental health services, among others.
The health law created 24 nonprofit, insurance company startups that will compete with long established companies starting next month.
Lower-income buyers may get help paying the premium and help on covering expenses such as deductibles and co-payments.
Tax credits to help pay for premiums will be available to people earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $46,000 for an individual.
The price of premiums isn't the only expense to consider when evaluating policies from the insurance marketplace.
Advanced practice nurses say that despite growing need for primary care, they are stymied by insurers that won't credential them.
But individuals who already have insurance through work, Medicare or Medicaid don't need to shop there.
Consumer columnist says he likely can, but the bigger question is whether he will qualify for subsidies to help defray costs.
Organizations that received federal grants to hire and train workers to sign up consumers for health insurance say lawmakers are asking for too much too soon.
Even the people trained to help consumers navigate the new online marketplaces may not have all the answers.
A study finds that a third of adult patients discharged from a hospital don't see a physician within 30 days -- and experts say this is a key reason so many of them need to come back in.
Consumer columnist offers caution about the financial implications of that switch.
The former acting administrator of CMS, now running for governor of Massachusetts, explains his "Letter to the People of England," a call for continuous learning to improve quality within Britain's National Health Service.
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