Obamacare Plans Archives - Page 8 of 24

At GOP Convention, Health Policy Is Mostly MIA

Episode 356

July 18, 2024

After an assassination attempt last weekend sent former President Donald Trump to the hospital with minor injuries, the Republican National Convention went off with little mention of health care issues. And Trump’s newly nominated vice presidential pick, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, has barely staked out a record on health during his 18 months in office — aside from being strongly opposed to abortion. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join ��ϳԹ�� News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews ��ϳԹ�� News’ Renuka Rayasam, who wrote June’s installment of ��ϳԹ�� News-NPR “Bill of the Month,” about a patient who walked into what he thought was an urgent care center and walked out with an emergency room bill. 

Listen Now

HealthSherpa and Insurers Team Up To Curb Unauthorized ACA Enrollment Schemes

The initiative targets the biggest incentive driving fraudulent sign-ups and plan switches: the commissions that rogue agents or large call centers seek.

By Julie Appleby

July 16, 2024

A photo of a man standing outside California's capitol.

Spotlight

California Health Care Pioneer Goes National, Girds for Partisan Skirmishes

Anthony Wright, a champion for Californians’ health care rights, will take the helm of Families USA in Washington, D.C., where he plans to campaign for more affordable and accessible care nationally. He leaves Health Access California, where he helped outlaw surprise medical billing, require companies to report drug price increases, and cap hospital bills for uninsured patients.

By Samantha Young

July 15, 2024

Health Brief

The Court Case That Could Upend Access To Free Birth Control

By Sam Whitehead

July 12, 2024

A photo of a man standing outside for a portrait by some shrubbery.

If Lawsuit Ends Federal Mandates on Birth Control Coverage, States Will Have the Say

An ongoing lawsuit aims to set aside the Affordable Care Act’s requirements that insurers cover preventive care, such as contraception. If that happens, state reproductive health laws — varying across the country — would carry more weight, resuming the “wild West” dynamic from before Obamacare.

By Sam Whitehead

July 9, 2024

A photo of the Supreme Court's exterior at sunrise.

The Supreme Court Just Limited Federal Power. Health Care Is Feeling the Shockwaves.

A Supreme Court ruling restricting federal power will likely have seismic ramifications for health policy. A flood of litigation — with plaintiffs like small businesses, drugmakers, and hospitals challenging regulations they say are too expensive or burdensome and not authorized by law — could leave the country with a patchwork of disparate health regulations.

By Stephanie Armour

July 1, 2024

1st Biden-Trump Debate of 2024: What They Got Wrong, and Right

A debate marked by President Joe Biden’s faltering performance featured clashes over insulin costs, inflation, abortion, immigration, and Jan. 6.

By ��ϳԹ�� News and PolitiFact staffs

June 28, 2024

��ϳԹ�� News & PolitiFact HealthCheck

Biden’s on Target About What Repealing ACA Would Mean for Preexisting Condition Protections

A Biden campaign ad highlighting how an Obamacare repeal would affect people with preexisting conditions is mostly true.

By Jacob Gardenswartz

June 13, 2024

��ϳԹ�� News On Air

Journalists Discuss Abortion Laws, Pollution, and Potential Changes to Obamacare Subsidies

��ϳԹ�� News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media in the last two weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

June 8, 2024

Health Brief

Wyden Demands Penalties for Obamacare Enrollment Fraud

By Julie Rovner

May 30, 2024

Two photos are shown side by side. The left is of President Joe Biden; the right is of former President Donald Trump.

Presidential Election Could Decide Fate of Extra Obamacare Subsidies

Most states that saw enrollment in the Obamacare marketplace double from 2020 to 2024 are in the South. But the enhanced federal subsidies that attracted people with $0 premiums and low out-of-pocket costs will expire next year.

By Andy Miller

May 30, 2024

A man wearing a blue suit and blue tie speaks while seated at a table during a hearing in Washington, D.C.

Exclusive: Senator Urges Biden Administration To Thwart Fraudulent Obamacare Enrollments

With tens of thousands of Americans already affected by enrollment scams that leave some without doctors or treatments, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden wants increased enforcement against rogue agents or other perpetrators and legislation to allow for criminal penalties.

By Julie Appleby

May 21, 2024

A photo of President Biden speaking at a podium with four American flags behind him.

Biden Leans Into Health Care, Asking Voters To Trust Him Over Trump

President Joe Biden’s new health care ad draws on the Affordable Care Act’s popularity among independent voters and alludes to his edge over Trump on health issues.

By Phil Galewitz

May 21, 2024

A glitchy photo illustration of a laptop opened with the healthcare.gov website opened.

Biden Team’s Tightrope: Reining In Rogue Obamacare Agents Without Slowing Enrollment

Federal regulators face a growing challenge — how to prevent rogue health insurance agents from switching unknowing consumers’ Obamacare coverage without making the enrollment process so cumbersome that enrollment declines.

By Julie Appleby

May 7, 2024

The Health 202

Biden’s Election-Year Play to Further Expand Obamacare

By Julie Rovner

April 25, 2024

A digital illustration of a gavel and scales of justice with a Rod of Asclepius symbol in one of the scales.

Lawsuit Alleges Obamacare Plan-Switching Scheme Targeted Low-Income Consumers

The lawsuit filed in federal court alleges that large call centers were used to enroll people into Affordable Care Act plans or to switch their coverage, all without their permission.

By Julie Appleby

April 16, 2024

photo of IRS Form 1095-A used for reporting health insurance coverage on the IRS income tax report.

When Rogue Brokers Switch People’s ACA Policies, Tax Surprises Can Follow

Some tax filers’ returns are being rejected because they failed to provide information about Affordable Care Act coverage they didn’t even know they had.

By Julie Appleby

April 15, 2024

A photograph of a laptop. On the screen is the homepage for healthcare.gov.

After Public Push, CMS Curbs Health Insurance Agents’ Access to Consumer SSNs

Days after publication of a ��ϳԹ�� News article about Obamacare enrollees being switched to different plans without their knowledge or consent, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services took steps to tighten insurance agents’ access to private consumer information on the federal marketplace.

By Julie Appleby

April 9, 2024