2013-09-12

Today’s headlines embody a operation of stories associated to a politics and policies in play as Oct. 1 — a health law’s vast day — fast approaches.

Kaiser Health News: Obamacare Insurance Co-ops At The Starting Gate

Kaiser Health News staff author Jay Hancock reports: “They have rented offices and 0 customers. All their collateral is borrowed. They’re perplexing to pointer a kind of expensive, chronically ill individuals  that insurers have avoided for decades. In 3 weeks they face strong competitors with a hundred times a resources. But a 24 insurance-company startups combined by a Affordable Care Act contend they’re prepared to conflict a establishment, stay in business and change health care” (Hancock, 9/12). Read a story.

Kaiser Health News: Consumer, State Officials Warn Buyers To Be On The Lookout For Fake, Look-Alike Exchange

Reporting for Kaiser Health News in partnership with Government Computer News, Kelsey Miller writes: “As states are environment adult their online health word marketplaces, officials are examination for look-alike websites that can lead consumers to be a victims of rascal or simply, confusion” (Miller, 9/12). Read a story.

Kaiser Health News: Two Types of Subsidies To Help Cover Costs Will Be Available (Video)

Two Types of Subsidies To Help Cover Costs Will Be Available

Kaiser Health News columnist Michelle Andrews helps we navigate a new word marketplaces that are scheduled to launch on Oct. 1. Today she answers a doubt about a subsidies that will be accessible to assistance obtain health word by a new online exchanges (9/12). Watch today’s video or a others in this series.

Kaiser Health News: A Road To Health? Rural Alaska Town Argues For Access

APRN’s Annie Feidt, operative in partnership with Kaiser Health News and NPR, reports: “The city of King Cove, Alaska is swarming onto a slight separate of land, surrounded by sea and volcanic mountains.  It’s an Aleut Native village of about 1,000 people, and for roughly a third of a year, continue closes a sand atmosphere strip. When that happens, a usually approach residents can get to a nearest town, Cold Bay, is by vessel — dual hours on choppy seas. So when an puncture call wakes adult Bonita Babcock in a core of a night, she initial wants to know how bad a breeze is blowing.  Babcock is a village health assistance and a lifelong proprietor of King Cove. Her pursuit is to stabilise patients and get them to Cold Bay, where there is a year-round atmosphere frame and patients can get to a nearest sanatorium — in Anchorage, 600 miles away” Feidt, 9/11). Read a story.

Kaiser Health News: Pennsylvania Governor Weighing Medicaid Expansion If Tied To Changes
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Don Sapatkin, operative in partnership with Kaiser Health News, reports: “Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is deliberation an enlargement of Medicaid to cover hundreds of thousands of uninsured residents if he can also win poignant changes to a existent partial of a desert program, that differently would continue in a stream form” (Sapatkin, 9/11). Read a story. 

The New York Times’ The Caucus: House G.O.P. Delays Vote On Stopgap Budget Measure

Facing another rebel by a House’s many fervent conservatives, Republican leaders scrapped a opinion this week on legislation that would keep a sovereign supervision financed by mid-December while finale financing for President Obama’s health caring law. The leaders contend they will move a magnitude adult subsequent week, though with usually a handful of legislative days left until a supervision shutdown, Republicans are in a fist (Weisman, 9/11).

The Washington Post: House Republican Leaders Delay Vote On Budget Bill Until Next Week

With a supervision shutdown appearing in rebate than 3 weeks, Republican House leaders conceded Wednesday that they have nonetheless to pattern adequate votes to approve a devise to keep sovereign agencies open. A opinion on a measure, set for Thursday, was deferred until during slightest subsequent week after conservatives balked, perfectionist that any bargain to account a supervision embody a sustenance to cut off appropriation for President Obama’s signature health-care commencement (Kane, 9/11).

Los Angeles Times: GOP Split Over Healthcare Law Boosts Threat Of Government Shutdown

In a midst of an general crisis, a awaiting of a supervision shutdown strong Wednesday as House conservatives balked during Republican leaders’ efforts to pass a spending check that did not categorically discharge supports for President Obama’s medical law (Mascaro, 9/11).

The Wall Street Journal: House Delays Vote On Funding Measure

A brewing rebellion among conservatives caused House Republican leaders to check skeleton to opinion this week on legislation that would account supervision operations by mid-December though stop appropriation of a sovereign health-care overhaul. The preference comes as conservatives who wish to remove a Affordable Care Act ramped adult their antithesis usually before a vital member of a law was set to go live, casting doubt on congressional efforts to keep a supervision open this tumble though a vast domestic quarrel (Boles, 9/11).

Politico: GOP Weighs Obamacare Vs. Shutdown

Senate Republicans still haven’t figured out how to defund Obamacare and keep appropriation a government. Competing factions of a celebration are arguing over usually how assertive they should be in seeking to idle a health caring law (Everett, 9/12).

USA Today: Health Insurance Sales Hit The Mall – And Web

Call it a retailization of health insurance. Shopping core owners competence not be courting them as they would Apple or smart conform brands, though health insurers are increasingly opening stores alongside distant sexier sell tenants. With few people shopping health word on their own, insurers have prolonged focused on maintaining and attracting a companies that offer it to their employees. Now, however, a new health law famous as a Affordable Care Act means many uninsured Americans are compulsory to have word commencement Mar 31 or compensate a chastisement during taxation time in 2015 (O’Donnell, 9/12).

Politico: Reluctant States Face Medicaid: Yes? No? Punt?

Obamacare sign-up starts rebate than a month though a few states are still responding a simple question: Are they in, or are they out of a law’s vast enlargement of Medicaid? Legislatures in pivotal pitch states like Ohio and Pennsylvania are powdering off their gavels from summer recess and diving behind into a high-stakes Medicaid discuss over either to extend health coverage to hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans. Others are looking during list measures to coax movement since lawmakers won’t assemble again until subsequent year (Cheney and Millman, 9/12).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Less Help For Uninsured In Many States As Obama Health Care Markets Open In A Divided Nation

Entrenched domestic groups over “Obamacare,” have driven many Republican-led states to spin their backs on a biggest enlargement of a amicable reserve net in a half century. If you’re uninsured in a state that’s opposed, we competence not get many assistance picking a right private health devise for your check and your family’s needs. The differences will be some-more vivid if you’re bad and your state deserted a law’s Medicaid enlargement (9/12).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Enrollment In State Exchanges Under Health Overhaul Confuses Medicare Beneficiaries

Dear seniors, your Medicare advantages aren’t changing underneath a Affordable Care Act. That’s a summary sovereign health officials are perplexing to get out to aged consumers confused by overlapping enrollment durations for Medicare and supposed “Obamacare.” Medicare beneficiaries don’t have to do anything differently and will continue to go to Medicare.gov to pointer adult for plans. But advocates contend many have been confused by a vast media shell directing consumers to new online word exchanges set adult as partial of a sovereign health law. Many of a same word companies are charity coverage for Medicare and a exchanges (9/12).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Consumers Will Need Personal Financial Info, Basic Insurance Knowledge To Get Covered

Getting lonesome by President Barack Obama’s health caring law competence feel like a multiple of doing your taxes and creation a vast squeeze that requires research. You’ll need accurate income information for your household, and some bargain of how health word works, so we can get a financial assistance we validate for and collect a health devise that’s right for your needs (9/12).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: In Colorado, Medicaid Expansion Provides A Welcome Surprise For Counselor Just Starting Career

Colorado is one of during slightest 24 states expanding Medicaid entrance for adults underneath a Affordable Care Act. In Colorado, that means singular adults who warranted rebate than $15,400 final year will have entrance to Medicaid. Childless adults in a state now validate for Medicaid usually if they make rebate than $95 a month. Colorado estimates about 160,000 people will be combined to state Medicaid rolls underneath a new guidelines. … Kinney pronounced he feels impossibly advantageous to live in a state where he will accept simple coverage by a supervision program. He has seen firsthand usually how responsibility medical losses can be (9/12).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Lack Of Medicaid Expansion Creates Unease About Health Insurance For Low-Wage Pizza Employee

His home state, Oklahoma, opted opposite usurpation a enlargement of Medicaid underneath a Affordable Care Act. The outcome is that thousands of Oklahomans who would have competent underneath a stretched module are left in dilapidation about their health insurance. At a same time, a Medicaid-linked module called Insure Oklahoma that provides Gatliff with his stream coverage was due to finish Dec. 31. That left him confronting a awaiting of carrying no word during a finish of a year, so a part-time pizza emporium worker began formulation to save his drugs (9/12).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Michigan Smoker May Face Penalty, Go Without Health Insurance Unless He Quits Long-Time Habit

The law requires insurers to accept all field regardless of pre-existing medical problems. But it also allows them to assign smokers premiums that are adult to 50 percent aloft than those offering non-smokers — a approach for insurers to sentinel off bad risks (9/12).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Health Care Reforms Likely To Raise Insurance Costs For The Self-Employed With Higher Incomes

President Obama’s health caring reforms will be a outrageous boost to a operative bad though are expected to make life some-more costly for Aaron Brethorst and others like him. The Seattle program developer and consultant doesn’t have a problem with that since he total he’ll be means to means peculiarity insurance. He says his annual income is in a low six-figures, and he expects to accept improved coverage once a Affordable Care Act kicks in (9/12).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Hard Time Understanding Health Reform Law? Try Figuring It Out In Tagalog, Hmong Or Vietnamese

Understanding a law is a plea even for governors, state lawmakers and group officials, though delivering a summary to non-English speakers who can advantage from it is moulding adult as a special complication. That is generally loyal in states with vast and different newcomer populations (9/12).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Key Milestones – And Potholes – In President Barack Obama’s Health Care Overhaul Law

Medicare was sealed into law on Jul 30, 1965, and within a year seniors were receiving coverage. President Barack Obama sealed a Affordable Care Act on Mar 23, 2010, and a uninsured start removing coverage some-more than 3 years after on Jan. 1, 2014. Some pivotal dates in a tale of Obama’s signature legislation (9/12).

The New York Times: Unions’ Misgivings On Health Law Burst Into View

When President Obama phoned a boss of a A.F.L.-C.I.O. final month, he common some news that a labor personality had prolonged wanted to hear — a administration would introduce measures to revoke workplace bearing to disease-causing silica dust. But their review shortly changed to what has turn a quarrelsome subject this summer: labor’s renewed annoy over Mr. Obama’s health caring law and decisions surrounding it, generally a check of an employer assign to safeguard coverage for workers and a intensity effects of a entrance health word exchanges on existent skeleton (Greenhouse and Martin, 9/11).

Politico: Obamacare Enrollment Rules For Hill Staff May Be Delayed

The Office of Personnel Management competence not emanate final manners about how members of Congress and their staff can get word coverage by exchanges until after enrollment opens on Oct. 1, Chief Administrative Officer of a House Dan Strodel wrote in a memo to staff Wednesday. Without a final rule, Hill staff won’t be means to perspective their devise options, costs, advantages or final sum on who contingency enter a exchange, he wrote (Cunningham, 9/11).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Despite White House Pressure, AFL-CIO Steps Up Criticism Of Obama’s Health Law

The strongly worded fortitude says a Affordable Care Act will expostulate adult a costs of union-sponsored health skeleton to a indicate that workers and employers are forced to desert them. Labor unions still support a law’s altogether goals of shortening health costs and bringing coverage to all Americans, a fortitude says, though adds that a law is being implemented in a approach that is “highly disruptive” to kinship health caring skeleton (9/11).

Politico: Poll: Obamacare Opposition Climbs

More than half of Americans conflict many or all of a proposals in Obamacare, a pointy boost in antithesis to a medical law from progressing this year, according to a new check Wednesday. Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed pronounced they opposite many or all of a proposals in a law, while usually 39 percent adored many or all of a law, according to a CNN/ORC International poll. The antithesis rose from 44 percent in identical consult in January, while a support for President Obama’s signature medical law forsaken from 51 percent (Arkin, 9/11).

The Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire: Heritage Unveils Anti-Obamacare Billboard In Big Apple

Brightly illuminated Times Square displays singing a praises of “Mamma Mia!” and “Wicked” find themselves with an surprising new messenger this week, as a Heritage Foundation denounced a billboard blustering Obamacare on 42nd Street. The 90-foot-high, 67-foot-long billboard reads, “WARNING: Obamacare competence be dangerous to your health,” and encourages viewers to support defunding a health-care law. The pointer displays a series viewers can content to get some-more information (Ballhaus, 9/11).

Politico: DC United To Help Publicize District’s Obamacare Exchange

Obamacare is about to get a vast support from D.C.’s veteran soccer team. The District’s health sell is teaming adult with D.C. United to widespread a word about coverage options in a new word marketplace set to open in usually 3 weeks. The District’s exchange, famous as DC Health Link, disclosed a skeleton in a Wednesday night house meeting. A some-more grave proclamation is still to come (Millman, 9/11).

The Washington Post’s The Fact Checker: Has Mitch McConnell Done ‘Nothing’ In The Fight Against Obamacare?

This competence come as news to a Obama administration—Mitch McConnell apparently has finished zero in a Senate to frustrate a Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. At slightest that’s a assign intended by Matt Bevin, a tea party-backed claimant who claims a Republican personality is not regressive enough. We’ve formerly created about this bruising conflict holding place in Kentucky. How current is Bevin’s claim? (Kessler, 9/12).

Politico: Mitch McConnell Files Obamacare Amendment To Energy Bill

Senate leaders concluded to keep a discuss over Syria out of an appetite check on a building though there will be no such fitness for Democrats on Obamacare. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) submitted an amendment Wednesday dusk to a appetite potency check underneath caring that would check a health caring law’s particular assign for a year. It would also annotate a White House’s one-year check of a employer mandate, that Republicans trust competence be legally ghastly (Everett, 9/11).

The Washington Post: The Northeast Is Getting Older, And It’s Going To Cost Them

Most of a nation’s oldest race is now clustered in a Northeast and flourishing rapidly, according to Census data, straining medical, housing and travel budgets and forcing lawmakers to demeanour for new approaches. And legislators and governors are reaching a end that a approach to compensate for a aged is to support to a immature (Wilson, 9/12).

NPR: For Native Americans, Mental Health Budget Cuts Hit Hard

Native American tribes gave adult millions of acres to a sovereign supervision in a 19th century in sell for promises of saved health care, preparation and housing. But time and again, those supports have been cut. The new across-the-board sovereign check cuts, famous as a sequestration, are no exception. They came with a 5 percent rebate in appropriation for mental health services, including self-murder prevention. That’s generally discouraging for Native Americans, whose self-murder rate are 4 times a inhabitant normal (Morales, 9/12).

Los Angeles Times: VA Finally Making Progress On Benefits Claims Backlog

The new mechanism complement is a centerpiece of a vital renovate that dialect officials guarantee will transparent a reserve of claims that has had exceedingly bleeding veterans watchful months — if not years — to find out either they will accept financial help. With vigour ascent from lawmakers, veterans groups and a media, a VA has been reorganizing a work flow, employing some-more claims processors, revamping their training and requiring them to work 20 hours of overtime a month to transparent a reserve (Zavis, 9/11).

 

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