Open Enrollment

Obamacare鈥檚 Star Ratings Offer A Glimmer Of Insight 鈥 But Not For All

By Lauren Weber and Phil Galewitz

Federal officials unveil new ratings for the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 marketplace plans. Missouri is one of eight states that has no plans earning at least three stars on a five-star scale.

Calificaci贸n de estrellas del Obamacare ofrece algo de informaci贸n, pero no para todos

By Lauren Weber and Phil Galewitz

Las calificaciones se pueden ver en cuidadodesalud.gov, el sitio federal en donde los consumidores revisan los beneficios y precios de los planes.

KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat The Health?鈥: Spooky Stuff

If it鈥檚 Halloween, that means open enrollment for plans on the Affordable Care Act exchanges is right around the corner. Prices are down this year, but the future of the health law remains in doubt due to a lawsuit seeking to have the entire measure thrown out. This week, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, the panelists read the top entries in KHN鈥檚 Halloween Health Haiku Contest.

KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat The Health?鈥: Tennessee Seeks Medicaid Changes

Tennessee wants to convert its Medicaid program to a block grant. But is its plan legal? Meanwhile, Congress continues to struggle with legislation to rein in prescription drug prices and surprise medical bills. This week, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Rovner also interviews Dr. Marty Makary, author of the new book 鈥淭he Price We Pay鈥 about why health care costs so much.

Podcast: KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat The Health?鈥 Health Care鈥檚 Back (In Court)

It鈥檚 been a wild week for health policy, mostly because of developments surrounding two different legal cases. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to sort it out with a discussion of a setback for Medicaid work requirements and the Trump administration鈥檚 decision to back a lawsuit claiming the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Also, Rovner interviews filmmaker Mike Eisenberg about his movie 鈥淭o Err Is Human: A Patient Safety Documentary.鈥

Broker Websites Expand Health Plan Shopping Options While Glossing Over Details

By Julie Appleby

These direct-enrollment broker websites are 鈥渦nder-policed鈥 and can steer consumers toward plans that may not be the best option for them, a new report concludes.

Ads For Short-Term Plans Lacking ACA Protections Swamped Consumers鈥 Online Searches

By Steven Findlay

People looking for insurance during the recent open enrollment period were frequently directed to websites promoting plans that are not required to offer the federal health law鈥檚 consumer guarantees.

New Covered California Sign-Ups Plummet

By Ana B. Ibarra

Even though the number of people renewing their Covered California health plans increased this year, new enrollment plunged by nearly a quarter compared with last year, posting a bigger drop than the federal health insurance exchange, healthcare.gov, which saw a 16 percent decrease. Officials largely blame the elimination of the federal tax penalty for people without insurance.

Podcast: KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat The Health?鈥 New Year, New Health Proposals

Democratic governors and mayors are unveiling new ideas to control costs and expand coverage. The federal government shutdown has spared most health agencies, but not all. And learn the latest on that lawsuit out of Texas, which is threatening the Affordable Care Act once again. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and, for 鈥渆xtra credit,鈥 provide their favorite health policy stories of the week. Rovner also interviews KHN鈥檚 Jordan Rau about the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month.鈥

End Of Tax Penalty Could Fall Hardest On Previously Uninsured Californians

By Barbara Feder Ostrov

A new report shows that Hispanics, young people, the healthy and the poor 鈥 all groups with high rates of uninsurance before the Affordable Care Act 鈥 are the most likely to forgo insurance now that the tax penalty for not having it has been eliminated.

Podcast: KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat The Health?鈥 Ask Us Anything!

From Medicare dental coverage to drug prices to fetal tissue research, the panelists answer listeners鈥 questions. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner.

Podcast: KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat The Health?鈥 More On That Texas Lawsuit, And The Best And Worst Health Policy Stories Of The Year

The fallout continues from that Texas court decision that ruled Congress鈥 2017 elimination of the tax penalty for failing to have insurance rendered the entire Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. Meanwhile, enrollment for 2019 at healthcare.gov was down, but far less than many predicted. KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner, along with panelists Joanne Kenen of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner, discuss this, plus the best, most overhyped and nerdiest stories of 2018. Also, Rovner interviews GOP strategist and pollster Frank Luntz.

Podcast: KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat The Health?鈥 What Just Happened To The ACA And What Happens Now? A Special Bonus Edition

A federal district judge in Texas ruled Friday that Congress鈥 2017 elimination of the tax penalty for failing to have insurance rendered the entire Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. What happens now? KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner, along with panelists Joanne Kenen of Politico, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, discuss the bombshell decision and its potential fallout.