Measles Outbreak Sparks Bid To Strengthen Calif. Vaccine Law
Two California lawmakers have introduced a bill to eliminate a 鈥減ersonal belief exemption鈥 used by parents to sidestep a school vaccination requirement.
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More Governors Embrace Medicaid Expansion, But With Changes
Some advocates worry these changes could push Medicaid further away from its original purpose, which was to provide affordable health insurance for the needy.
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Blue Cross North Carolina鈥檚 Price Tool Could Shake Up Medical Industry
The state鈥檚 largest insurer is the latest to pull back the veil of secrecy shrouding health care costs by publishing prices for more than 1,200 non-emergency procedures.
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Medical Debt Still a Problem Under Health Law — Despite Protections
The health law was supposed to keep people from going broke, but despite limits on how much people will have to pay in the face of a medical catastrophe, many are still struggling to pay their health care bills.
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Study: Suffering At The End Of Life Getting Worse, Not Better
The percentage of Americans experiencing pain in the last year of life increased between 1998 and 2010, despite the growth of palliative care programs and hospice use, according to a study released Monday.
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To Protect His Son, A Father Asks School To Bar Unvaccinated Children
A California child in remission from leukemia cannot be vaccinated because his immune system is rebuilding after chemotherapy. The family, which lives in a school district where 7 percent of the children are not vaccinated under a “personal belief exemption,” is asking school officials to have all kids be vaccinated or stay home from school during the measles outbreak.
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Medicare Offers Relief To 400,000 Caught In Aetna Pharmacy Network Mix-Ups
About 400,000 beneficiaries have until the end of this month to reconsider their Medicare Part D plan choices after Aetna incorrectly identified some pharmacies as being in-network, dropped others and removed some from “preferred” network status.
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California Ranks Last In Spending On Diabetes Prevention, Audit Finds
With one in 12 residents estimated to suffer from diabetes, California spends less on prevention per person than any other state, according to a state audit.
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Why Florida Is No. 1 In Obamacare Enrollment Despite GOP Opposition
More Floridians have signed up for private health exchange plans than in any other state thanks to online mapping tools, coordinated outreach efforts and insurers鈥 involvement — and in spite of Republican opposition.
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Insurance Choices Dwindle In Rural California As Blue Shield Pulls Back
Blue Shield of California stopped selling individual plans on the state health insurance exchange in about 250 zip codes, leaving nearly 30,000 residents with only one insurer to choose from on the exchange.
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IRS Eases Repayment Rules For Excess Health Premium Subsidies
Health insurance marketplace customers who received too much in tax credits in 2014 won鈥檛 face a late penalty if they don鈥檛 pay back the money by April 15, but they still face interest charges.
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Mixed Results For Obamacare Tests In Primary-Care Innovation
Early reports show two major medical-home experiments run by the health law鈥檚 Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation reduced hospitalizations in some cases but are still working to cut overall costs.
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Some Seeking Insurance Told They Didn鈥檛 Qualify, Others Balked At Cost, Poll Finds
Confusion about federal assistance stymied many from getting insurance in the first year of the health law marketplaces.
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California Launches Campaign To Curb E-Cigarette Smoking
Though not as harmful as smoking regular cigarettes, 鈥榲aping鈥 is both toxic and gaining in popularity, especially among young people, California officials say.
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Most Californians On Insurance Exchange Are Sticking With Last Year鈥檚 Plan
In California, the vast majority of people renewing health insurance coverage in the state鈥檚 exchange did not switch health plans, and instead are sticking with the one they selected last year.
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With Half of California鈥檚 Kids On Medicaid, Advocates Worry About Service
More children than ever before have enrolled in Medi-Cal, half of children in California, causing concern about timely access to treatment.
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Indiana Medicaid Expansion May Tempt Other GOP-Led States
A three-year agreement between Indiana and the federal government imposes cost-sharing on poor adults and uses a cigarette tax and a fee on hospitals to pay the state’s costs of expanding Medicaid — and could lead to other GOP-led states following suit.
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Letters To The Editor: Chronic Care Transitions, Proton Therapy, California鈥檚 Caregivers
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to respond, react and comment on our stories.
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If Supreme Court Rules Against Insurance Subsidies, Most Want Them Restored
A new poll shows that most Americans favor governmental action to restore subsidies if the Supreme Court limits their availability.
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One South Florida ZIP Code Leads The Nation In Obamacare Enrollment
Saturation advertising in one Hispanic-heavy city in South Florida has led to unusually high rates of health plan sign-ups through the federal insurance exchange — and they lead the nation in health law insurance enrollment.
