HealthcareReform

Rebates From Obamacare to Top $1 Billion: Report

More than 3 million health insurance policyholders and thousands of employers will share $1.3 billion in rebates this year, thanks to President Barack Obama's health care law, a nonpartisan research group said Thursday.

Obama's Health Overhaul Lags in Many States

Here's a reality check for President Barack Obama's health overhaul: Three out of four uninsured Americans live in states that have yet to figure out how to deliver on its promise of affordable medical care. This is the year that will make or break the health care law. States were supposed to be partners in carrying out the biggest safety net expansion since Medicare and Medicaid, and the White House claims they're making steady progress.

America Hits the Brakes on Health Care Spending

Health spending stabilized as a share of the nation's economy in 2010 after two back-to-back years of historically low growth, the government reported Monday. Experts debated whether it's a fleeting consequence of the sluggish economy, or a real sign that cost controls by private employers and government at all levels are starting to work.

What You Don't Know About Health Insurance May Cost You

When it comes to health care, it sometimes feels like nothing is simple. And that can be a real problem: According to a recent survey, some health care basics are going right over the heads of the majority of Americans.

Key Health Care Reform Foe May Soon Be a Customer

Supporters of President Obama's health care reform laws got a major boost when a key opponent lost her business. Mary Brown, whose whose standing to sue is integral to the largest lawsuit against Obama's health care reforms, may be forced to abandon her legal challenge.

Walmart's New Promise: Always Low Benefits

On Friday, Walmart announced it was rolling back is health benefits for part-time workers -- benefits that the nation's largest employer expanded just a few years ago in response to criticism of its labor practices. And even the lucky few employees who get to keep their coverage aren't going to like the new plan much.

Finally! A Health Insurance Plan I Understand

Last month, new regulations were issued under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) requiring insurance companies to make choosing a plan simpler. Specifically, the new rules require insurers to publish forms providing "clear, consistent and comparable information" about the health-care plans they offer.

Medicare's Next Patient: The Federal Budget Deficit

As the federal super committee looks for $1.5 trillion in cuts, it's clear that fixing the federal budget will mean tackling big items -- including Medicare, America's most popular social program and one of its most expensive.

In the U.S., 'Free' Birth Control Is Born

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department on Monday released new guidelines that require insurance companies to cover contraceptives and other female preventative care without charging co-pays or other fees. Here's why this announcement makes columnist Loren Berlin smile.

Millions Lose Health Insurance With Their Jobs

Millions of Americans not only lost their jobs in the Great Recession, but also their health insurance, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. Many are skipping health care or falling into debt to pay medical bills as a result.

Prescription Drug Prices Keep Growing Strong

Prescription-drug prices have been outpacing the growth in prices for other medical products and services, according to a study from the Government Accountability Office this week. Which drugs have seen the biggest hikes?

Health Insurers Post Healthy Profits but Remain Cautious on 2011

The recent pushback on health care reform appears to have boosted the stock prices of health insurance companies, which have outperformed major indexes by quite a margin so far this year. That's because Americans have been cutting back on doctor visits, keeping reimbursement costs low.

The Health Care Law Is Making Americans Schizophrenic

Americans' opinions on the divisive topic are all over the map. A new poll shows more than half of Americans now oppose the law, compared to only 41% who support it. Yet 62% -- including 38% of Republicans -- actually disapprove of defunding or changing parts of the law.

Congress Again Postpones Medicare Pay Cuts for Doctors

For the fifth time this year, Congress has voted to postpone steep Medicare pay cuts for doctors. The latest vote gives doctors a year's reprieve from the 25% pay cut, which some have said would keep them from accepting new Medicare patients.

New Report: Fewer Americans Have Health Insurance

As health-care costs skyrocket, the ranks of uninsured Americans are growing at their fastest rate ever. A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that 50.7 million people, or 16.7% of the population, had no health coverage in 2009, up from 46.4 million, or 15.4%, in 2008.

Tech and Reform Will Boost Health Care Costs

Development of technologically advanced -- and expensive -- lifesaving treatments will continue to increase as the new health care reform law is phased in over the next few years.

Don't Blame the Economy on the Uncertainty

The government today is often blamed for causing economic uncertainty, which some point to as the source of all the economy's woes. But there's a deeper issue in play than the fact that we have to guess what's coming next: The problem is the bias in our guesses.

Why the Health Care Reform Fight Won't End

Though many Americans are weary of the debate, experts note that the health care reform bill is only one battle in a very long war. Even though Congress passed it, things may get only hotter and more contentious.

For Many Americans, a Job Means Health Care

A recent study finds that Americans are less willing to leave an existing job. Workers had lots of reasons for staying put, but a big one is fear of losing employer-provided health coverage. Would passage of the health care overhaul change that?