Even After Overhaul, Gaps In Coverage For Young, Pregnant Women

Michelle Andrews — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:55:00 +0000

The federal health care overhaul makes some notable improvements in insurance coverage for young adults.

They can now stay on their parents' health plans until they turn 26. Next year they can also look for subsidized coverage on the state-based insurance marketplaces, also called exchanges. And they may qualify for Medicaid, if their income are less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level ($15,856 in 2013).

So far, so good.

But young women who get pregnant may encounter unexpected gaps in coverage.

Second Thoughts On Medicaid From Oregon's Unique Experiment

Julie Rovner — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:10:00 +0000

Two years ago, a landmark study found that having Medicaid health insurance makes a positive difference in people's lives.

Backers of the program have pointed to that study time and again in their push to encourage states to expand the program as part of the federal health law.

Now the researchers have dug a little deeper into their data, and the

Why Obama's Budget Could Make Health Waves

Julie Rovner — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:06:00 +0000

OK, the conventional wisdom about the budget President Obama sent to Congress yesterday is that's irrelevant.

It's two months late, after all, and the House and Senate have already approved their own spending blueprints for fiscal 2014.

But here's why it matters when it comes to health.

First of all, the Congressional budget process isn't exactly done.

Arkansas Medicaid Expansion Attracts Other States' Interest

Julie Rovner — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 07:27:00 +0000

Since the Supreme Court made the Medicaid expansion under the federal health law optional last year, states' decisions have largely split along party lines.

How Ideas To Cut ER Expenses Could Backfire

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:48:00 +0000

Cash-strapped states are coming up with an appealingly simple fix for soaring Medicaid costs: Don't pay for emergency room visits for people who aren't sick enough to be there.

There's a problem, though. It's almost impossible to figure out who's sick enough and who isn't at the moment they walk in the door, researchers say.

"People don't come to the ER with diagnoses, they come to the ER with symptoms," says Maria Raven, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.