As the Supreme Court holds hearings on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act this week, it is worth noting the ways Obamacare is improving the lives of Latinos. Given that Latinos are more likely to be uninsured than any other ethnic group, it comes as no surprise that a majority (66 percent) of Latino…
Tag: aca
Faith Leaders Rally Around Affordable Care Act as a Step in the Right Direction
People of faith and other supporters came together outside the Supreme Court on Monday for a time of song and testimony in defense of the Affordable Care Act. On Monday the Court began hearing three days of arguments on the constitutionality of the law passed in 2010, which ensures all Americans have access to affordable…
Sunshine State Bets On Sunset For Health Care Act
Scott holds that, until the Supreme Court decides the case, the Affordable Care Act is not yet the law of the land. In an interview with member station WUSF in Tampa, Scott says until then, he has no interest in setting up a health care exchange. “All it’s going to do is raise the cost…
Supreme Court begins debating health care law [video] [audio of arguments]
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday began three days of potentially landmark oral arguments over the constitutionality of the sweeping health care law championed by President Barack Obama, with a majority of justices appearing to reject suggestions they wait another few years before deciding the issues. In one of the most politically charged cases in…
Why Obama Hasn’t Won The Battle Over Messaging About Health Care Law
Princeton sociology professor and health care watcher Paul Starr says part of the problem is that so much of the law hasn’t taken effect yet. “They’re only really going to become aware of the specifics of the legislation as we get close to the point where there’s enrollment in health plans and where people actually…
In Defense of ‘ObamaCare’
The ACA takes major steps towards reversing the failures of our market-driven system. The central feature of the new law addresses fears that losing a job, retiring early or starting a small business could result in being denied access to affordable health coverage. It does this by providing tens of millions of Americans with income-based…
The Health Care Law and Cost Control
The new health care law forces insurance companies to play by the rules, prohibiting them from dropping your coverage if you get sick, billing you into bankruptcy because of an annual or lifetime limit, or, soon, discriminating against anyone with a pre-existing condition. The new law also includes a number of key provisions designed to…
A Timeline Of The Health Reform Law’s Milestones And Regulations – Kaiser Health News
The health law was controversial even before it was signed by President Barack Obama two years ago. But the political ruckus has not deterred the administration from issuing hundreds of pages of regulations which already are affecting consumers, hospitals, doctors, insurance companies and state governments. Here’s a look at what was done when: READ MORE:…
On Health Care, Supreme Court Essentially Powerless To Kill Many Of Obama’s Big Changes
Health care reform can’t be stopped by the Supreme Court. Next week the high court will hear arguments on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act passed two years ago. Ultimately, the justices could overturn all or parts of the law. The Republican presidential contenders have vowed to repeal the law if they win the…
Affordable Care Act provides 20.4 million women with preventive health services at no additional cost
President Obama’s health reform law requires that new health insurance plans cover preventive services with no co-pay or deductible. In the last 18 months, approximately 20.4 million women with private health insurance have received preventive health services such as mammograms and pap smears at no additional cost because of this provision in the Affordable Care Act….
One Nation, Two Health Care Extremes
The U.S. spent $2.6 trillion on health care in 2010 — more than the entire economy of France or Britain. But the amount spent and how it’s used varies from state to state. And no two states are more different than Texas and Massachusetts. At 25 percent, Texas has the highest rate of uninsured people…
Legal experts predict a Supreme Court win for Obamacare
The American Bar Assn. devoted all 40 pages of the latest Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases magazine to the high courts review of Obamacare, formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The court is scheduled to hear arguments about the laws constitutionality this month. For this special issue, the editors of…
The Health Law And The Supreme Court: A Primer For The Upcoming Oral Arguments
How big is the constitutional challenge to the Obama health care law, which the Supreme Court will hear on March 26-28? For starters, it’s big enough for the justices to schedule six hours of arguments — more time than given to any case since 1966. After all, the Affordable Care Act is arguably the most…
New healthcare exchange rules issued for states
Industry and consumer groups welcomed the regulations, saying they provided states with the flexibility necessary to meet consumer needs for choice and quality protections. They also said the regulations shift policy focus to the state level, where the new rules must be implemented. State exchanges are part of a two-pronged effort to provide health coverage…
Mapping the Effects of the ACA’s Health Insurance Reform
The Affordable Care Act includes several provisions that allow many individuals across the U.S. to be eligible for Medicaid or for federal tax credits to subsidize the cost of insurance. The analysis below and zip code tool estimate the share of the population in geographic areas across the U.S. who had family income up to…
States Under Pressure As Health Law Deadlines Approach
The health law’s biggest changes don’t take effect until 2014, when states and insurers must be ready to begin signing up an estimated 32 million people in Medicaid and private insurance. But a successful rollout in two years hinges on critical decisions that states must make – and take quick action on – this year….
Affordable Care Act: Most Health Insurance Plans Will Cover Women’s Preventive Services, Including Contraception
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, most health insurance plans will cover women’s preventive services, including contraception, without charging a co-pay or deductible beginning in August, 2012. This new law will save money for millions of Americans. But more importantly, it will ensure Americans nationwide get the high-quality care they need to stay healthy. Under…
Majority Of Americans Think Ideology Will Affect High Court’s Ruling On Health Law
With the Supreme Court just two months away from hearing a historic legal challenge to the 2010 health law, nearly 60 percent of the public expects the justices to depend more on personal ideology than a legal analysis of the individual mandate, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s January health tracking poll. Just 28 percent of…
Some Employers Already Sending Workers To Exchanges to Buy Health Insurance
Fed up with the unpredictable cost of health insurance for his small business, Mike Sarafolean last year made a dramatic change: Instead of picking a plan to offer workers, he now sends them to a “private exchange” or marketplace where they compare and choose their own insurance. And the amount his company pays toward coverage…
More Americans Uninsured in 2011
The U.S. health insurance system is undergoing great upheaval, which combined with the troubled economy of the past several years is clearly affecting health insurance coverage in the country. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index data reveal that more Americans lack healthcare today than did four years ago. Groups that were already among the least likely to…