Latest California Healthline Stories
Cedars-Sinai Didn’t Make the List in Year 1. What Will Year 2 of Narrow Networks Hold?
Covered California’s goal of expanding access to coverage didn’t mean that customers had access to all providers, as health plans chose to leave one of the state’s best — and priciest — hospitals off their provider lists. One year later, does the decision still make sense? And what will happen in the upcoming enrollment period?
Can the ACA Solve Staggering Prescription Drug Prices?
Many Americans believe the ACA should act as a salve for all things that ail the nation’s health care system. In light of the ongoing debate over the high cost of Gilead’s new hepatitis C treatment, what is the law doing to hold down prescription drug prices?
Most Insurance Exchanges Just Got Bigger. Covered California Is Getting Smaller.
Bucking national trends, Covered California didn’t add any insurance carriers — and actually shed a plan — ahead of its second year. Is that because the exchange is already competitive, or are leaders too complacent?
Will New Exemptions Fix the Territories’ ACA Problems?
The federal government has granted U.S. territories several exemptions to the Affordable Care Act, but do the changes go far enough to stabilize their insurance markets? And could the changes have unintended consequences stateside?
Hospital Mergers Are Out. ‘Strategic Alliances’ Are In. Is Obamacare Responsible?
Dignity Health and Kaiser are helping lead a new wave of deal making that focuses less on traditional mergers and more on quality alliances and joint ventures, as providers come together in the wake of the Affordable Care Act.
Website Glitches. Health Literacy Issues. How Navigators Navigated the ACA Launch
Organizations working to enroll consumers in coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges faced a number of challenges, including low consumer health literacy and technical glitches. As HHS reviews the next batch of grant recipients, there are still some questions about the role of navigators and how crucial they are to enrollment.
From Promise to Reality: Substance Use Disorders and the ACA
Before the Affordable Care Act fully took effect, HHS boasted that the law would foster “one of the largest expansions of … substance use disorder coverage in a generation.” Will that coverage expansion translate into access to care or will barriers prevail?
Lawsuits. Surprise Bills. Are ‘Narrow Networks’ a Speed Bump, or a Scandal?
Complaints about the “narrow networks” in the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges have taken a sharp turn, with regulators launching investigations and patients filing lawsuits. Are these simply rollout-related challenges, or are deeper problems to blame?
Amid Shortage Concerns, Could the ACA Bolster Primary Care Ranks?
The Affordable Care Act might be making primary care more attractive to medical residents, which would address an anticipated provider shortage. But some observers say any increase in students’ primary care interest is an illusion.
Why Haven’t More States Expanded Medicaid Yet?
It’s been two years since the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act and put the fate of its Medicaid expansion in question. Many experts predicted that all states would eventually embrace the expansion, yet 22 states remain staunchly opposed. What gives?