Latest California Healthline Stories
Most Small Health Plans Aren’t Thriving in Covered California. Meet Two Exceptions.
One small health insurer dropped out of Covered California. Another was kicked out, and a third is openly hunting for business. But a pair of plans are successfully competing with the big players dominating the exchange and carving out a slice of the market for themselves.
Three of the Most Over-Hyped Health Care Reform Stories of 2013
This edition of “Road to Reform” explores three Affordable Care Act news stories that got more attention than they deserved in 2013, including the debate over the fairness of delaying the employer mandate but not the individual mandate.
Early data suggest that customers are using the new health insurance exchange to pick plans from large, familiar companies like Anthem and Kaiser, even if plans from smaller companies are comparable in price.
When Health Plans Drop Your Doctor: Are Narrow Networks a Bad Idea?
Many health plans on Covered California and other insurance exchanges exclude some prominent doctors and hospitals. The trade-off — less access for lower prices — has raised concerns and even spurred lawsuits, but experts say it’s the likely direction for the nation’s health system.
The New Heath Coverage Gap: Will Obama or States Take Action To Close It?
A new health coverage gap is emerging in states that are not expanding Medicaid. Experts wonder whether states will act to help residents who are affected or if the Obama administration will provide aid.
How Should the Affordable Care Act Be Judged? How Will It Be Judged?
There’s a rush to judgment when it comes to the Affordable Care Act, particularly of the rocky rollout of HealthCare.gov. But when the dust settles, how should the law be judged? “Road to Reform” consulted experts to find out.
How Can State Hasten Payment Reform?
California is ahead of the national payment reform curve, but even in the Golden State most reimbursement for care is still measured by volume, rather than quality. We asked stakeholders how California can move more quickly and efficiently to a value-based payment system.
How Many People Are Losing Their Plans Under Obamacare, Really?
The swirl of political attention around “Obamacare cancellation letters” has tended to ignore the policy realities — including that most people receiving cancellation letters are being offered other plans. Here’s a closer look at how many plans are being canceled and four other key questions dogging the Affordable Care Act’s latest hot-button issue.
Inland Empire Clinics Work To Ease Demand on Hospital EDs
Community health centers in the recession-battered Inland Empire are focusing on collaboration to steer patients to primary care settings and away from emergency departments.
What Medicare Part D Can — and Can’t — Teach Us About the Affordable Care Act
Increasingly, observers are cautioning: Don’t rush to judgment about the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplaces, because the launch of Medicare Part D was rocky, too. But comparing the two programs makes less and less sense as the weeks go by.