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Politico, February 17, 2015 Behind the scenes, HealthCare.gov is still a mess. The “back end” of the Obamacare website still isn’t properly wired to the health insurance companies. It’s slow going for health plans to make sure the 11.4 million people who have signed up end up in the right plan. Subsidy payments aren’t automated, so the insurers get payments based on estimates. And adding … [Read more...] about Rachana Pradhan and Brett Norman: Behind the Curtain, Troubles Persist in HealthCare.gov

By Grace-Marie Turner and Diana Furchtgott-Roth Early next month the Supreme Court will hear arguments in King v. Burwell, the latest significant legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act. The petitioners argue that under the statute, the federal government is not allowed to provide health insurance subsidies in the 37 states that have either declined or failed to establish their own … [Read more...] about A New Fix for Obamacare

Forbes, February 13, 2015 Patients and payers have been anxiously awaiting approval of the first “biosimilar” medicines in the United States, hoping the new biologics will lower the cost of these often lifesaving treatments. But early statements from makers of the first of these drugs likely to reach the market indicate that the company expects to launch its biosimilar at parity with the … [Read more...] about Grace-Marie Turner: First Biosimilar Poised For FDA Approval

Forbes, February 12, 2015 One of the mechanisms through which the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands access to health insurance is through tax subsidies provided to individuals to help offset the cost of health insurance. These subsidies are only available if people purchase highly-regulated and -mandated policies that are sold only through government-run insurance exchanges. The law’s … [Read more...] about Tom Miller and Grace-Marie Turner: What Happens To The ACA If The Petitioners In King v Burwell Win At The Supreme Court?

The Daily Signal, February 10, 2015 America’s doctors, already struggling with the Affordable Care Act’s regulatory burdens, could face another round of red tape—which means higher costs for ordinary Americans. The new round of red tape is the government-mandated implementation of the International Classification of Diseases tenth revision (ICD-10). The new system, delayed last year, goes … [Read more...] about John Grimsley: How This New Regulation Will Drive Up Your Health Care Costs

The New York Times, February 8, 2015 When Karen Pineman of Manhattan received notice that her longtime health insurance policy didn’t comply with the Affordable Care Act’s requirements, she gamely set about shopping for a new policy through the public marketplace. After all, she’d supported President Obama and the act as a matter of principle. Ms. Pineman, who is self-employed, accepted that … [Read more...] about Elisabeth Rosenthal: Insured, but Not Covered

The New York Times, January 31, 2015 WASHINGTON — Obama administration officials and other supporters of the Affordable Care Act say they worry that the tax-filing season will generate new anger as uninsured consumers learn that they must pay tax penalties and as many people struggle with complex forms needed to justify tax credits they received in 2014 to pay for health insurance. The White … [Read more...] about Robert Pear: White House Seeks to Limit Health Law’s Troubles

Associated Press, January 15, 2015 WASHINGTON (AP) — Filing a federal tax return is about to get more complicated for millions of families because of President Barack Obama's health law. But they shouldn't expect much help from the Internal Revenue Service. Got a question for the IRS? Good luck reaching someone by phone. The tax agency says only half of the 100 million people … [Read more...] about Stephen Ohlemacher: Need help filing out your tax return? Don’t call the IRS