This column explores how health reform is changing the ways in which we pay for and deliver health care in the U.S. It also highlights the ways in which our current system is falling short on measures of coverage, access and affordability. On any given week, that could mean a look at how Republican plans to repeal Obamacare could reshape the individual insurance market, how the safety net system is adapting to new financial pressures, or how the trend of doctors and hospitals merging into ever-larger entities is driving up costs. We also explore health care costs and whether the Affordable Care Act or its successor plans can live up to the promise to rein them in. Throughout, we keep watch on how the goals of health reform intersect with the shaping power of markets and human behavior. Contributors include veteran health journalist Trudy Lieberman and independent health journalist Kellie Schmitt, with occasional contributions from independent journalists such as Susan Abram and Sara Stewart.
Many people who should remain eligible for Medicaid — because they’re working or qualify for an exemption — will also lose coverage, says CBPP's Judith Solomon.
The state is way ahead of the pack when it comes to publicly reporting the experiences of Medicaid patients.
“There’s real hope that help is on the way,” health workforce researcher Edward Salsberg said.
Stories of absurd bills have been great for boosting awareness, but the next batch needs to take a harder look at the politics halting change, writes Trudy Lieberman.
Californians remain without a scorecard to track the performance of Medicaid provider groups, and state officials don't seem eager to change that.
Could a family have been spared the heartache of a baby with severe nerve damage if they knew more about the hospital where the mother planned to give birth?
It has been very difficult to compare the quality of care delivered by California's Medicaid providers. A new effort seeks to change that.
A yearlong effort to obtain basic Medicaid provider data in L.A. was rebuffed. Some health care leaders shut their doors gently. Others slammed them shut.
The need for more affordable coverage is real, but association health plans have had a dismal track record through the years.
“This is really an issue that you can explore in your state no matter what,” said WSJ health policy reporter Stephanie Armour.
