Kellie Schmitt

A recent report found big differences in how counties are handling California’s estimated 3 million uninsured. Some county safety net programs are serving very few residents, raising questions of whether such counties are adequately adapting to meet the needs of the remaining uninsured.

New research from Berkeley economist Ben Handle finds that one company's health care spending dropped 17 percent after switching to high-deductible plans. The research gives new insight into how people's health care habits change when the incentives shift.

Geographic boundaries can have a big impact on health insurance options, particularly for people living in rural regions. Rural residents tend to fare better on premiums and choices when their area is grouped with an urban neighbor.

As Medicare makes a big push towards paying providers based on value rather than volume over the next few years, Accountable Care Organizations will be expected to start making good on their promise to cut costs and improve quality of care. But so far, their track record has been rather mixed.

In some states, reimbursements are so low that doctors say they lose money when they see Medicaid patients. And that can make it harder for patients to see their doctor — a recent study found that higher rates improve access to care.

A key goal of health reform has been to get insured individuals to seek out primary care rather than the ER. In the Bay Area, safety net systems are trying new approaches to funnel more patients into primary care, including putting nurses in firehouses.

The ACA expanded insurance coverage, but many children throughout the country are still not receiving important health care benefits. The extent of the coverage exclusions varies widely depending upon which state a child calls home.

With millions of their patients newly insured because of health care reform, community health centers, once viewed as providers of last resort, are remaking themselves as providers of choice.

Is Obamacare really at risk now that Republicans have taken the Senate? The core of the law will likely survive, thanks to the presidential veto power. Still, sections of it could be pruned away by the legislature. Here are a few possibilities the media has highlighted.

In recent years, there's been growing concern that a lack of doctors will keep newly insured patients from accessing care. Now, a new tool can predict the supply of physicians and help journalists ask and answer new questions from the data. Fresh story ideas abound.