Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — October 2011 October 1, 2011 Poll Finding The October health tracking poll finds a more negative overall public mood about the health reform law, driven largely by changes in support for the law among Democrats. The poll also asked the public’s impressions of the Massachusetts health reform law enacted under then- Gov. Mitt Romney, who is now…
September Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Pre-Existing Conditions September 23, 2011 Perspective With several elements of the ACA targeted toward individuals with pre-existing conditions, this month’s Kaiser Health Tracking Poll takes a closer look at this group. Fifty-two percent of Americans say that they or someone else in their household has what would be considered a “pre-existing condition,” and among this group, one…
Inside Deficit Reduction: What it Means for Health Care September 12, 2011 Event After much heated debate on the U.S. debt limit, the Budget Control Act of 2011 was passed on August 2, 2011, containing more than $900 billion in federal spending reductions over 10 years. The law also established the 12-person “super committee” charged with finding more than $1 trillion in additional…
Grandfathering Explained September 8, 2011 Perspective The Republican leadership in the House of Representatives recently indicated that it will be seeking to repeal regulations under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that govern the “grandfathered” status of health plans. As this aspect of the health reform law gets more scrutiny, it may be useful to review some of…
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — September 2011 September 1, 2011 Poll Finding The September tracking poll examines public opinion about the “super committee” and explores the views and experience of individuals who have pre-existing health conditions, in addition to continuing tracking opinion about the health reform law. Findings from the poll include: Most Americans express doubt that the congressional super committee can…
The Budget Trigger and Health Reform August 4, 2011 Perspective No doubt it will take some time to sort out how elements of the debt deal (formally “The Budget Control Act of 2011”) will all work. Delving into the details of how it affects subsidies in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to make insurance more affordable helps to illustrate how…
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — July 2011 July 1, 2011 Poll Finding Health care, and particularly Medicare and Medicaid, continue to play a role in the national discussion over the federal budget deficit. In the midst of this debate, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking poll finds that Americans of all political stripes see a role for both spending reductions and tax increases…
June Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Americans Still Divided on Health Reform Law June 30, 2011 Perspective In the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll, the public remains divided in their overall assessments of the ACA, with 42 percent holding a favorable view of the law and 46 percent an unfavorable one. This month’s poll finds Americans are somewhat more likely to think their own families, seniors as…
Health Reform and the Art of Federalism June 8, 2011 Perspective The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced significant changes to the premiums charged in the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP), aka the “high risk pool” created by the Affordable Care Act. Premiums will now be up to 40% lower depending on the state (in some states…
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — June 2011 June 2, 2011 Poll Finding The June Kaiser Health Tracking Poll examines the opinions of seniors and the public about Medicare and the federal budget deficit, a topic of heightened interest these days as policymakers in Washington focus on ways to bring down Medicare spending as part of efforts to reduce the deficit. The poll…