Julie Rovner

Why Obama's Budget Could Make Health Waves

Julie Rovner — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:05:53 +0000

OK, the conventional wisdom about the budget President Obama sent to Congress yesterday is that's irrelevant.

It's two months late, after all, and the House and Senate have already approved their own spending blueprints for fiscal 2014.

But here's why it matters when it comes to health.

First of all, the Congressional budget process isn't exactly done.

With Plan B Ruling, Judge Signs Off On Years Of Advocacy

Julie Rovner — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 11:31:07 +0000

A federal judge ordered Friday what women's groups have failed to accomplish politically for a dozen years. He ruled that Plan B, the most commonly used morning-after birth control pill, be sold without a prescription or other restrictions to women of all ages.

Federal District Court Judge Edward Korman has been overseeing the case on and off since 2005. He found, among other things, that the Food and Drug Administration "has engaged in intolerable delays ...

As Health Law Turns Three, Public Is As Confused As Ever

Julie Rovner — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:15:04 +0000

As the Affordable Care Act nears its third birthday this Saturday, a poll finds the public actually knows less about the law now than when it passed in 2010. Oh, and a lot of what people think they know just isn't so.

Those are the central findings of this month's tracking poll just released by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

As has been the case all along, the poll found the central elements of the law remain popular across partly lines.

Morning-After Pills Don't Cause Abortion, Studies Say

Julie Rovner — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:41:52 +0000

The most heated part of the fight between the Obama administration and religious groups over new rules that require most health plans to cover contraception actually has nothing to do with birth control.

'Roe V. Wade' Turns 40, But Abortion Debate Is Even Older

Julie Rovner — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:43:15 +0000

Jan. 22, 2013, marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v.

Health Spending Increases Remain At Record Lows

Julie Rovner — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:58:31 +0000
For the third straight year, spending on health care in 2011 grew at a historically slow rate, government researchers report.
According to a study published in the January issue of the policy journal Health Affairs, U.S. health spending rose 3.9 percent in 2011.

The Hidden Costs Of Raising The Medicare Age

Julie Rovner — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 19:21:05 +0000
Whenever the discussion turns to saving money in Medicare, the idea of raising the eligibility age often comes up.
"I don't think you can look at entitlement reform without adjusting the age for retirement," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on ABC's This Week last Sunday. "Let it float up another year or so over the next 30 years, adjust Medicare from 65 to 67."
It's hardly surprising that the idea keeps finding its way into the conversation.

Administration Lays Down Rules For Future Health Insurance

Julie Rovner — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 20:44:18 +0000
You've got questions about the health law? The Obama administration has some answers. Finally.
Now that the Supreme Court has found the Affordable Care Act constitutional and the president's re-election made clear that big chunks of the law will take effect Jan.

Health Insurance Exchanges Explained

Julie Rovner — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:47:56 +0000
Last week's election may have settled the fate of the federal Affordable Care Act, but its implementation after months of uncertainty has caught many of the players unprepared.
Late last week, the federal government extended the deadline for states to decide what they want to do about health exchanges.

Obamacare Is Here To Stay, But In What Form?

Julie Rovner — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:24:10 +0000
President Obama's re-election and the retention of a Democratic majority in the Senate means the likelihood of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act has receded.
So what now?
"The law is here and we should at this point expect it to still be here Jan. 1, 2014," says Alan Weil, executive director of the nonpartisan National Academy for State Health Policy.
Jan.