Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act News

Federal Healthcare Law to Aid Black Lung Victims

Proposed changes to U.S. Department of Labor rules would make it easier for coal miners and their families to obtain black lung benefits, while a West Virginia congressman aims to reduce the amount of paperwork they have to fill out …

Supreme Court Begins Healthcare Law Debate

Two years after President Barack Obama signed into law a healthcare overhaul, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday took up a historic test of whether it is valid under the country’s Constitution. The sweeping law intended to transform healthcare for …

6 Ways Supreme Court Could Rule on Healthcare Law

The Supreme Court has several options in ruling on President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, from upholding the law to striking it down in its entirety. The court also could avoid deciding the law’s constitutionality at all, if it finds …

4 GOP-Appointed Justices Control Obama Health Law’s Fate

Here’s a thought that can’t comfort President Barack Obama: The fate of his health care overhaul rests with four Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices. His most sweeping domestic achievement could be struck down if they stand together with Justice Clarence Thomas, …

Supreme Court Readies for Healthcare Debate

Death, taxes and now health insurance? Having a medical plan or else paying a fine is about to become another certainty of American life, unless the Supreme Court says no. People are split over the wisdom of President Barack Obama’s …

Cost of Obama Healthcare Law Lowered Under Latest Congressional Analysis

The estimated net costs of expanding healthcare coverage under President Barack Obama’s landmark restructuring have been reduced by $48 billion through 2021, though fewer people would be covered under private insurance plans, a new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget …

Administration Issues Rules for State-Run Health Insurance Exchanges

The Obama administration on Monday released broad new operating rules for state-run health insurance exchanges, which form a key part of the 2010 federal healthcare reform law that will face landmark Supreme Court hearings in just two weeks. The long-awaited …

Healthcare Individual Mandate Too Weak to Matter, Aetna CEO Says

Wall Street’s concern about the U.S. Supreme Court’s looming decision on President Obama’s healthcare overhaul is overblown because the provision at the heart of the law already has little teeth, the top executive at Aetna Inc. said. The court in …

White House Defends Health Care Law As ‘Response to Crisis’

Defending President Barack Obama’s signature health care overhaul, the administration is urging the Supreme Court to uphold the contentious heart of the law, the requirement that individuals buy insurance or pay a penalty. The administration filed a written submission with …

Most Health Insurers Meet Controversial Medical Loss Ratio

Most U.S. health insurers last year would have satisfied the much-disputed spending rules under President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform, according to a new report by a congressional watchdog agency. The rules require insurers such as Aetna and UnitedHealth to spend …