Putting the health law puzzle pieces together, and making sense of it

Sep 19 2013

News organizations help make sense of all the different moving parts of the health law -- attitudes, concerns, lawsuits and business decisions -- as the nation gears up for Oct. 1's launch of the health insurance exchanges.

Philly.com: Sorting Out Obamacare Facts From Fiction
We've been batting down bogus claims about the Affordable Care Act for years, since 2009, when legislation was still in the debate stage. But they've been increasing in intensity in recent months as we approach Oct. 1, the date the insurance exchanges will be open for business for those buying their own insurance, mainly with the help of federal subsidies. So, more than three years after our last health-care-whoppers piece (published just before the law was signed in 2010), we're giving readers a rundown of the top claims (Robertson, 9/17).

Minnesota Public Radio: 'Obamacare' Or 'Affordable Care Act'?
What's in a name? Everything when it comes to polling about the health care law, officially known as the Affordable Care Act. In a new Fox News poll, 55 percent of those surveyed held an unfavorable view of the new law when the pollster referred to it as the Affordable Care Act. But when the name was replaced by "Obamacare," the negative opinion increased to 60 percent. Seventy-five percent of Republicans viewed the Affordable Care Act unfavorably -- that jumped to 83 percent when "Obamacare" was used (Collins, 9/17).

The New York Times: Concern Over Drug Costs
Among the most troubling questions facing consumers as they shop for insurance under the Obama administration's new health care law is whether the plans will cover the drugs they take -- and how much they will have to pay for them. But with less than two weeks remaining until enrollment opens on Oct. 1, the answers are still elusive and anxiety is growing for consumers whose well-being depends on expensive medications (Thomas, 9/17).

Kaiser Health News: A Guide To The Lawsuits Challenging Obamacare's Contraception Coverage Requirements
Even with so much attention focused on the Oct. 1 launch of the health law's state insurance exchanges, one of the Affordable Care Act's most controversial elements is still percolating through the nation's legal system (9/17).

The New York Times: Reaping Profit After Assisting On Health Law
Washington's health care revolving door is spinning fast as the new online health insurance marketplaces, a central provision of President Obama's health care law, are set to open Oct. 1. Those who had a hand in the law's passage are now finding lucrative work in the private sector, as businesses try to understand the complex measure, reshape it by pressing for regulatory changes -- or profit from it (Stolberg, 9/17).