Julie Appleby reports on the implementation of the health care overhaul law, the interplay of health care treatments and costs, trends in health insurance, and policy issues affecting hospitals and other medical providers. Her KHN stories have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer and MSNBC, among others. Before joining KHN in March 2009, Appleby spent 10 years on the health care industry and policy beat for USA Today. She also worked at the
San Francisco Chronicle, the
Financial Times in London and the
Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, Calif. She serves on the board of the Association of Health Care Journalists and her education includes a Master of Public Health degree. |
Contact: JulieA@kff.org
A spike in prices charged by the largest Medicare drug plans raises a question about the impact regulated health insurance marketplaces would have on prices.
Mar 12, 2010
Workers at a Portland, Ore., steel mill soon will be able to pick a new type of health insurance: one with financial rewards to use proven treatments and disincentives to use less-effective surgeries and diagnostic tests.
Mar 11, 2010
Three veteran state insurance commissioners said they'd welcome federal advisory help, but draw the line at giving the government authority over rates, a power they say states should retain exclusively.
Feb 22, 2010
Struggling to close budget gaps brought on by the recession, some states are paring back health insurance programs for low-income people, even as growing joblessness boosts demand for help.
Feb 02, 2010
The president has long championed comparative effectiveness research, saying it would provide crucial information to determine which regimen or drug should be used. But critics fear that could lead to an effort to cut costs and restrict patients' choices.
Feb 01, 2010
Some lawmakers are considering a scaled-back health bill in place of the comprehensive legislation now stalled in Congress. But there's debate about whether popular insurance reforms, such as requiring insurers to accept applicants with health problems, can be successful without an unpopular individual insurance mandate.
Jan 22, 2010
The Democrats' health overhaul legislation is in trouble for many reasons, including key policy decisions that led many Americans to wonder whether they would wind up worse off.
Jan 20, 2010
Now that the Senate has passed a hotly debated health care bill, Congress is headed to the next step: House-Senate negotiations in January to try to hammer out a final version. Here's where things stand and how you might be affected.
Dec 24, 2009
Both the House and Senate health overhaul bills would force insurers to spend the vast majority of premium revenue on medical care for their customers, reducing the amount available for profits, executive salaries, sales and administration.
Dec 20, 2009
Hospitals, doctors and insurers are opposed to allowing people under 65 to join Medicare – an idea being considered by Senate negotiators struggling to put together the 60 votes needed to pass a health reform bill.
Dec 09, 2009