Marilyn Werber Serafini has been a reporter in Washington since 1985, and was the health care and welfare correspondent for National Journal magazine from 1995 to 2010. She has written extensively about Medicare, Medicaid, the uninsured, health care reform, bioterrorism and pandemic flu and has won awards for articles on these subjects. Serafini covered the health reform debate during the Clinton Administration and the recent debate that led to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Serafini created and moderated National Journal’s Health Care Expert Blog, and was a senior reporter for CongressDaily (now National Journal Daily) from 1991-1995.
| Contact: mserafini@kff.org
Supporting this new proposal may help congressional Republicans to distance themselves from an earlier, controversial plan.
Dec 15, 2011
It’s a mixed verdict, however. Medicaid will be spared, and the Medicare hit will be limited to providers. But other programs, from disease prevention to public health surveillance, face big automatic cuts in 2013.
Nov 21, 2011
No matter what the super committee does, health groups expect another debate on spending after the election and they want to redirect the talks to costs' root causes.
Nov 20, 2011
Although the GOP presidential candidate is offering to let beneficiaries stay in the traditional fee-for-service program, critics say his plan could shift more cost to individuals.
Nov 09, 2011
Federal officials have changed the evaluation system to include more quality measures and plans that don’t meet standards in three years will face expulsion.
Nov 01, 2011
The federal government is worried that dozens of states may opt out of running these insurance marketplaces and leave that job for Washington.
Sep 19, 2011
Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans are particularly unhappy with recent regulations governing insurance exchanges. Insurers want time to build benefit structures and create complex health information technology systems so they can be ready for government testing by the end of 2012.
Sep 16, 2011
Some consumer and patient advocates worry that the administration is bending too much toward insurers and employers when it issues new health regulations.
Sep 06, 2011
For the first time the Department of Health and Human Services is trying to help eligible legal immigrants sign up for programs like Medicaid, sometimes by going to health fairs in immigrant neighborhoods.
Sep 05, 2011
Republican presidential candidates are often careful to not reveal during primaries how they would change health care in America, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry is no exception. But examining Perry's legislative record gives a glimpse into just what he'd change if elected.
Aug 25, 2011