federal health reform

Compared with residents in the state’s big cities, Texans in many rural areas may have fewer options in the new federally run health insurance marketplace. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll pay higher premiums, analysts say.

In Austin to highlight insurance enrollment efforts under the Affordable Care Act, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius acknowledged problems with the online marketplace and criticized some Texas leaders’ efforts to block the law.

The uncertainty surrounding the medical provider networks of health plans offered through the federal health insurance marketplace has created a headache for both consumers and doctors.

Texas’ high-risk insurance pool for some of the state’s sickest residents will close at year’s end, pushing participants to find coverage in the federal health insurance marketplace. Advocates are getting the word out to ensure residents don’t have a lapse in coverage.

Because Texas chose not to expand Medicaid, 1 million poor, uninsured adults won’t have access to insurance options available under the Affordable Care Act, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report released Wednesday.