Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar

Read the latest stories and analysis from Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar.

Premiums unveiled for health overhaul plans

Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar · September 25, 2013 4:59 am

FILE - This April 30, 2013 file photo shows the short form for the new federal Affordable Care Act application in Washington. Getting covered through President Barack Obamaâs health care law might feel like a combination of doing your taxes and making a big purchase that requires some research. Youâll need accurate income information for your household, plus some understanding of how health insurance works, so you can get the financial assistance you qualify for and pick a health plan thatâs right for your needs. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

Applying for health insurance? Homework involved

Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar · September 12, 2013 6:08 am

FILE - In this March 23, 2010 file photo, Marcelas Owens of Seattle, left, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., right, and others, look on as President Barack Obama signs the health care bill in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Haves and have-nots as health care markets open

Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar · September 12, 2013 6:06 am

‘Obamacare’ contractors project confidence

Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar · September 10, 2013 6:31 pm

This photo taken Aug. 27, 2013 shows Bev Veals waiting for her chemotherapy treatment at Duke Cancer Center in Durham, N.C. Coping with advanced cancer, Veals was in the hospital for chemo this summer when she got a call that her health plan was shutting down. Then, the substitute coverage she was offered wanted $3,125, on top of premiums. It sounds like one of the insurance horror stories President Barack Obama used to sell his health overhaul to Congress, but Veals wasnât in the clutches of a profit-driven company. Instead, sheâs covered by Obamaâs law _ one of about 100,000 people with serious medical issues in a financially troubled government program. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Patient’s bill soars as health law program falters

Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar · September 9, 2013 6:27 pm

White House proposes new rules on employer mandate

Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar · September 5, 2013 9:21 pm

FILE - This Oct. 11, 2012 file photo shows a basket of medical supplies await storage in Brookhaven, Miss. The No. 1 question about President Barack Obamaâs health care law is whether consumers will be able to afford the coverage. Now the answer is coming in: The biggest study yet of premiums posted publicly by states finds that the sticker price will average about $270 a month if youâre a 21-year-old buying a mid-range policy. Thatâs before government tax credits that will act like a discount for most people, bringing down the cost based on their income. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Health law coverage may track workplace cost shift

Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar · September 5, 2013 8:15 pm

FILE - This Oct. 11, 2012 file photo shows a basket of medical supplies await storage in Brookhaven, Miss. The No. 1 question about President Barack Obamaâs health care law is whether consumers will be able to afford the coverage. Now the answer is coming in: The biggest study yet of premiums posted publicly by states finds that the sticker price will average about $270 a month if youâre a 21-year-old buying a mid-range policy. Thatâs before government tax credits that will act like a discount for most people, bringing down the cost based on their income. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

APNewsBreak: Early look at health law’s premiums

Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar · September 4, 2013 10:41 pm

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2011, file photo, Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Itâs an issue lawmakers may not want to have to explain at town hall meetings back home. An attempt to fix a problem with the new health care law has created a situation in which members of Congress and their staffers could gain access to abortion coverage, something that currently is denied to federal employees who get health insurance through the government. "Under this scheme (the government) will be paying the administrative costs," said Smith, author of abortion funding ban for federal employee plans. "Itâs a radical deviation and departure from current federal law, and itâs not for all federal employees, but for a subset: Congress. Us." (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg, File)

Abortion coverage for Congress under health law?

Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar · August 16, 2013 9:45 pm

FILE - In this June 8, 2010 file photo, President Barack Obama listens as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius speaks in Wheaton, Md. About half the people who now buy their own health insurance_ and potentially face higher premiums next year under President Barack Obamaâs health care law_ would qualify for federal tax credits to offset rate shock, according to a new private study. Many others, however, earn too much money to be eligible for help, and could end up paying more. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Study: Half who now buy own health plan to get aid

Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar · August 14, 2013 11:16 am

FILE - In his May 9, 2013 file photo, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Obama administration has tossed back in the lap of Congress a prickly political question involving health insurance for staffers and lawmakers themselves. Proposed regulations issued Wednesday say lawmakers' offices should individually decide whether staffers are subject to a health law provision that would require them to switch their insurance from the federal plan to new coverage coming next year under President Barack Obama's overhaul. The rules do clarify that the government will continue to pay its standard share of premiums, resolving one of the biggest unknowns about the health law provision, which was authored by Grassley. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

White House floats health care fix for Congress

Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar · August 7, 2013 10:00 pm

FILE - In this April 12, 2103 file photo, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Just eight weeks remain before uninsured Americans can start shopping online for subsidized health insurance under the president's overhaul. Sebelius said Monday consumers can now go online to healthcare.gov and create personal accounts by establishing a username and password. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Personal ‘Obamacare’ accounts debut

Ricardo AlonsoZaldivar · August 5, 2013 9:10 pm