Patients with private insurance like the drug coupons because they can help make specialty medicines more affordable. But health care analysts say the coupons may also discourage patients from considering appropriate lower-cost alternatives, including generic drugs. DNY59/Getty Images hide caption
The House bill calls for $65 million in loans and grants, administered by the USDA, to establish "association-style" health plans that likely wouldn't have to cover hospitalization, prescription drugs or emergency care. Zach Gibson/Getty Images hide caption
The new exemptions will mostly apply to penalty payments tied to 2018 taxes and to the previous two years. PeopleImages/Getty Images hide caption
Money deposited in a health savings account is tax-deductible, grows tax-free and can be used to pay for medical expenses. The annual maximum allowable contribution to an HSA is slightly lower for some people this year. Fanatic Studio/Collection Mix: Subjects RF/Getty Images hide caption
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine (center), is joined on Wednesday by Sen. Lindsey Graham (from left), R-S.C., Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore. Collins was pushing for provisions in the budget bill aimed at lowering premiums for people purchasing health insurance in the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces. That didn't happen. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption
Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter says Thursday's letter from the Trump administration "was not a rejection of our approach," but rather an invitation to keep talking about how to make Idaho's state-based health plans pass muster. Otto Kitsinger/AP hide caption
Confused about whether your health plan is ACA-compliant? To be sure you're using your state's official marketplace, start with HealthCare.gov, and click on "see if I can change." Hero Images/Getty Images hide caption
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks to the House Ways and Means Committee last week in Washington about the FY19 budget. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar faced questions Wednesday from the House Ways and Means Committee about Idaho's move. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption
When President Trump decided to stop making the cost-sharing reduction payments to health insurers, New York and Minnesota lost significant funding to a health program that covers more than 800,000 low-income residents. Pool/Getty Images hide caption
Critics say Idaho's insurance department can't unilaterally ignore federal law, including some of the Affordable Care Act's protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Otto Kitsinger/AP hide caption
A sign in support of Oregon's Measure 101 is displayed by a homeowner along a roadside in Lake Oswego, Ore. Tuesday's special election puts decisions over how the state funds Medicaid in voters' hands. Gillian Flaccus/AP hide caption
Demonstrators protest at Sen. Dean Heller's, R-Nev., office in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), programs on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. Jose Luis Magana/AP hide caption
Up to one half of rural residents are covered by Medicaid, says Michelle Mills, CEO of Colorado Rural Health Center. And they're typically older, poorer and sicker than city dwellers. John Daley/CPR hide caption
The CHIP program provides health coverage to 9 million children from lower-income households that make too much money to qualify for Medicaid. The $2.85 billion Congress allocated in December was supposed to fund CHIP programs in all states through March 31. But federal health officials say it won't stretch that far. Karl Tapales/Getty Images hide caption
Each year, hundreds of hospitals lose 1 percent of their Medicare payments through the Hospital-Acquired Conditions Reduction Program. The penalties — now in their fourth year — were created by the Affordable Care Act to drive hospitals to improve the quality of their care. Maskot/Getty Images hide caption
Kelley Mui helps a client sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act on Dec. 15 at the Midwest Asian Health Association in Chicago. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption
Some Republicans see HSAs as a great way of helping consumers deal with mounting medical costs. It's still possible a change to the rules governing who can have an HSA and what they are allowed to cover could be added to another bill, some analysts say. Gary Waters/Ikon Images/Getty Images hide caption
The homepage of the Affordable Care Act exchange on Nov. 1, 2017 in Miami. The open enrollment period to sign up for a health plan on HealthCare.gov runs through Dec. 15; several states with their own health care exchanges have later deadlines. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption
Isabel Diaz Tinoco and Jose Luis Tinoco had some questions for the Miami insurance agent who helped guide them in signing up for a HealthCare.gov policy at the Mall of the Americas in November. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption
Opposition to Obamacare has been strong from the beginning. Demonstrators made their dissatisfaction clear in front of the Supreme Court in 2015. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
A week after Hurricane Harvey swept through southern Texas in August, the streets of Katy, Texas, were still flooded. People in Puerto Rico and the Southeastern U.S. who were affected by the hurricanes are among those who may have extra time to enroll for 2018 health plans. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, walks through the Capitol with colleagues in early December. Aaron P. Bernstein/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
