Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: Democrats’ ‘Family Feud’ On Health Law; ‘TRAP Laws’ Threaten Abortion Rights
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
State Highlights: Calif. Push For Immigrant Health Care; Costs and Hospital-Owned Doctor Practices
News outlets also examine health policy issues in Missouri, Wisconsin, New York and Florida.
Big GOP Gains Could Mean More Anti-Abortion Laws
Also, Colorado lawmakers ready their own birth control funding fight.
Supreme Court To Consider Case About Job Protections For Pregnant Women
Groups representing women, workers, employers and others will watch the case to see how the justices handle a company’s refusal to reassign a woman to light duty during her pregnancy.
GAO Questions Hospital Pricing Deals
The government watchdog questions whether hospitals are properly reporting revenue received from group purchasing organizations. Meanwhile, federal investigators, posing as consumers, investigated prices of a colonoscopy and a hernia repair. Often, they had trouble getting answers.
House GOP Lawsuit Highlights Little-Noticed Health Law Funding Provision
The measure offers financial assistance to help low- and moderate-income people reduce their co-payments, deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs.
Business CEOs Raise Objections To EEOC’s Handling Of Health Law’s Wellness Provisions
The dispute could undermine large businesses’ support for the health law, Reuters reports. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports that legal immigrants are having difficulty signing up for coverage on the insurance marketplaces and several outlets examine the administration’s efforts to increase enrollment.
Enrollment Begins For Healthy Pennsylvania — The State’s Effort At Medicaid Expansion
News outlets also report on expansion efforts in Arizona and Wyoming.
Insurer Competition In Many Counties Drives Down Premiums
In Minnesota, meanwhile, Republicans who won control of the state House are looking for ways to challenge the health law there but will face checks from the Democrat-controlled state Senate and executive. And in California, insurance agents who signed people up for coverage wait to be paid.
Slow Start, Scant Interest In Small Business Exchanges
Participation in the government insurance exchanges designed for small businesses has been minimal so far and at least in Missouri, one reason may be the scant offerings, reports The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Caution: Your Health Insurance Plan May Have High Deductibles
High deductible plans are having an effect on whether people get care, and are just one of the things consumers should check before deciding what to buy.
First Edition: December 1, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Medicare Tightens Non-Emergency Use Of Ambulances To Combat Fraud
Advocates say many poor seniors who need dialysis and cancer treatments will have few transportation options.
More Competition Helps Restrain Premiums In Federal Health Marketplace
In counties that are adding at least one insurer next year, average premiums for the least expensive silver plan are rising 1 percent on average, compared to 7 percent in counties where the number of insurers is not changing, KHN analysis finds.
School District Pays For Health Care But Can’t Get Itemized Bill
Like most big employers, the Miami-Dade County Public School system is self-insured, but finding out just how much they are expected to pay for many health care procedures for employees is proving difficult.
Administration: Hundreds Of Thousands Already Enrolled In Obamacare
HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell made the announcement Wednesday.
Nearly Half A Million Select Obamacare Plans Through Healthcare.gov In First Week
HHS says it will provide weekly and monthly snapshots of the signups in the 37 states relying on the federal exchange.
Viewpoints: Schumer’s Second Thoughts About Obamacare; Need For ‘Candor’ On Welfare State
A selection of opinions on health care from around the United States.
State Highlights: Texas Court Rejects Mentally Ill Man’s Appeal; VA Hospital Death Probed
News outlets also look at health developments in Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, Texas and Washington state.
Longer Looks: 3-D Medical Printing; Healthier Hospitals; Early Cancer Detection Pitfalls
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.