Latest KFF Health News Stories
Senate Democrats Ponder ‘Clean’ Debt Limit Bill; GOP Holds Obamacare Ground
Democratic leaders in the Senate are mulling passing a “clean” bill — one with no other policy changes — that would increase the nation’s debt limit. House Republican leadership continues to refuse any proposal that doesn’t strike some parts of the new health law. In the meantime, political posturing around the government shutdown sometimes ignores the health law’s role in it.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Report: States Lax In Taking Steps To Curb Prescription Drug Abuse
The number of deaths attributed to the abuse of painkillers and other prescription drugs has risen sharply in recent years.
Supreme Court Justices Seek Administration Views In Medical Device Case
Reuters reports on how this case is playing out in the high court.
Report: Even States Opting Out Of Medicaid Expansion Will See Enrollees, Costs Rise
Media outlets report on a Kaiser Family Foundation study that projected a 5 percent jump next year in the number of people enrolled in the state-federal insurance program for the poor, even in states that will not expand eligibility. Meanwhile, PBS NewsHour examines the impact on the uninsured of state decisions not to participate in the health law’s Medicaid expansion.
HHS Sec. Sebelius: ‘I Don’t Know’ How Many Have Enrolled
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on The Daily Show Monday that she doesn’t know how many people have enrolled in health insurance exchanges, but that “hundreds of thousands” of accounts have been created and that officials will give monthly reports on enrollment.
Cost Issues: Expensive Patients; Payoff From Delaying Aging; Approving New Treatments
Cost and quality issues in the news include research about the costliest U.S. patients, the potential that delaying aging instead of treating disease could have on extending life, and examining how the U.S. compares to other countries on approving new medical treatments.
The vets say a new tax aimed at helping pay for changes from the health overhaul is hurting them, according to KHN. Meanwhile, Healthy Cal looks at closing of the prescription drug coverage gap. CNN also explores the arguments over the law’s effect on overall health spending.
Despite Sales Efforts, Polls Show Continued Obamacare Doubts
Even as states like California push the health law exchanges, bolstered by a growing list of celebrity pitchmen, surveys of some groups — among them, physician practices and likely Virginia voters — show continued doubts about the marketplaces.
State Highlights: Mass. Law Shines Light On Health Care Prices
A selection of health policy stories from California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and North Carolina.
First Edition: October 8, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the latest on how the health law’s online insurance marketplaces are operating and what caused the initial systemic problems.
Brokers and insurers can sell their traditional products, but they may also sell some plans available on the marketplaces that offer subsidies for customers.
Costliest 1 Percent Of Patients Account For 21 Percent Of U.S. Health Spending
Most of these patients have multiple chronic illnesses and all too often they wind up in emergency rooms because they have enormous difficulty navigating the increasingly fragmented, complicated and inflexible health-care system.
Addressing A Dangerous Epidemic: Abuse Of Painkillers And Other Prescription Drugs
About 50 Americans die every day from a prescription drug overdose — a tally that, in most states, turns out to be more than deaths from car accidents. In a new report, “Prescription Drug Abuse: Strategies to Stop the Epidemic,” researchers at the Trust for America’s Health found that rates of overdose and addiction doubled […]
Report: Even States Not Expanding Medicaid Will See Surge In Spending, Enrollment
Medicaid enrollment is expected to surge by nearly 12 percent next year in states expanding the program under the health law, but even states that will not expand eligibility project a 5 percent jump in the number of people enrolled in the state-federal health insurance program for the poor, according to a new report issued Monday. Total federal and state […]
In North Carolina, Medicaid Managed Care Companies Finding New Opportunities
Since Gov. Pat McCrory has proposed privatizing Medicaid, managed care companies from out of state have been increasing their presence in North Carolina.
Seattle Hospital Sues State Over Exclusion From Exchange Plan Networks
This story was produced in partnership with Seattle Children’s Hospital filed suit Friday over the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s “failure to ensure adequate network coverage” in several of the health plans sold on the state’s new online insurance marketplace, called Washington Healthplanfinder. Most health plans now being sold through the state’s new health-insurance […]
Health Exchanges Grapple With Software, Server Issues
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Obama administration acknowledged Sunday that it needs to make design, as well as capacity, fixes to the website set up to help consumers shop for health coverage. Other news outlets examined the capacity challenges faced both by the federal and state exchanges and the adjustments made over the weekend.
State Websites Stumble With First Steps; Provider Rates, Coverage Questions Emerge
News outlets report on state efforts to smooth out glitches in health insurance web sites.
Drug Companies Paid To Attend FDA Advisory Panel Meeting On Painkillers’ Safety And Effectiveness
The Washington Post reports on this develoment.