Latest KFF Health News Stories
If No Medicaid Expansion, Low-Income State Residents Won’t Face Mandate
A rule published Wednesday exempts low-income people from the health law’s requirement to buy insurance if they live in states that decide against expanding Medicaid. News outlets also report on the latest related developments from Ohio, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Oklahoma and California.
State Highlights: Maine To Permit Rx Drugs From Canada
A selection of health policy stories from Maine, Oregon, Georgia, Minnesota, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington, Missouri and California.
D.C. Officials Plan $47M Medicaid Payback After Claims Processor Collapse
The collapse of a company that managed Medicaid claims in the District of Columbia — D.C. Chartered Health — left health care providers without any way to be reimbursed for care they gave under the District’s Medicaid program.
Facing A Tight Deadline, Long-Term Care Panel Holds First Meeting
The commission, set up by Congress to offer recommendations on paying for services to help seniors and disabled people, has only a few months left to do its work.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that the high court sent a tentative signal Thursday that it was moving toward hearing a case on the regulation of abortion-inducing drugs.
Big Changes Ahead For Those Who Buy Their Own Insurance
Premiums may increase for young people, but the flip side is insurers must take all comers, broaden benefits and cap out-of-pocket costs.
Those Left Out Of Medicaid Expansion Won’t Have To Buy Insurance
Low-income Americans who live in states that have decided not to expand Medicaid eligibility will not face penalties if they fail to buy insurance next year. That’s according to a final rule on exemptions to the health law’s individual mandate – the law’s controversial requirement that most Americans have health coverage or pay a penalty […]
Medicare Enhances Doctor-Rating Website
Medicare Thursday added new features to its Physician Compare website as it prepares to start including quality data on thousands of doctors. The federal health care law requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to publish performance data on doctors, including how patients rate them, how well the physicians’ medical interventions succeed and how […]
High Court’s DOMA Ruling Will Impact Health Benefits For Gay Couples
The decision will affect benefits for federal employees, as well as people eligible for new coverage under the health law, and will likely lead employers in the states that recognize same-sex marriages to review employee-benefit packages to make sure they don’t discriminate against gay spouses and comply with the law.
Democrats To Sebelius: Confusion Over Health Law Persists
Politico reports that congressional Democrats shared concerns with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that seniors, among others, remain fearful about the health law’s impact on their benefits. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times explores a loophole that could allow insurers to avoid some of the law’s provisions for another year and The Associated Press reports the individual mandate exemption has been broadened for Native Americans.
Test Driving The Obamacare Software
All the outreach in the world won’t count for much if the Obamacare ticket counter doesn’t work. Behind the campaign to educate the uninsured about the Affordable Care Act is the assumption that software to sell the plans will be ready and user-friendly by Oct. 1, when enrollment is supposed to start. That assumption is […]
Texas Abortion Fight Inspires Activists
The victory of Texas abortion-rights activists may be shortlived — Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced he would reconvene lawmakers next week to vote again on the measure — but it is rallying people across the country on both sides of the issue.
Former CMS Head: Tie Doc Payment Reforms To Patient Outcomes
A former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator told the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday that Medicare should focus on fewer quality measures in their assessments, letting patient outcomes dictate what constitutes quality care instead.
Treating People In Docs’ Offices Instead Of ERs May Not Save As Much As Thought
Helping people avoid the ER and caring for them in doctors’ offices instead may not help save as much money to the health care system as initially thought, a new study suggests.
When States Reject Medicaid Expansion, Safety-Net Hospitals In A Bind
The Washington Post highlights a Georgia hospital to illustrate the choices safety net hospitals will face if their states opt against the health law’s Medicaid exansion. Also, a number of states continue to grapple with debate and decisions related to the expansion issue.
Florida Firm Gets Religious Reprieve From Health Law’s Contraception Rule
An update on employers’ legal challenges to the provisions requiring contraceptive coverage.
Exchanges Look To Software And Sports Teams
News outlets report on enrollment activities, including efforts to recruit sports teams, as well as the testing of software for the new online insurance marketplaces.
Viewpoints: Late Hospital Bills Perplex Consumers; Personal Health Data Can ‘Revolutionize’ Care
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
State Highlights: Miss. Lawmakers Ready For Special Session On Medicaid
A selection of health policy stories from Mississippi, New York, South Carolina, Kansas, Oregon, California and Colorado.
Weekend Reading: Chemo Revolution, Lyme Disease Confusion and The Residency Mismatch
This week’s stories come from The New York Times, Time, The New Yorker and The New England Journal of Medicine.