Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Spending Over The Coming Decade Expected To Exceed Economic Growth
Government actuaries estimate that health care will account for 20 percent of gross domestic product by 2022.
Many Cancer Patients Overtreated In Final Days
Care is particularly aggressive in the Philadelphia area, according to a Dartmouth Atlas study.
Attacking Raccoons Used In Washington State Insurance Ads
This story was produced in partnership with The Washington Health Benefit Exchange has begun airing television commercials as part of a stepped-up campaign to promote the state’s online insurance marketplace, which opens for enrollment Oct. 1. The new TV spots convey the sobering message that going without health insurance is “playing with chance” and could lead […]
CBO Issues Not-So-Rosy Long-Term Budget Outlook
In the short term, the federal deficit will fall. But, starting in 2016, as more baby boomers join the Medicare ranks, the deficits again will pick up. With this news in the backdrop, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew warned Republican lawmakers of the dangers of risking a government default as part of their efforts to derail the implementation of the health law.
House GOP Considers Attaching Defunding Provision To Stopgap Measure To Prevent Shutdown
A vote could take place next week, which adds to concerns about the likelihood of a government shutdown. Also in the news, some Republicans are floating alternative strategies to help avert this drastic outcome.
Health On The Hill: ‘It’s A Fire Sale On The SGR’
With the Congressional Budget Office projecting a reduced cost for a long-term “doc fix,” Congress may seize the opportunity to end the annual adjustments to Medicare reimbursement rates. Mary Agnes Carey and CQ Roll Call’s Emily Ethridge discuss.
Sebelius Spends Third Day Touting Health Law In Florida
This story was produced in partnership with the As home to nearly four million residents with no health insurance and state legislators opposed to Obamacare, Florida holds a large stake in the outcome of federal healthcare reform, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told students, local health officials and politicians during a visit […]
Obamacare Navigators Caught In Debate Over Data Security
As Republican House investigators demand additional safeguards to ensure thieves don’t impersonate government-funded navigators to steal consumer information, the Obama administration plans a high-level effort to reassure people that their data are safe.
Putting The Health Law Puzzle Pieces Together, And Making Sense Of It
News organizations help make sense of all the different moving parts of the health law — attitudes, concerns, lawsuits and business decisions — as the nation gears up for Oct. 1’s launch of the health insurance exchanges.
Marketplace Enrollment Efforts Set To Move To Center Stage
Reuters examines whether there will be a sign-up surge, while other outlets look at efforts to prepare for the opening of the online insurance marketplaces next month.
Percentage Of Americans Without Health Coverage Drops For 2nd Year
The small decline was credited mainly to somewhat higher enrollments in Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Florida Battles Over Obamacare Intensify
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius made her third trip to Florida in a week to tout the health law, while state officials are taking steps to stymie enrollment in the new online insurance exchanges which open in two weeks.
Walgreens To Put Workers Into Private Health Insurance Exchanges
The move is part of trend among businesses to shift coverage responsibilities to their employees.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Wide Variation Among States In Access To Care, Coverage For Poor
State with high-performing health care systems are more likely to have poorer residents get heatlh coverage and preventive care, a new study finds.
State Highlights: Miss. Officials Want More Money For Mental Health, Medicaid
A selection of health policy stories from Mississippi, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and California.
Labor Dept. Mandates OT Pay, Minimum Wage For Home Health Workers
The Obama administration approved new rules that beginning Jan. 1, 2015, extend minimum wage and overtime payment to nearly 2 million home healthcare workers. Many in the mostly female and minority workforce are paid more than federal minimum wage, now $7.25 an hour, but don’t get time-and-a-half when they work more than 40 hours a week.
First Edition: September 18, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the Census Bureau’s latest figures on the nation’s uninsured as well as Congressional Budget Office long-term deficit projections and how that news fits into events in the ongoing Capitol Hill budget battles.
Health Plans Won’t be Able To Drop Individuals From Coverage
Open enrollments will be held annually for beneficiaries.
Insurance Marketplace 101: Answering Consumer Questions
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Julie Appleby were hosted by the Washington Post’s Charity Brown earlier today for a live discussion with Post readers about how the new online marketplaces will work under the health law. A transcript of that discussion is posted below. MARY AGNES CAREY: Welcome to today’s chat about the online marketplaces. […]