Latest KFF Health News Stories
A selection of editorials and opinions on health policy from around the nation.
Medicare Upcoding Could Be Adding To Health Care Costs
The Center for Public Integrity reports on a trend in which many physicians and other medical professionals are billing Medicare for complicated and costly care. Some say this pattern signals an increase in medical billing abuse while others maintain it reflects seniors’ need for more complex care.
Mo. College Files Its Own Lawsuit Over Contraception Mandate
In the meantime, Texas and Virginia officials also consider the health law’s contraception rule as well as new abortion regulations.
Mass. Court Upholds Dismissal Of Lawsuits Challenging Medicaid Payments
The Massachusetts’ court upheld the dismissal of lawsuits brought by some hospitals alleging the state’s 2006 health law didn’t reimburse them enough for caring for Medicaid patients.
First Edition: September 17, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a number of reports about how Medicare and other health policy issues are playing important roles on the campaign trail.
Recessions Harm Older Workers’ Long-Term Health, Data Show
There are 20 million Americans between 55 and 60. Nearly 1 million are unemployed, according to the Labor Department. Many more lack health coverage, suggests the Census Bureau’s new report on income, poverty and health insurance. Thanks to the lousy economy, the whole group is at higher risk for long-term health problems and earlier death, suggests new research from Wellesley College. Wellesley economist Phillip B. Levine and colleagues mashed mortality and […]
Colorado Gets Closer To Essential Health Benefit Benchmark
Colorado is moving forward with broad consensus among the state’s decision makers on the minimum level of health coverage people will be required to carry beginning in 2014.
Democrats Confident That Medicare Issue Will Help Them Win In November
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said that Republican plans for Medicare will drive votes to Democratic candidates.
White House Details The Reach Of Automatic Spending Cuts
Among the reductions is a 2 percent hit on Medicare provider payments. KHN tracked the news coverage on the announcement.
Hospital Readmission Rates Dropping Slightly, New Study Finds
A new government analysis has found that hospital readmission rates of Medicare patients have fallen more than previously reported, bolstering hope that hospitals are having some success at tackling this stubborn and expensive problem. Hospital readmissions have been getting extensive attention as a new penalty program kicks in next month, which will cost hospitals as […]
Automatic Budget Cuts Will Reduce Medicare Payments To Doctors, Providers By $11 Billion
The Obama administration released a report Friday afternoon detailing the automatic cuts that would begin in January as part of deal to raise the debt ceiling made last summer by the administration and Congress, staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports.
Workers’ Poor Health Costs Employers $344 Billion, Study Finds
Health costs aren’t just about how much employers pay to provide health insurance: Workers’ poor health costs employers $344 billion annually in lost productivity and absenteeism, a research group estimates. “Employers haven’t looked at the impact of health on absence from work or on performance while at work,” says Thomas Parry of the Integrated Benefits Institute, a […]
Today’s Headlines – Sept. 14, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including stories detailing the politics stirred up by GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan’s return to Capitol Hill, as well as reports about new poll numbers and the latest about how health issues are playing on the campaign trail. The Wall Street Journal: Spending Package Passes […]
Spending Measure Passes House With Ryan’s Support
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., returned to the chamber Thursday for the first time since he became the GOP vice presidential candidate, casting his vote for a measure that raised spending above the levels in his own budget. Republicans hailed him, while Democrats released a video highlighting his proposal to overhaul Medicare as a fixed subsidy program.
Medicare Policies Continue To Claim Campaign Trail Attention
The presidential and vice presidential candidates compare and contrast their plans, and some fact checkers set to work on sorting out what they are saying.
Research Roundup: Patients’ Experiences At Safety-Net Hospitals
This week’s studies come from Health Affairs, the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the Archives of Internal Medicine and other news outlets.
Most Californians Say They Couldn’t Pay For Nursing Home Care
A new survey of Californians finds that most residents say they couldn’t afford to pay for care in a nursing home for a family member.
Health Net Sued Over ‘Medically Unnecessary’ Coverage Denials
Some Californians are suing Health Net over the insurer’s refusal to cover some treatments after it deemed them medically unnecessary.
AHIP Offers Advice On Essential Benefits And Keeping Premium Costs Affordable
Meanwhile, Kansas officials are facing a ticking clock as they try to develop recommendations for what should make up the state’s essential benefits in individual and small group health insurance policies.
News outlets report that President Barack Obama fared well in several battleground states after the political conventions, posing a challenge for GOP nominee Mitt Romney.