Latest KFF Health News Content

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Efforts To Reach Fiscal Deal Gain Momentum

Morning Briefing

Some Capitol Hill lawmakers are increasingly pushing to find a way to avert a fiscal crisis. Also in the news from Congress, Republicans continue their investigation of the White House’s negotiations with health care interest groups during the health law debate in 2009.

Sept. 11 Compensation Fund To Cover Cancer Costs

Morning Briefing

A Sept. 11 compensation fund will cover the treatment of many different kinds of cancers — at a cost of up to $147 million — for people exposed to toxic material during and after the attacks.

Organized Rallies Around U.S. Decry Contraception Coverage Mandate

Morning Briefing

More than 100 organized rallies in states around the nation this weekend decried the Obama administration decision to require insurers and employers to cover contraception in their health plans as an attack on their religious freedom.

First Edition: June 11, 2012

Morning Briefing

Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that UnitedHealthcare plans to honor some health law provisions regardless of what the Supreme Court decides.

State Medicaid Head: Uncertainty, Legislative Politics Have Slowed State Implementation

KFF Health News Original

Andy Allison, Arkansas Medicaid director and president of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, is adamant that cash-strapped states won’t be able to do much to expand coverage to the uninsured if the Supreme Court strikes down the law.

Toobin’s Tips On SCOTUS Decision

KFF Health News Original

Every week, KHN reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni selects interesting reading from around the Web. ABC News: Health Scare: How Much Will You Pay For Health Care? When the nurse calls my name, I head up to the check-in desk. “I’m sorry,” she says as she lowers her eyes and hands me the phone. On the […]

‘Health Reform Bracketology’ Offers Roadmap To ACA’s Future

KFF Health News Original

When is the Supreme Court like the NCAA? When health care consultant Mike Leavitt works up an interactive PDF bracket to lay out many of the possible scenarios that could result from the upcoming Supreme Court decision on the health law, combined with the outcome of November elections. It comes with all the tension and […]

Rewarding Docs For Efficiency Reaps Savings For Insurer

KFF Health News Original

Can bonuses of $10,000 or more spur primary care doctors to cut expensive hospital admissions and emergency room visits without harming care? CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield says the answer is yes. The insurer, which covers people in Maryland, Washington and Virginia, says its “patient-centered medical program” shaved $40 million — or 1.5 percent — off expected costs last year, its first in operation. Much […]

Today’s Headlines – June 8, 2012

KFF Health News Original

Good morning and happy Friday! Here are some headlines to get your weekend rolling: The New York Times’ The Caucus: New Poll: The Supreme Court And The Health Care Law More than two-thirds of Americans hope the Supreme Court will overturn some or all of the 2010 health care law, according to a new poll […]