Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports from the presidential campaign trail and from the health care marketplace.
Hospitals’ Readmissions Rates Not Budging
Medicare data show little improvement in curbing the number of beneficiaries who are readmitted despite threats of financial penalties to hospitals.
Today’s Headlines – July 19, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a variety of stories exploring public opinions about the health law, the upcoming election and the Supreme Court. NPR: A Majority Of Voters In NPR Poll Favor Amending, Not Repealing, Health Care Act A new poll done for NPR by a bipartisan polling team shows […]
Polling Indicates Americans Still Divided On Health Law
An NPR poll shows that a slight majority – 51 percent – favored amending rather than doing away with the health law. A Quinnipiac poll in Virginia found that 50 percent of respondents said Congress should repeal the overhaul.
Frist Urges State Leaders To Move Quickly On State-Based Exchanges
In an op-ed published Wednesday in “The Week,” former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., who is also a surgeon, suggested that GOP governors rethink their rejection of the online insurance markets called for in the health law.(Frist is a member of The Kaiser Family Foundation board. KHN is an editorially independent project of the foundation.)
Scalia says press reports of a clash between him and the chief justice on the health law ruling are wrong.
Survey: Medicare Beneficiaries Happier With Coverage Than Younger People On Private Plans
The poll results, published in Health Affairs, found that 8 percent of seniors said their coverage was “fair” or “poor” while 20 percent of those with a plan offered through work said that.
Maine Governor’s Medicaid Plan Could Lead To ‘Direct Confrontation’ With Feds
Gov. Paul LePage views the recent Supreme Court health law decision as license to make deep cuts to Maine’s Medicaid rolls. Meanwhile, in news related to the Medicaid expansion, Arkansas officials estimate future savings of $372 million if it proceeds with the expansion.
The health law’s insurance exchanges make news in Michigan, where the governor won’t get House approval to start work on the marketplace, and in Oregon, where the exchange board eyes a communication campaign to help insure people.
States Draw Stark Lines On Abortion With Lawsuits And Legislation
State laws — 40 of them in 15 states — are making it harder to get an abortion in the U.S., according to a new report. Meanwhile, a House panel approves new measure to curb abortion in the District of Columbia.
Economy Dominates Voter Concerns, While Health Law Bubbles On Back Burner
Though the economy seems to be trumping the health law on the campaign trail, the overhaul is one of the flashpoints in what the New York Times describes as a “philosophic clash” over the role of the federal government. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama, campaigning in Florida, is expected to talk Medicare. In the background, Vice President Joseph Biden says Obama expected the political backlash triggered by the health law.
House Subcommittee Approves Spending Bill That Deletes Health Law Funding
The measure, which is part of the GOP plan to defund the health overhaul, also deletes all federal funding for Planned Parenthood and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
EHR Adoption By Doctors Reaches 55 Percent
Medscape reports that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 3 in 4 physicians who use electronic health records say the EHRs have enhanced patient care.
Documentary Film Provides Glimpse Into The World Of Public Hospitals
The NewsHour reports that a new documentary provides a “fly-on-th-wall look” at the inside of a public hospital.
Postal Service Expects To Miss Health Benefits Payment
The annual $5.5 billion payment, due Aug. 1, is to a health benefits fund for future retirees. The Postal Service is warning that it will defaut without congressional action.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the nation.
A selection of health policy stories from Minnesota, Florida, Oregon, California, Massachusetts and Georgia.
Longer Looks: Physicians And Assisted Suicide; Avoid Getting Sick In July
This week’s articles come from ABC News, The Daily Beast, The Atlantic, The New York Times and Salon.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a variety of stories exploring public opinions about the health law, the upcoming election and the Supreme Court.
Q&A: Upfront Payment For Medical Procedures
Michelle Andrews answers a consumer question about providers requesting advance payment for medical tests and other services.