Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s Headlines – July 6, 2012
Los Angeles Times: Obama Takes The Offensive On His Healthcare Law A week after the Supreme Court upheld most of President Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement, the politics of healthcare held center stage in the presidential campaign, shoving aside the economic debate that has dominated most of the last several months. In a notable shift […]
Hospitals Concerned About States’ Interest In Opting Out Of Medicaid Expansion
As Republican-led states mull the possibility of not expanding their programs under the health law, news outlets look at who would be affected.
Obama Assails Romney For Shift On Mandate
President Barack Obama questions whether Republican Mitt Romney’s view that the mandate is a tax is “abandoning a principle” because of pressure from critics. Romney’s campaign says he hasn’t changed his views, and that the mandate is different on a federal level.
Study: High CEO Pay Doesn’t Boost Hospital Quality
Everybody agrees the health system needs to improve patient results even as it becomes more efficient. So shouldn’t we reward hospital managers who make progress in both areas? That doesn’t seem to be the case in New Hampshire, according to a new study from the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies. At a time when many contend that hospitals should focus […]
Congressional GOP Planning Rollback Of Individual Health Law Provisions
As the House Rules Committee schedules a hearing on the bill to repeal the full 2010 health law, Republican members and staff examine how to target individual provisions through budget reconciliation.
Obama, On Campaign Swing, Says Health Law ‘Here To Stay’
On a bus tour in Ohio, the president touts his health overhaul, adding he was willing to work with critics to improve the legislation that requires most Americans to purchase health care.
Proposed Rules Would Bar Aggressive Medical Debt Collection Tactics From Nonprofit Hospitals
New proposed rules from the IRS would require nonprofit hospitals to avoid the most aggressive debt collection methods against lower-income patients.
New HIV Test Results Are ‘Preliminary’ And Need Doctors’ Confirmation
In reports on two major public health issues, experts seek to remind people that the new HIV test offer only a preliminary result, so a confirmation from a physician is necessary, and a Kentucky health veteran works to stem the diabetes epidemic there.
Roundup: Feds Rank Texas Last In Health Care Delivery
A selection of health policy stories from Texas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Colorado, Minnesota, California, Florida and Oregon.
Research Roundup: Crowded Emergency Departments, Expensive HIV Drugs
This week’s studies come from the Rand Corp., the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Annals of Emergency Medicine and other media reports.
State Officials Pursue Divergent Paths On Health Law
Missouri Republicans aim to bar the Democratic governor, or the federal goverment, from setting up an insurance exchange without approval of voters or state legislators, while in Massachusetts, which implemented the prototype of the federal law, 44,000 residents pay fines for not carrying insurance.
Viewpoints: Romney’s Mandate Problem; Rage At Roberts; Should Feds Take Over Medicaid?
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the nation.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including President Barack Obama’s defense of the health law on the campaign trail and an examination of how Mitt Romney viewed the Massachusetts requirement for health insurance.
Kentucky Public Health Expert Says Diabetes Epidemic ‘Really Requires Community Action And Support’
Gilbert Friedell, a doctor who founded a state health care committee, says many residents of Appalachia acknowledge that their families “have a touch of sugar,” but they can’t fight the disease by themselves.
How Many Will Remain Uninsured if States Don’t Expand Medicaid?
Since the Supreme Court ruled that states won’t be required under the health law to expand Medicaid, Washington has been buzzing with estimates about the numbers of poor people who could be left uninsured. But the numbers so far have been inflated, because they included both those who would become eligible for the first time […]
Medicaid Expansion Already An Issue In Some Gubernatorial Races
Hours after the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama’s health law but made its Medicaid expansion optional, Missouri Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Randles said the state would be foolish to expand the health insurance program for the poor — even it means passing up hundreds of millions of federal dollars. “States that accept this new […]
Today’s Headlines – July 5, 2012
Good morning! Hope you had a great holiday. Here are your headlines: Politico: Romney Shifts, Says Mandate’s A Tax Directly contradicting his senior adviser, Eric Fehrnstrom, presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney told CBS that the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate is “a tax.” Earlier this week, Fehrnstrom said in a TV appearance that Romney […]
A Look At How Health Policy Positions Can Be Politically Sold, Accurate Or Not
Marketing experts tackle health policy messaging, as the president campaigns for an ally and news organizations fact-check political claims.
Marketing Mavens Offer Advice On Handling Health Law Messaging
By Sarah Barr, Matthew Fleming, Shefali S. Kulkarni, David Schultz and Christian Torres The reviews and polls are already starting to come in: The Supreme Court’s ruling last week did not have an immediate significant effect on public opinion of the health law. But that doesn’t mean that supporters and opponents won’t continue to try to shape […]
It’s Not Over: More Legal Challenges Loom Over Health Law
Legal challenges on the health law’s contraception mandate and a new Medicare panel could make for more health law fireworks.