Latest KFF Health News Stories
A selection of health policy stories from Kansas, Missouri, California, Oregon and Texas.
Viewpoints: The Medicaid Expansion ‘Dilemma;’ Mandate Not The Only Health Tax The GOP Backed
A selection of opinions and editorials on health care policy from around the United States.
Audit Finds Wrong Part Of Medicare Was Used To Pay For Hospice Patients’ Drugs
An audit found Medicare Part D paid for drugs for hospice beneficiaries that should have been covered under Medicare Part A, Modern Healthcare reports.
After Court Ruling, Public Opinion Still Divided On Health Law
News outlets examine the latest public opinion surveys on health care issues.
This week’s selections include articles from Newsweek, The Economist, The New York Times, The New Yorker and the Los Angeles Times.
FDA Approves At-Home HIV Test, Available In Oct.
The FDA has approved an at-home HIV test that gives results in under 40 minutes. The tests should be available in stores in October.
Employers Eye Defined Contribution Health Coverage
In other news on health care marketplace issues, TriWest loses its challenge to the Pentagon’s new contract for military health care, and researchers find prices increasing for children’s care.
Doctor Groups Sue Aetna, Insurer Says It’s Retaliation
In their lawsuit, California physicians claim Aetna is unfair to patients getting care outside of preferred-provider networks. The company says the suit is payback for Aetna’s own suit alleging corruption earlier this year.
Court Ruling Could Let States Cut Medicaid Rolls; More States Weigh Opting Out Of Expansion
The Supreme Court decision overturning the requirement that states expand their Medicaid programs is whipping up strong emotions in some state capitals.
Romney Contradicts Aide, Says Mandate Is A Tax
The Republican presidential candidate says the Supreme Court called the penalty for people not getting insurance a tax and “therefore it is a tax.”
Early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including articles on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s statement that the health law individual mandate is a tax.
Tax Or Penalty? Individual Mandate Haunts Romney
Updated 4:15 p.m. on July 4 The Massachusetts health care law, Mitt Romney’s signature achievement as governor, is adding more pressure to the expected GOP presidential nominee’s campaign. Romney’s support for the requirement that all residents have health insurance, known as the individual mandate, is at the heart of his predicament. The issue is whether […]
Report: Spending On Children’s Care Rose Because Of Higher Prices
Health care spending is growing significantly faster for children than for adults, and a new report finds that that’s largely because of price increases. From 2007 through 2010, per capita spending for children covered by an employer-sponsored plan increased 18.6 percent to slightly more than $2,100 a year. Also during the four years, the average cost of […]
States Could Cut Medicaid Rolls In 2014 As A Result Of Court Ruling
Some low-income adults could be thrown “into a black hole with nowhere to turn for coverage.”
Doc Payments Show Underbelly Of Pill Marketing
How do pharmaceutical companies boost sales and drive up health costs? Pay celebrity doctors to talk about their pills. Take doctors on lavish junkets. Misrepresent research. Push pills for unapproved uses. None of which comes as news, given previous revelations. Documents unsealed as part of GlaxoSmithKline’s settlement with federal prosecutors, however, offer a rare look […]
Today’s Headlines — July 3, 2012
Good morning! Have you caught your breath yet? Here are today’s headlines … Los Angeles Times: Poll Shows Americans Want Battles Over Healthcare Law To Stop In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to largely uphold President Obama’s healthcare law, a majority of Americans now want to put the fight over the Affordable Care […]
Webcast: Your Questions Answered About The Supreme Court Ruling
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey moderates a panel discussion with KHN’s Marilyn Werber Serafini, Politico’s Jennifer Haberkorn and the L.A. Times’ Noam N. Levey. The reporters field your questions and break down Thursday’s landmark Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the health law.
New Round Of Polls Shows Americans Are Ready To Move On
A mix of early poll results shows that, though the Supreme Court’s decision didn’t quiet the partisan feelings associated with the health law, many people want the battle over the sweeping overhaul to stop. Additionally, the ruling does not appear to have impacted opinions regarding the race for the White House.
Medicaid Expansion Draws Mixed Reaction From States
In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling making the law’s Medicaid expansion optional, some state officials say they will opt out because they cannot afford even 10 percent of the program’s costs. Others, though, are moving forward.
Antidepressant Use Among Seniors: Falling Through Medicare’s Doughnut Hole?
A new study links the gap in Medicare Part D coverage and cutbacks by seniors in using this and other medications.