Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: States Slow To Appreciate Danger Of Possible Subsidy Ruling; Problems With Medicaid
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
A selection of health policy news stories from Hawaii, California, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, Connecticut, Missouri, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Kansas and the District of Columbia.
Proposed Federal Rule Would Give Gay Spouses Equal Rights At Hospitals, Nursing Homes
The regulations would give the same rights to gay and straight spouses of patients no matter where they live — as long as the marriages are legal somewhere in the United States.
House Gives Nod To $1.1 Trillion Spending Bill
Tucked into the more than 1,600-page measure is a technical fix to the Affordable Care Act that benefits Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance plans.
Public Opinions On The Health Law Vary
A new Associated Press-GfK poll finds that most people think President Barack Obama will be able to prevent Congress from repealing the overhaul, but a Fox News poll found that the majority of Americans favor repealing the Affordable Care Act.
Alabama Gov. Signals Interest In Medicaid Expansion
Gov. Robert Bentley hints he would consider expanding Medicaid in the form of a federal block grant that includes employment requirements.
Connector officials say this scenario is expected because the first payment for 2015 coverage isn’t due until Dec.23. Meanwhile, news outlets in Maryland, Minnesota, California and Oregon track developments related to enrollments and the online insurance marketplaces.
Many Obamacare Enrollees Choose Not To Shop
Almost half of the 6.7 million people who remain enrolled in health exchange plans have not chosen new plans for 2015, which means they will be re-enrolled in the same policies even though the costs and benefits may be changing.
Philadelphia Transit Agency Sues Gilead Sciences To Challenge Sovaldi’s Price Tag
The transit system alleges that Gilead is engaging in price gouging with the drug to treat hepatitis C. The cost of a normal, 12-week course of treatment with Sovaldi is about $84,000, or $1,000 a pill.
First Edition: December 12, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Predicting The Fallout If The Health Law Is Undone; Variation In Medicine
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Longer Looks: Jonathan Gruber; An Ebola Survivor; Living With Medicaid
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Two Boston Teaching Hospitals Consider Merger
Tufts Medical Center and Boston Medical Center confirmed Wednesday that they are discussing this possibility. News outlets also report that a Veterans Affairs hospital project near Denver has stalled, and a pinch is already being felt after last week’s decision by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services to limit admissions to Osawatomie State Hospital.
Confusion Fuels Consumers’ Medical Debt
An estimated 42.9 million people have unpaid medical debts, in some cases because they misunderstand notices from hospitals and insurance companies, finds the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Aetna Offers Weaker-Than-Expected Earnings Forecast For The Year Ahead
The insurer has noted increasing membership and revenue in recent quarters, though medical costs also have gone up.
Capitol Hill Buzz Includes Surgeon General Talk, More On The Vitter Amendment
Senate Democrats are pushing to vote on the Obama administration’s nominee to be the nation’s top doctor while the Senate Republican Conference has given the okay to the so-called Vitter Amendment, which would require members of Congress and their staffs to obtain insurance coverage on the health law’s exchanges.
Spending Deal Includes Provisions With Health Industry Impact
News outlets detail the health provisions included in the $1.1 trillion spending deal currently pending on Capitol Hill.
Temporary Medicaid Pay Raise For Doctors Set To Expire Jan. 1
The pay cut, estimated to be 40 percent on average, could create access issues for low-income people just as the health law has added millions to the rolls, according to an Urban Institute study.
