Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
Covered California Reports Enrollment Figures For First Three Weeks Of The Sign-Up Period
The state’s exchange said about 49,000 people signed up for plans and another estimated 160,000 people applied for Medi-Cal coverage. News outlets also report on exchange and enrollment developments in Oregon and Maryland.
First Edition: December 11, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Gruber In The Hot Seat; Obama’s Reflux; Transplant Rule Changes
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
State News: N.Y. Single-Payer Hearing; Texas Bill On ‘Compassionate-Use’ Policies
Also, a selection of health policy stories from North Carolina, Georgia, Kansas, Connecticut, Oklahoma and Maryland.
FDA Meeting Likely To Highlight Clash Between Brand-Name, Generic Drug Makers
CQ HealthBeat sets the scene for next month’s Food and Drug Administration meeting. Also in the news, Bloomberg reports that drug makers are increasingly using pharmacy records to target patients with web ads.
Minn. Nursing Home Handles Residents’ Agitation Without Risky Drugs
The efforts buck a national trend toward using antipsychotic drugs to treat the elderly, NPR reports. In other news about quality of care issues, The Philadelphia Inquirer examines the debate on end-of-life treatments and HHS awards grants to some health centers.
Study: Workers’ Share Of Health Costs Nearly Doubles In A Decade
The amount that workers contribute toward premiums for their job-sponsored insurance climbed from $606 in 2003 to $1,170 in 2013, according to the Commonwealth Fund report. Meanwhile, the wellness programs that many employers have instituted to curb rising health costs are still unproven.
Colorado Legislative Panel Seeks Greater Oversight Of Exchange
After a partial audit found possible illegal payments by Colorado’s health exchange, a legislative committee voted unanimously for a comprehensive audit next year. Meanwhile, a Montana economist testifies that Medicaid expansion is a good deal for that state but many lawmakers remain reluctant to move forward.
Gruber, In Hill Testimony, Apologizes And Plays Down His Role In Crafting Health Law
The former administration adviser is blasted by both Democrats and Republicans for his comments suggesting that officials got the law passed through a lack of transparency and “the stupidity” of American voters.
Some Health Law Provisions Become Capitol Hill Targets
As some Republican lawmakers step up their opposition to the health law’s Independent Payment Advisory Board and consider turning to the Supreme Court for an assist, medical device makers are pushing for repeal of an Affordable Care Act tax on their products.
Spending Deal Pushes Some Health Issues Into Next Year
The $1.1 trillion spending bill released Tuesday evening expands funding for international health efforts on AIDS and for fighting Ebola both at home and abroad. But it would bring little change to other domestic health care concerns. In addition, the Medicare “doc fix” got rolled into next year.
