Latest KFF Health News Stories
Gains driven largely by global benefits operation after Cigna reported earlier that its business on the health law marketplaces was soft. News outlets also examine Humana and WellPoint’s earnings.
House Approves Sweeping Overhaul Of Vets’ Health Care System
The chamber passed the $16.3 billion measure 420 to 5, and it is expected to clear the Senate by the end of the day Thursday.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
State Highlights: Maryland’s Top Health Official Leaving For Johns Hopkins
A selection of health policy stories from New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, North Carolina and Kansas.
Longer Looks: Pittsburgh’s ‘Frayed Safety Net’; Curing Cancer
Every week KHN reporter Marissa Evans finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the possible hazards that the future might hold for healthcare.gov.
Senate Unanimously Approves McDonald To Lead The VA
Robert A. McDonald, the 61-year-old former chief executive of Procter & Gamble and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, will take over the embattled VA after a scandal related to wait-time data led to the resignation of Eric Shinseki.
Legal Challenge To Health Law Taxes Rejected By Appeals Court
The lawsuit brought by the Pacific Legal Foundation and a small business owner argued that the overhaul was in violation of the Constitution’s Origination Clause.
Advocates Press Fla. Lawmakers On Medicaid Expansion To Help Working Poor
About 800,000 residents of the state are stuck in a “coverage gap” because they earn too much to qualify for Medicaid since the state did not expand its program under the health law but they don’t earn enough to qualify for federal tax credits.
Hawaii Weighs Efforts To Fix Online Health Marketplace
The state set up its own exchange, but it’s losing money, and officials are considering options for a long-term fix or a switch to the federal marketplace instead. Also, new reports examine how the uninsured view the marketplaces and young adults’ deliberations on health insurance.
California Health Premiums Soar, Leading To Health Law Talk And Statewide Ballot Initiative
State insurance commissioner Dave Jones predicts that insurers and the California health exchange will take steps to temper premium increases for the coming year.
IOM Study Finds U.S. Medical Training May Not Be Meeting Needs For Care
The comprehensive report calls for major changes in doctor training and points out that it is difficult to track how the $15 billion spent by the federal government is being used.
Survey Offers Progress Report On California’s Enrollment Efforts
The survey of uninsured people within the state, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, found that nearly six of 10 gained insurance during the first open enrollment period — but reaching the remaining holdouts will become more difficult.
Federal Court Rejects Miss. Law Targeting State’s Only Open Abortion Clinic
A federal appeals court blocked a Mississippi law from taking effect that would have caused the state’s only abortion clinic to close because it would impose “an undue burden” on women.
Several Insurers Report Lower Profits
WellPoint and Humana say higher expenses kept profits down in the second quarter.
State Highlights: New York Faces $1.3B Medicaid Payback Problem
A selection of health policy stories from California, North Carolina, Iowa, Massachusetts and Illinois.
Viewpoints: Narrow Networks ‘Here To Stay;’ Gun Owners Challenge Doctor Privileges In Fla.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including news from Capitol Hill on the Senate confirmation of Robert McDonald to head the VA.
Lawmakers Announce $17 Billion Deal To Overhaul VA Health Care
The overhaul makes it easier for veterans waiting a long time to see a VA doctor to get care from a private doctor’s office. It also includes money to hire new doctors and lease new clinic space. Negotiators are confident of the bill’s smooth passage through Congress.
Report: The Forecast For Medicare Trust Fund Is Flush ‘Til 2030
The Medicare trustees added four years to the solvency of the trust fund as Medicare’s financial circumstances experienced a slight improvement due in part to the continued slowdown in health care spending and, some say, elements of the health law.
