Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: October 23, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Report: Wide Variation In State Exchange Plans’ Covered Benefits
University of Pennsylvania researchers find variations are significant. Other news about the online health marketplaces that open next month include Oregon’s decision to ditch the old system for Medicaid enrollment, a review of navigators’ roles in Georgia, and Maryland officials’ assurances that their system will be ready.
Employers Devise Strategies To Avoid Obamacare Fines
With large companies facing potential fines next year for not offering health insurance, some are looking at approaches such as enrolling employees in Medicaid, reports The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, the federal government posts a notice Tuesday saying that it will continue to fund an optional health insurance program for the working poor in 2016.
State Highlights: Health Care Takes Center Stage In Debates In Maine, Arizona, Missouri
A selection of health policy stories from Maine, Arizona, Missouri, Oregon, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kentucky and Connecticut.
Coburn Issues ‘Wastebook’ That Includes ‘Unnecessary’ Spending At NIH
Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn’s list includes various programs that continue to receive funding even as National Institutes of Health officials express concern about the slowing of disease research.
Poll: Most Likely Voters Expect The GOP To Win Control Of Senate
Health care continues to be a big issue, though not as important as the economy.
Public Worries About Ebola Increase Faster Than Cases
A Pew Research Center survey finds 41 percent of Americans say they worry they or someone in their families will be “exposed” to the Ebola virus, up from 32 percent two weeks ago. Public confidence in the government’s ability to combat the disease has also dropped, finds a Gallup poll. Meanwhile, GOP doctors in the House of Representatives seek a temporary travel ban for West African countries affected by Ebola.
Hospitals’ Purchase Of Doctors’ Practices Boosts Costs, Study Finds
Hospital ownership of physician groups increased patient care costs by as much as 20 percent, according to the UC Berkeley study. Meanwhile, another study by Harvard researchers finds that switching to for-profit status may boost hospitals’ financial health but has no effect on quality of care.
Kasich’s Public Medicaid Expansion Fracas Moves Into Its Second Day
The Ohio governor is engaged in a spat with The Associated Press after the news outlet published comments in which he said he didn’t think the health law would be repealed. He has since offered further explanation, saying that he doesn’t think the Medicaid expansion — which he views as separate from the overhaul — should be undone.
Viewpoints: Fund CHIP; Media Overdrive On Ebola; Slowdown In Medicare Costs
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Longer Looks: Obamacare In The Midterm Campaign; Watching Ebola Mutate; Lessons On Dying
Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the web.
First Edition: October 22, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a new poll finding that that most likely voters expect GOP victories in November and that health care continues to be an important issue.
Kasich Retreats From Politically Charged Health Law Comments
After telling the Associated Press that he didn’t think a repeal of the health law was going to happen, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, took aggressive steps to attempt to correct the record. His statement, he said, was meant only about attempts to repeal the Medicaid expansion, which Ohio has implemented.
ACA Knowledge Gap Greatest Among Uninsured
Most of the uninsured know little about the online insurance marketplaces, or that financial help is available for those with low incomes, finds a poll. Meanwhile, a West Virginia Medicaid official says new enrollees “come in with baggage,” such as a history of using free drug samples that aren’t covered by the program and The Washington Post looks at continuing legal challenges to the law.
Few California Inmates With Hepatitis C Get Costly Sovaldi
The drug is being given to fewer than 1 percent of the 17,000 inmates with the virus in California prisons, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Meanwhile, a Senate Democrat plans a hearing on how VA hospitals are coping with its high cost.
Just In Time For Open Enrollment, A New Physician Rating Site
USA Today reports that the website uses about 500 million federal and private claims and patient reviews to rank doctors. Meanwhile, the failure of the $30 billion federal program to create interoperable electronic health record systems is examined by Politico.
Medicare, Health Care Getting Attention In Senate, Congressional Races
In Louisiana’s Senate race, Medicare is grabbing the spotlight. The powerful issue is also popping up in North Carolina and Iowa. Meanwhile, Michigan’s Senate race references to Medicare and the health law are checked for accuracy. And Obamacare is the subject of ads in an increasingly high-profile California House contest.
Medicaid Expansion, Health Exchanges Dominate Gubernatorial Debates
In Georgia, where a runoff is considered likely, Gov. Nathan Deal went on the offensive and criticized a third-party candidate’s support for expanding Medicaid. In Maryland, Republican candidate Larry Hogan slammed Democratic Lt. Governor Anthony Brown for his role in the state’s troubled health exchange launch.
State Highlights: Calif. Ballot Measure Updates; Va. Prison Health Care Budget Shortfall
A selection of health policy stories from California, Arizona, Maine, South Dakota, Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas, Washington state and Missouri.
Viewpoints: Health Care Opponent’s Legal Strategy; The Challenge For This Open Enrollment
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
