Latest KFF Health News Stories
State Highlights: Rural Telemedicine; Two Iowa Planned Parenthoods Closed
A selection of health policy stories from South Dakota, Washington state, Iowa, Arizona and Georgia.
Research Roundup: Funding For Safety-Net Hospitals; Insurance Competition
This week’s studies come from Health Affairs, The Annals of Internal Medicine, The Commonwealth Fund, Avalere Health and the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the Senate confirmation of Sylvia Mathews Burwell to be the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Senate To Vote On Confirmation Of Burwell As HHS Chief
The Senate is scheduled to proceed with consideration of the Obama administration pick to take over the Department of Health and Human Services.
House GOP Leaders Press White House On Veterans’ Health Care Scandal
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, is pushing President Barack Obama to do more while some senators are attempting to develop a bipartisan bill that would address delays in the delivery of health care for military veterans.
Feds Propose Easing Privacy Restrictions On Patients’ Drug Treatment Information
The Wall Street Journal reports that this step is part of the push to make it easier to use and share medical health records.
CBO To Stop Scoring Some Parts Of The Health Law
The congressional budget analysts announce that they will continue to track the financial impact of the marketplaces and the Medicaid expansion program but not some of the other smaller changes made under the law. Meanwhile, a new strategy for employers who provide health care is coming under scrutiny.
UnitedHealth Group Raises Dividend By 34 Percent
Despite its lackluster performance in the first quarter, attributed to government cuts to Medicare Advantage programs and new taxes, the insurer’s stock has climbed 28 percent since June 4, 2013, the day before its last dividend increase.
HHS Probes Data Discrepancies For 2 Million Enrollees
Administration officials said that in most cases, those discrepancies will not affect consumers’ coverage or the level of subsidies they received. Individuals are being asked to submit additional documentation to ensure they’re getting the correct tax credits. About half of the discrepancies involved the incomes people projected for 2014 versus their past income documented in tax returns and the other half involved citizenship or immigration information.
New Report Focuses Attention On Wait Times At El Paso VA Facility
The document, which was commissioned by Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, found wait times as long as 71 days for veterans who sought mental health treatment at the facility. This finding was very different from official statistics.
State Highlights: NYC Soda Fight Back In Court; Doc Training Slots In N.Y.
A selection of health policy stories from New York, Texas, California, Georgia, Connecticut and Maryland.
Medicaid Rolls Grow By 6 Million Since Health Law Rollout
The total, which includes 1.1 million people who signed up in April alone, does not indicate how many people gained coverage through the law’s expansion of Medicaid, a program pursued by 26 states. That’s because individuals who were eligible for Medicaid before the law’s passage, but not enrolled, also signed up.
Viewpoints: The Case For Doctors Making House Calls; The Measles Threat; The VA’s Value
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Longer Looks: When An ER Doctor Becomes An ER Patient; Google Glass Inside Operating Rooms
This week’s articles come from San Francisco Magazine, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian and The Weekly Standard.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the latest developments regarding congressional action on the veterans’ health care scandal as well as reports about the latest Medicaid enrollment figures in the context of the health law.
States Scramble To Pay Hefty Tab For Health Exchange Fixes
According to the Wall Street Journal, five states — Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada and Oregon — will look to their own funds, remaining federal grants and new federal funding requests to pay these costs. In addition, a new study examines the impact of cost-sharing subsidies. News outlets also report on health exchange developments in Missouri and Minnesota.
Democrats Tout Medicaid Expansion In Campaigns
But House Republicans are divided over their promise to vote on a health law alternative this year as millions of Americans are now enrolled in expanded Medicaid and subsidized private coverage. Meanwhile, a proposed tightening of work requirements for Utahans getting food stamps could complicate the state’s push to expand Medicaid, and hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid are treating fewer charity cases.
N.C. Cuts Could Mean 15,000 Lose Medicaid Coverage
Advocates railed against the $60 million shortfall — created after federal regulators rejected a plan to tax Medicaid managed care providers — and urged lawmakers to reject a budget that includes the cuts.
Congress Wrestles With Best Way To Solve VA Problems
Lawmakers ponder whether to expand the system or just give veterans more opportunities to opt into private health care at federal expense. Some analysts say, though, that any fixes could be held up in the Senate by election year bickering.
Cleveland Clinic Chief Considered For VA Post
Delos “Toby” Cosgrove, the top executive of one of the nation’s most prestigious hospital systems and also a decorated Vietnam veteran, is being considered by the White House, reports The Wall Street Journal. In addition, lawmakers and veterans’ groups demand changes, starting with addressing the waiting-list problem.
