Latest KFF Health News Stories
Despite Management Background, VA Nominee Faces Even Bigger Challenge
Robert McDonald, the VA secretary nominee, is facing a huge bureaucracy with more than 300,000 employees. Elsewhere, a new poll finds most veterans say getting care at VA hospitals is “very” or “somewhat” difficult.
Indiana Seeks OK For Medicaid Expansion Alternative; Calif. Wrestles With Medi-Cal Backlog
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Tuesday requested a waiver from the federal government to expand Medicaid coverage using a state plan that he says would promote personal responsibility. Developments in California, Oregon, Georgia and Washington state are also tracked.
Hacking Of Health Records Is ‘Matter Of Time,’ Say Experts
Specialists in cybersecurity say the health industry “is flirting with disaster” as so much patient data goes digital, Politico reports. Also, speakers at a health care conference explore the difficulties of cutting waste and medical errors.
Medicare Proposes Home Health Payment Reductions, Savings
Officials say the moves would save the agency $58 million next year by changing how much it pays for some services and requiring agencies to prove their effectiveness.
Group That Once Supported Healthier School Lunch Program Has About-Face
The School Nutrition Association now says the new rules are too costly. Meanwhile, NPR looks at the difficulties for employers to deal with workers’ weight problems and the increasing number of obese seniors.
Prescription Drug Deaths Drop In Fla. After Crackdown On Doctors
Deaths involving narcotic painkillers dropped 26 percent over two years in Florida after stricter doctor scrutiny, according to a report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Eligibility For Subsidies Not Properly Checked, Audit Finds
The HHS inspector general issues two reports concluding the federal health marketplace and some state exchanges had inadequate safeguards to stop people who were ineligible from getting tax credits to help pay for premiums.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a new audit’s findings that the health law’s online insurance marketplaces did not adequately screen applicants seeking subsidies.
Justices Rule Home Health Care Aides Can’t Be Forced To Pay Union Dues
The high court’s ruling will make it more difficult for unions in some states to continue organizing the aides, a rapidly growing segment of the workforce.
Reform Roundup: Georgia Exchange Attracts More Insurers; Kansas Embraces One Part Of Health Law
Developments in Massachusetts and New Hampshire are also examined.
Other Challenges To Contraceptive Mandate Still Awaiting Review
Those cases generally involve nonprofit and religious organizations. Meanwhile, some employers who say their religious beliefs prevented them from complying with the contraceptive mandate say they plan to halt coverage of some methods following the Supreme Court decision.
UnitedHealth Subsidiary Helps Hospitals Get More From Medicare
The company, Executive Health Resources, is often at the center of battles between hospitals and Medicare over how the facilities bill, reports The New York Times. Meanwhile, more health providers are participating in Medicare’s experiments with bundled payments.
Businesses Prepare For Next Phase Of Health Law Implementation
Large employers around the country are hard at work to meet requirements that take effect in 2015. Also, in health law-related coverage, a look at proposals for cheaper plans on the marketplaces.
How Many Companies Might Be Affected By Contraceptive Ruling?
Although Justice Alito said the Hobby Lobby decision would affect only a narrow group, others say many firms could fit the definition of ‘closely held.’
White House, Members Of Congress, Candidates React To High Court Ruling
News outlets tracked the immediate political fallout of the Supreme Court’s Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores decision.
Viewpoints: Hobby Lobby Decision Celebrated And Panned; Gender And Religious Politics Explored
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Court Decision Allows Some Employers To Bypass Contraceptive Mandate
The 5-4 ruling says some closely held corporations cannot be forced to provide services that are at odds with the owners’ religious beliefs.
American College Of Physicians: Doctors Should Not Perform Routine Pelvic Exams
The procedure is currently recommended as part of well-woman visits, but the group found no evidence that cancer is detected by pelvic exams alone.
Former Procter & Gamble CEO Tapped To Turn Around VA System
President Barack Obama highlighted Robert McDonald’s management experience at P&G more than his military career as an Army Ranger in the 82nd Airborne Division. However, the West Point graduate has never run a health care system, let alone a sprawling one with 1,700 hospitals and clinics.
News outlets report on health developments in New Jersey, Texas, Florida and Illinois.
