Latest KFF Health News Stories
Alaska To Be Hit Hard With Hospital Infection Penalties
Elsewhere, medical marijuana’s usefulness in treating pain is questioned after New York lawmakers legalized it.
New York High Court Strikes Down Law Banning Big Sodas
Mayor Bill de Blasio had promised last year to put the ban in front of the City Council if the courts rejected it.
Weak Hospice Oversight Makes Safety Problems Hard To Identify
The typical hospice undergoes a full government inspection about once every six years, according to The Washington Post, making it one of the least scrutinized areas of U.S. health care. Meanwhile, more than three dozen hospices and health care groups are protesting a new rule designed to avoid duplicate payments for medications, saying it puts “undue burden” on dying patients.
HHS Says Marketplace Customers Can Automatically Renew Plans
The announcement says people getting subsidies will be allowed to renew for 2015 without filing an application or going back on healthcare.gov. But consumer advocates caution that may not be the best option for those customers.
State Highlights: N.C. Lawmakers Face Off Over Medicaid Spending; Heart Surgery Ratings In Ore.
A selection of health policy stories from North Carolina, Oregon, Georgia, Minnesota and Texas.
Bill Would Bar Medicare Advantage Plans From Dropping Doctors Mid-Year
The proposal, introduced by Democrats in the House and Senate, would require insurers to finalize their doctor networks 60 days before autumn enrollment begins.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Oregon Hospital Sees Big Drop In Uninsured; $53M Budget Proposed For Washington Exchange
The number of uninsured patients treated at Oregon Health & Science University’s hospital slowed to a trickle this year, a top official said Thursday. Media outlets explore other state insurance developments related to the federal health law.
Research Roundup: Role Of Primary Care In Reducing Readmissions; Air Transport For Wounded Soldiers
This week’s studies come from JAMA Surgery, Health Affairs, National Institute for Health Care Reform, the University of Pennsylvania, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Kaiser Family Foundation.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports on an HHS announcement detailing some of the marketplace enrollment plans for next fall.
State Roundup: Troubles In Kentucky; Md. Hospital Under Review
News outlets examine health developments in Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
Public Health Issues: Climate Change; Funding For Alzheimer’s Research
A medical expert calls for hospitals and health care officials to begin to plan for global warming problems, and The Wall Street Journal looks at new ways to finance research.
Patients Kept In The Dark On Costs Of Tests, Treatments
The CT Mirror examines the difficulties patients face when trying to comparison shop or simply figure out how much they might have to spend on medical treatments.
Medicare Boosts Anti-Fraud Efforts, But Problems Are Still Rife
Medicare officials recovered about $19.2 billion in fraudulent payments over the past five years, including $210 million through a new system that uses analytics to probe billing patterns, CQ Healthbeat reports. But the recovered sum is dwarfed by the size of the problem, projected to be up to $50 billion a year.
USA Today: Mental Health System Is ‘In Shambles’
The failure to provide treatment has led to crowded emergency rooms and jails and thousands of untreated people living on the streets, the newspaper reports. Other stories look at a South Carolina “telepsychiatry” program designed to provide rural patients with psychiatric help and a program in Missouri that partners police with mental health counselors.
Hillary Clinton Says Democrats Should Run On Obamacare
Meanwhile, a tea party challenger to Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander, the Republican incumbent, is focusing on his posture to the health care law, and House Speaker John Boehner said he plans to sue the president for misuse of executive powers on issues including health care.
Turmoil at VA Continues As Two More Senior Officials Resign
Robert Jesse, acting undersecretary for health, and Will Gunn, the department’s general counsel, will be leaving their positions at the troubled agency.
Study Proposes Moving Open Enrollment Season
Researchers suggest consumers are not willing to spend money on insurance in the busy fall season as they plan for the holidays, so sign-ups in the spring after tax returns are received might be better. Also, a look at consumers’ reluctance to shop for insurance.
Va. GOP Lawmakers Detail Strategy To Counter Efforts To Expand Medicaid
Republicans in the state House announce that they’ve retained former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, who produced a report saying the governor does not have the authority in Virginia to expand Medicaid without legislative approval.
Lower Health Spending Contributes To Downturn In GDP
The revision by the Commerce Department finds that health spending was substantially below expectations for the first quarter and subtracted 0.16 of a percentage point from the nation’s growth rate.
