Latest KFF Health News Stories
Cost Of Care, Diabetes Are Top Latino Health Concerns
Worries about being able to afford care and about diabetes were among the biggest health concerns among Latinos — whether they were born in the U.S. or immigrated here, according to the latest survey by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. Other media outlets explore the limited care options of those living in this country illegally.
First Edition: January 21, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports on the health law’s implementation at both the federal and state levels.
Most Healthcare.gov Customers Said To Have Had Coverage Before
Insurers and others say at least two-thirds of the 2.2 million people who signed up for policies had bought their own coverage before or were enrolled in plans through work, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Healthcare.gov’s Back-End System Still Being Built
A top Obama administration official told Congress Thursday that the automated system to send payments to insurance companies is still under construction and didn’t offer a completion date, media outlets report.
GOP Asks Oregon For Details On Its Health Insurance Exchange
The Republican National Committee has filed a public records request with the Oregon health insurance exchange seeking information about the marketplace’s troubled rollout and about compensation for its executives. It plans other requests in Hawaii, Minnesota and Maryland.
Coburn is leaving his Oklahoma seat two years early. Meanwhile, Gillespie, a Republican, is seeking to unseat Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.
House Approves Bill That Would Require Weekly Detailed Reports On How Health Exchanges Are Working
The measure is part of the GOP effort to maintain focus on the troubled overhaul.
Senate Clears $1.1 Trillion Spending Bill
The measure, which already passed the House and is expected to be signed by President Barack Obama, will fund the government until Oct. 1. It provides targeted increases for various programs, including biomedical research.
Tricky Politics Affecting Arkansas, Arizona Medicaid Expansions
An Arkansas special election, which was held to replace a Democratic senator who was forced to step down over ethics violations, centered on questions about the state plans to expand Medicaid. It resulted in a Republican win and takes away one vote from the “private option” expansion plan lawmakers approved last year. News outlets also provide updates from Georgia, Arizona and New Hampshire.
State Highlights: Battle Over Medical Care In Texas Jails
A selection of health policy stories from Texas, North Carolina, California, Virginia, Missouri and Massachusetts.
Surgeon General: Smoking Linked To More Than 30 Diseases, Conditions
The report, which finds that smoking causes even more physical and financial damage than previously estimated, was released 50 years after the first report tied cigarettes to diseases.
Feds File Record Number Of Health Care Fraud Cases Last Year
The Associated Press reports that prosecutors pursued 377 new federal health care fraud cases last fiscal year.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Report Card: E.R. Docs Give Low Grades To Nation’s Emergency Care Infrastructure
A new report from an ER physician group measured “access to care, quality and patient safety, liability, injury prevention and disaster preparedness,” offering a snapshot of national and state policies affecting emergency medicine.
Shortage Of Mental Health Services Underscored By Health Law
The impact of the health law on individuals needing mental health services, as well as on small businesses and the homeless are explored by various media outlets.
Research Roundup: Nursing Home Transitions; The Impact Of Raising Medicare Premiums
Among the sources for this week’s studies are the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, The George Washington University School of Public Health, JAMA Surgery, The Kaiser Family Foundation, the Employee Benefit Research Institute, the Journal of Infectious Diseases and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
First Edition: January 17, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports from Capitol Hill about passage of a $1.1 billion spending bill as well as testimony by an Obama administration official about healthcare.gov.
Federal Judge Upholds Health Law’s Subsidies
Critics of the overhaul argued that, as passed by Congress, the statutory language limited the use of subsidies to purchase health insurance to consumers in states that are running their own online marketplaces — not to those who are shopping for health plans on the federal exchange. The judge’s ruling, which upholds a central element of the health law, is a victory for the Obama administration.
As the Wall Street Journal reports that one of the biggest issues right now is making sure these newly insured people have insurance cards, other news outlets detail reports and questions about the number of enrollees.
Supreme Court Appears Split On Abortion Protester ‘Buffer-Zone’
Several justices expressed skepticism about the constitutionality of a Massachusetts law that prohibits protesters within a 35-foot buffer zone around abortion clinic entrances. Chief Justice John Roberts is likely to cast the deciding vote.
