Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Industry Insiders Analyze, Predict And Prescribe
Kaiser Health News checks in with former HHS chief and current health care consultant Michael Leavitt while CQ HealthBeat details insights from another insider, Robert Laszewski.
First Edition: January 8, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including news from Capitol Hill about how current events offer a window into the dynamics of the 2014 campaign season.
Health Care Spending Grew At Record Slow Pace
Americans’ spending on health care rose a relatively modest 3.7 percent in 2012 — slower than the growth of the overall economy — dropping from 17.3 percent of U.S. spending to 17.2 percent, according to an annual report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Texas Hospital Officials Criticize Proposal To Limit Obamacare Navigators
Texas hospital officials and Democrats complained about proposed state legislation to impose greater training requirements and fees on navigators, while a Florida group gets a grant for outreach to Hispanics. Meanwhile, California exchange officials extended the payment deadline for January premiums because of continuing glitches, and a Minnesota auditor probes the troubled launch of the MNsure website.
Sen. Johnson’s Suit On Obamacare Blasted By Fellow Republican
Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., is attacking the lawsuit filed Monday by Sen. Ron Johnson, also a Wisconsin Republican, that seeks to change how the health law is applied to Congress and to cut off federal government payments.
Barriers Persist To New Approaches To Medical Liability, Studies Find
Issues of medical liability and tort reform, as well as how they interact with rising health care costs, continue to draw study and discussion in the news.
Study Debunks Concern That People Would Move Across State Lines To Get Medicaid
This concern has been a part of the debate over the health law’s Medicaid expansion. Meanwhile, in Kansas, a new push is underway.
Medicare Seeks To Tighten Drug Program Rules To Fight Fraud
Draft regulations issued Monday would overhaul the prescription drug program and could save up to $1.3 billion over five years.
Maryland’s Troubled Exchange Spurs Political Debate
Democratic and Republican critics of Maryland’s dysfunctional exchange urged state officials to consider alternatives to the current online insurance marketplace. The issue has also become campaign fodder for gubernatorial candidates.
Health Law Expected To Trigger Industry Hiring Spree
On one hand, insurance enrollment figures may be short of the numerical goals that were set earlier in the process, but some people still are predicting that health providers will ramp up hiring in response to new demand created by the overhaul.
State Highlights: States’ Troubled Health Law Websites Fall Hardest On Poor
A selection of health policy stories from Virginia, Florida, Texas, Georgia and California.
Tanning Tax, Among Others, Kicking In
News outlets covered several elements of the tax features of the health law.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
First Edition: January 7, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a range of reports about state developments related to the health law’s online marketplaces as well as details regarding the latest Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ figures on health costs.
Medicaid Expansion Efforts Facing Challenges From Healthcare.gov
The Washington Post and Kaiser Health News report that some people who would be eligible for this coverage may be falling through the cracks. Meanwhile, Bloomberg examines how accessing health care plays out differently in states that pursued the expansion and those that didn’t.
Meanwhile, news outlets also report on state health law implementation action in Minnesota, Iowa and Pennsylvania.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Have More People Lost Health Insurance Than Gained It?
Fact checkers from the Washington Post and FactCheck.Org examine GOP claims about the number of people who have lost coverage — both in terms of individual and employer-provided coverage — as a result of the health law.
HHS To Release Slow-Growth Health Spending Numbers As Obama Readies Big Push For Law
News outlets covered administration efforts to build public confidence in the Affordable Care Act.
White House Seeks To Tighten Background Checks To Keep Guns From Those With Mental Illness
The Obama administration is proposing regulatory changes to clarify who is prohibited from owning a gun for mental health reasons and to tighten background checks. In the meantime, lawmakers consider increasing mental health funding after the Sandy Hook massacre.
