Latest KFF Health News Stories
Final Rule Upholds Increased Rewards, Penalties For Wellness Participation
Employers will be able to increase rewards to workers who participate in wellness programs under final rules released Wednesday by the Obama administration.
House GOP Members Unveil Draft ‘Doc Fix’ Plan
The plan would repeal the contentious SGR formula for reimbursing doctors but does not include a way to pay for that. Also in the House, a Democrat and a Republican introduce a bill to create national exercise guidelines.
Study Details Medicare Spending Variations
The analysis finds health differences explain as much as 85 percent of cost variations around the country.
Study Finds Rise in Accidental Marijuana Ingestion By Children In Colo.
The report in JAMA Pediatrics looked at children who accidentally ate marijuana and needed emergency treatment.
States Deal With Hospitals’ Structural, Financial Issues
Hospitals in the District of Columbia, New York and Louisiana deal with “structural challenges” cost-sharing and other funding issues.
Calif. Docs Worry State Psych Hospital Staffing Shortage Could Harm Care
Meanwhile, in Vermont, the state’s largest health insurer and psychiatric hospital will integrate mental health care with traditional care.
Calif. Senate OKs Measure Expanding Nurse Practitioners’ Role
California lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that would allow nurse practitioners to practice more independently amid health care provider shortage worries. The bill would allow the practitioners to have stand-alone practices, among other things.
Republicans Prepare To Exploit ‘Obamacare’ Stumbles In 2014
GOP leaders are framing a narrative about the health law they believe will position their party for victory in the 2014 midterm elections. Democrats say that voters will have a real program to judge by then and will see Republicans as obstructionist.
Gearing Up For Online Insurance Markets
The Wall Street Journal profiles the man overseeing California’s online insurance marketplace and spotlights one business owner’s decisionmaking about whether and how to offer his employees coverage. Other media outlets explore Democrats’ outreach efforts — and how Republicans embrace the individual mandate for illegal immigrants.
Hospitals Cracking Down On Those Who Don’t Wash Their Hands
The New York Times looks at a recurring problem in infection control.
In Rural Alaska, New Rules Reshape Care Often Hampered By Isolation
Two news outlets examine some of the difficulties in providing care in Alaska.
State-By-State Analysis Warns Of Looming Health Care Crisis
The report examines the rising number of seniors and growing rates of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
Wis. Insurers Cautious About New Online Marketplaces
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports on insurers’ wariness about how business will work on these new marketplaces, which are being set up as part of the federal health law.
A selection of health stories from California, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Massachusetts and Florida.
Thousands Of Veterans Affected By States’ Rejection Of Medicaid Expansion
An estimated quarter-million former service members would have been eligible for health coverage under the joint state-federal program, but their states have opted not to participate in the expansion envisioned by the federal health law. Meanwhile in Iowa, hospitals were helpful in forging a compromise on the issue.
In Declining To Hear Indiana Case, Supreme Court Supports Medicaid Funds For Planned Parenthood
The high court let stand a lower court ruling rejecting an Indiana law that would have banned Planned Parenthood from receiving any Medicaid funds.
Viewpoints: Medical Professionals And Near Misses; Obamacare’s ‘Death By A Thousand Cuts’
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations include a look at California’s effort to expand health care and reports on the Supreme Court’s announcement that stops Indiana from barring Planned Parenthood from Medicaid funding.
Businesses Brace For Health Law Requirements, Potential Costs
Some large companies are scaling back generous health plans they have traditionally offered employees, even though the so-called ‘Cadillac tax’ on high-end plans doesn’t take effect until 2018, while small firms are exploring early coverage renewals and self-insurance.
Partisan Politics, Public Distrust Thwart Efforts To Carry Out Health Law
The New York Times reports that partisan gridlock will likely prevent Congress from making even small adjustments. Meanwhile, a CNN poll finds that a majority of Americans continue to oppose the measure, which adds to the Obama administration’s challenge of selling it to the public.
