Latest KFF Health News Stories
Controversy Lurks As Cloning Technique Yields Embryos For Use In Stem Cell Therapies
Political and ethical fights over human cloning may follow the latest stem cell therapy advance after scientists created embryos that are genetic copies of living people in an effort to treat diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
House GOP Lays Groundwork For Fall Budget Face-Off
Among the ideas being bandied about is delaying for at least two years the implementation of the health law’s insurance exchanges and Medicaid expansion, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Appeals Court To Hear Liberty University Health Law Challenge
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., will hear arguments on Thursday related to the lawsuit brought by the Christian university.
In Many State Legislatures, The Medicaid Expansion Saga Continues
News outlets offer updates on the future of uncertain Medicaid expansion plans in Texas and Arizona as well as a progress report from California.
Retiree Medical Expenses Fall, But They Still Exceed Most People’s Expectations
A study released by Fidelity Investments estimated that a couple, who are enrolled in traditional Medicare and retiring in 2013, will need $220,000 to cover medical costs throughout their retirement.
State Roundup: N.D. Abortion Clinic Sues To Stop New Law
A selection of health policy stories from North Dakota, Connecticut, California, Massachusetts, Texas, Oregon, Oklahoma and North Carolina.
HHS To Pay $1 Billion For Ideas To Drive Down Health Costs
The availability of a second round of grants — funded by the health law — was announced to support approaches to reduce costs and improve care. The initial round, announced last year, funded 107 organizations.
Weekend Reading: Volunteers In The Battle With Heart Disease
This week’s articles come from The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Republic, The Fiscal Times, The Weekly Standard and the New Yorker.
Viewpoints: When A Doctor Should Keep Quiet; 2 Views Of Hospital Pricing; Stem Cell ‘Snake Oil’
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the Senate confirmation of Acting Chief Marilyn Tavenner to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Deficit Projections Likely To Reduce ‘Grand Bargain’ Pressure
The Congressional Budget Office reports the deficit is shrinking at a faster-than-expected rate this year. Medicare and Medicaid outlays are smaller than anticipated, and health care cost increases appear to have slowed. The numbers are expected to lessen the momentum to cut spending on Medicare and other entitlement programs.
89 Arrested In $223 Million Medicare Fraud Schemes
Doctors and nurses were among those charged in the bust that spanned eight cities and focused on bogus Medicare charges.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Angelina Jolie’s Choice Underscores Screening And Treatment Costs
News outlets report on the cost of and questions surrounding Angelina Jolie’s decision to have genetic testing and then to undergo a double mastectomy as preventive surgery.
Hospitals: Calif. Bidding War Intensifies; Va. System Eyes Children’s Facility
The business of hospitals makes news in California — where sides are engaged in a bidding war to buy a famed Santa Monica hospital; Virginia — where pediatricians eye a new children’s hospital; and Oregon, where lawmakers passed a new hospital tax.
The Challenge Of Increasing Long-Term Care Costs
The New York Times reports that a new report estimated the national median daily cost of a private nursing home room to be $230 a day, some $6,900 per month.
In addition, Florida health experts say that state’s decision not to pursue the expansion is “bad for business.”
Calif. Health Exchange Awards $37 Million For Health Law Education Efforts
The grants will go to 48 organizations to help the state explain benefits, show consumers how to access insurance and encourage small businesses to participate.
Vermont Lawmakers OK Doc-Assisted Suicide
The state will become the first to use a legislative vote to legalize physician-assisted suicide after the governor, who has expressed his support for the measure, signs the bill.
Medicaid: Lawsuit Alleges Conn. Application Backlog Breaks Federal Law
Medicaid doctors continue to wait for their pay raise — five months after they were supposed to get it. In Connecticut, some allege a backlog of applications for the program breaks federal law, and are suing to stop it.
