Latest KFF Health News Stories
For Family Caregivers, Older Americans Act Provides Help
PBS reports on this legislation, which is not well known.
A selection of health policy stories from California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Idaho, Oregon and Florida.
Study Finds Health Law Is Helping Protect Young Adults From High Bills
The RAND Corp. research finds that the law’s provision allowing children up to the age of 26 to stay on their parents’ health plans resulted in $147 million in hospital bills to be covered by insurance.
Longer Reads: How To Choose A Hospital; Empowered Patients Cost More; The ‘War On Sleep’
This week’s articles come from The Atlantic, Time, The New Yorker, Forbes and Slate.
N.Y. Hospital Alleged To Have Pressured Heiress For Donations
The New York Times reports that survivors of a copper heiress who lived in the Beth Israel Medical Center for the last 20 years of her life say she was coerced to give the hospital money.
Medicaid Expansion: Ariz. Foes Look To Voter Referendum, N.H. Fight Brewing
Meanwhile, Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown tells county officials that the state cannot afford to “double-pay” as he seeks to expand California’s health care program for the poor, and New Hampshire lawmakers set up a fight over the expansion.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations include stories about a new study on immigrants’ financial impact on the Medicare program and a new federal regulation on wellness programs.
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.
