Latest KFF Health News Stories
Possible Medicare Advantage Pay Reductions Cause Insurer Stocks To Slip
The proposed cuts in federal payments, which are open to comment until March 1, could lead to reduced coverage or fewer options for people who choose to buy these plans.
Calif. Insurance Official Pans Rate Map Proposal, Warns Of 20% Hikes
California’s insurance commissioner says that residents in some areas of the state could see premiums rise 20 percent if a proposal in the state legislature to split California into six insurance rates zones is approved. He urges an 18-region plan.
Supreme Court Gives FTC More Power To Police Hospital Mergers
The decision is a win for the federal government as it seeks to monitor the trend toward consolidations around the country.
As the automatic spending cuts grow nearer, some analysts offer their perspective.
Pa., Wis. Governors Face Scrutiny, Decisions On Medicaid Programs
In the meantime, West Virginia and Texas take aim at recovering Medicaid fraud dollars.
States Continue Mulling Medicaid Expansion’s Costs And Benefits
News outlets report on analyses in California, Georgia, Florida, Texas and Wyoming.
First Edition: February 20, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the impending March 1 automatic spending cuts, how they will impact health programs and the latest political posturing surrounding them.
States Pursue Different Paths To Health Exchanges
With Friday’s deadline now passed, it is clear the federal government will run the insurance marketplaces created by the health law in about half the states. Only a handful of the states opted to partner with the feds.
In Various States, Groups Battle Over Expanding Medicaid
Lawmakers and stakeholders continue to wrestle with the pros and cons of the health law’s Medicaid expansion, as well as with the budget issues related to the state-federal insurance program for low-income people.
CMS Issues MLR Rules For Medicare Plans
Also in the news, Medicare beneficiaries are slated to receive a reduction in out-of-pocket drug costs.
Ark., N.Y. Head In Opposite Directions On Abortion Regulation
Arkansas and New York are states headed in opposite directions on new abortion regulation: Arkansas’s Senate passes a bill banning the procedure after 20 weeks while New York’s governor works on legislation guaranteeing access to late-term abortions.
State Roundup: Calif. Opens Prison Psychiatric Ward, Hopes To Shed Fed Oversight
A selection of health policy stories from Virginia, California, Maryland, Oregon, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Kansas.
Surveying The Landscape From Bench To Bedside
News outlets report on various medical research and treatment developments.
Novartis CEO Upbeat In The Midst Of Market Challenges
USA Today features this Q & A with Joe Jimenez, the CEO of Novartis.
Bipartisan Measure Introduced To Undo Health Law’s Insurance Tax
In other Capitol Hill news, some GOP lawmakers are upset with a physician group that encourages pediatricians to ask about gun ownership during kids’ check-ups.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Reports Warn Premium Spikes, Dropped Workers Could Result From Health Law
The New York Times reports that some companies could avoid requirements in the health law by insuring their own employees — a move that might drive up costs for workers of other companies. Other outlets look at concerns that young, healthy people buying policies in new online markets could see a jump in insurance costs.
Medicare Trims, Scaled-Back Tax Breaks Debated As Part Of Budget Fix
The Washington Post reports that President Barack Obama favors replacing the automatic cuts slated to take effect on March 1 with a combination of budget moves, including spending cuts in Medicare and Medicaid.
First Edition: February 19, 2013
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report about President Barack Obama’s push to fix the sequester.
Concerns Raised About Insurance Markets Under New Law
The New York Times reports that some officials and consumer advocates are worried that companies with large numbers of young workers will opt to self-insure to avoid many of the standards in the health overhaul. And the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post examine concerns about “rate shock.”
