Latest KFF Health News Stories
Mass. Calls For Bids To Manage 111,000-Person ‘Dual Eligibles’ Program
Massachusetts is seeking a new manager to run the commonwealth’s health care program for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid.
Medicaid: Minn. Program Prepares For Influx Of Boomers; Other News
Changes to Medicaid programs make news in Minnesota, where officials are preparing for an influx of baby boomers into the system. In Kansas, Medicaid changes there are attracting public comment, and in Oregon a group asks for more time to institute a collaborative care program.
Health Providers Already Raking In Millions In HIT Incentive Funds
News outlets are detailing the incentive payments health care providers in Arizona and Kansas have received from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for instituting standardized electronic health records.
Birth Control Mandate Remains Divisive Health Coverage Issue
The head of the Catholic Hospital Association explains her group’s split with the Obama administration on the question of contraception coverage. Meanwhile, another Catholic organization is launching a nationwide ad campaign against this policy.
Was Castro Government Part Of Multimillion Dollar Medicare Money-Laundering Scam?
McClatchy reports on a Medicare scam that may have reached beyond U.S. borders into Cuba.
Parsing The Facts From Romney, Obama Statements; Romney Advisers Meet With GOP Members Of Congress
The New York Times looks at the hyperbole in each candidate’s statements. Meanwhile, Romney aides held talks on Capitol Hill ahead of the Supreme Court decision.
Winners And Losers In The Health Care Messaging War
The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism says that opponents of the health law prevailed at least in part because their positions were sharper and easier to understand.
HHS Reports 3.1 Million Young Adults Gained Coverage Under Health Law
The law’s provision requiring that insurers allow many adults under the age of 26 to stay on their parents’ plans is popular.
Congress Considers Medicare, FDA Proposals
The Senate Finance Committee is once again talking deficit reduction and Medicare as both houses are “poised” to pass an FDA bill.
Minn. AG Seeks To Expand Complaint Against Hospital Collection Company
In court papers, Minn. Attorney General Lori Swanson alleges a dozen new instances in which patients were “hustled with bedside collection visits” and led to believe “they had to pay before receiving care.”
Viewpoints: Health Law Can Be Intensely Personal; Insurers’ Promises Miss The Mark
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
Report: Sexual Orientation Still Affecting Access To Health Care
The Human Rights Campaign issued its annual evaluation of how hospitals and other health care facilities score on care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a new Associated Press poll that finds Americans want the president and Congress to work on another health overhaul package if the Supreme Court overturns the health law.
Obama Administration Finds 3.1 Million Young Adults Gained Coverage Under Law
Obama administration officials touted the benefit as an example of how the health law is making a difference.
LGBT Community Still Has Hurdles In Health Care Equality
A new report also shows a 162 percent increase in the number of health care facility ‘leaders’ in LGBT care equality.
Politics And Policies: What Scenarios Might Play Out If Court Topples Mandate Or Entire Law
News outlets offer predictions on everything from when the high court might rule to what the White House and congressional leaders are planning in response.
Examining The Decision’s Possible Impact On Voters, Access To Insurance Coverage
A new poll finds that regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision, less than a majority of Americans will be happy with the outcome. Republican voters, however, are more open to the idea of the court nullifying part of the law. Meanwhile, even if the law is upheld, an estimated 26 million people will still go without insurance, including illegal immigrants and those eligible for Medicaid but who don’t enroll.
Wording In Contraception Conversations Marks Ideological Divides
Fighting over semantics prevails in conversations over both the FDA’s definition of what the “morning-after pill” does as well as the Obama administration’s rule that employers and insurers provide no cost contraception to their covered employees.
AMA: Insurers Reduce Payment Errors
At its annual meeting in Chicago, the American Medical Association issued a report card for insurers, giving the industry high marks for cutting in half the number of medical claims that were incorrectly paid.
Supreme Court Rules Drug Firms Don’t Have To Pay Overtime To Sales Reps
The 5-4 opinion by Justice Samuel Alito says the sales representatives are not subject to the overtime pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
