Latest KFF Health News Stories
Lobbying Sinks Efforts To Impose Restrictions On Painkillers
Pharmacists and drugstores appear to have undone an effort to impose more strict controls on certain drugs. Meanwhile, Accretive Health, the Chicago-based hospital-billing company which is under fire, is fighting back.
State Roundup: Retiree Health Costs Soar; Calif.’s Duplicate Surgical Payments
A selection of news articles about state health policy issues.
Iowa GOP Wants To Stop Public Money For Abortion In Cases Of Rape Or Incest
In Iowa, Republicans filed a motion aiming to eliminate public money for abortions in case of rape or incest. In the meantime, 14 Pennsylvania abortion clinics have been licensed under a new abortion clinic oversight law.
States Brace For SCOTUS: Calif. Exchange Marches On, Texas Mulls Next Steps
In California, the state health insurance exchange is starting its work no matter the outcome of the Supreme Court decision while Texas officials consider their post-decision steps.
The Los Angeles Times reports on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act and how this federal statute requires hospitals to provide medical care to uninsured patients — regardless of their ability to pay.
A selection of editorials and opinions about health care policy from around the country.
Kansas Move To Medicaid Managed Care Draws Advice, Skeptics
Kansas officials readying a move to managed care in their Medicaid program are getting an earful from a host of sources, including other state leaders who have instituted managed care.
Anti-Health Law Spending Far Outpaces Positive Ad Buys
The Los Angeles Times finds that opponents of the law have spent $250 million on advertising campaigns while supports have spent $76 million.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including more analysis and speculation about the political implications of the Supreme Court’s much-anticipated health law decision.
High Court Uncertainty Raises Stakes In Health Law Guessing Game
News outlets offer scene setters exploring the dynamics at play at the high court and the importance of the pending ruling on the constitutionality of the health law. They also look at how the decision will impact different parts of the health care sector, ranging from safety-net providers and investors to patient safety advocates and employers.
Party Leaders Stake Out Positions For The Health Law’s Future
If the measure survives the Supreme Court review, GOP leaders say they will seek quick repeal — but not until after the fall elections. Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says the overhaul is constitutionally “ironclad.”
Key Health Law Official Leaving Post For UnitedHealth VP Job
Steve Larsen, director of the federal Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, is leaving his post to join UnitedHealth as an executive vice president, sparking speculation on the move.
Health Care Spending Slowdown May Not Last As Economy Heats Back Up
The Associated Press reports that, although health care spending may have slowed, the trend may not last long. In the meantime, The Arizona Republic reports on a website that allows consumers to shop for discounted medical services.
Mass. Nursing Homes Miss Out On Federal Grant To Curb Inappropriate Sedative Use
Nursing Homes In Massachusetts will not get a federal grant to help them drive down use of antipsychotic drugs. In Kansas, officials launched a campaign to encourage reporting of elder abuse.
Mental Health Hospitals Scrutinized In Calif., Mass.
The Los Angeles Times looks at former consultant who helped overhaul California’s psychiatric hospitals. In Massachusetts, the future of Taunton State Hospital — one of two remaining publicly run mental health hospitals there — is uncertain.
Calif. Programs Reach Out To Give Care To Undocumented, Uninsured
In California and North Carolina, local programs that help undocumented workers and the uninsured get care — often without using federal funds — are detailed.
As Nation Awaits The High Court’s Decision, Health Issues Grab Some Voters’ Attention
The National Journal reports that health policies have become voters’ number 2 concern — edged out only by the economy. On the ground in Tennessee, though, many people who don’t have insurance and were seeking care at a free clinic were not aware of of how what they had at stake in the law’s future.
State Roundup: Calif. Budget Cuts; Texas Hospitals Cry Foul Over Funding Plan
A selection of health policy stories from California, Texas, Colorado, Oregon and Rhode Island.
MedPAC Urges Changes In Medicare Beneficiaries’ Co-Pays, But Would Cap Other Costs
The MedPAC recommendations to restructure what they call an outdated system, will be the subject of a congressional hearing Tuesday.
AMA Committee Fails To Find Consensus On Proposed Changes To Medicare
At an annual meeting, there was no agreement on whether the doctors’ group should endorse a premium-support approach to Medicare.
