Latest KFF Health News Stories
State Roundup: Ore. Medicaid Experiment To Launch
A selection of health policy stories from New Jersey, Oregon, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, the District of Columbia, Iowa, California, North Carolina, Colorado, Ohio and New York.
Planned Medicare Payment Reductions Trigger Hospital Action
Hospitals are sharpening their efforts to stop a scheduled 2 percent across-the-board cut in payments to Medicare providers. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers may be stepping back from efforts to block the health law’s birth control coverage mandate.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including recent reports about both the policies and politics related to the health law’s implementation.
Already-Stressed Hospitals Worry About Funding Reductions For The Uninsured
Cuts in aid for emergency care for illegal immigrants is a primary concern for these hospitals, according to the New York Times. Meanwhile, Politico Pro reports on how some Republican governors are playing a Medicaid expansion “waiting game,” and the Washington Post reports on the next wave of NFIB’s strategies to undo the health law.
Health Care Issues, Objectives Reverberate Across The Campaign Season Landscape
The Los Angeles Times takes a look at how social and religious issues — including abortion and contraception — are fitting in to the current campaign season. Also in the news, how the health law is playing in the North Dakota Senate race and how much money one health care lobbying organization has on hand for campaign contributions.
Federal Government, Insurers Partner In Fight Against Health Fraud
HHS and private insurance companies will share raw data and investigations to try to stop billions of dollars in fraud.
VA, Defense Bureaucracies Frustrate Efforts To Streamline Military Health Care
These difficulties were acknowledged Wednesday on Capitol Hill by both Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.
The South Leads In Scoring Federal EHR Payments
A Government Accountability Office report finds that health care providers from the South received a plurality of Medicare electronic health record incentive payments.
Confrontation Looms For Big Pharmaceutical Companies, Generic Drug Makers
The New York Times reports that an arrangement between these two parts of the drug industry was deemed “anticompetitive” by a federal appeals court in Philadelphia, setting up a potential confrontation before the United States Supreme Court.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Blumenthal Named To Head The Commonwealth Fund
The former Obama administration adviser will take the organization’s helm on Jan. 1, 2013, replacing Karen Davis.
International AIDS Conference News: Researchers Examine Whether AIDS Causes Premature Aging
News outlets report on scientific and political issues coming up at the International AIDS Conference being held in Washington.
Insurers, Health Care Providers Respond To The Needs Of Elite Athletes
Kaiser Health News details how many Olympic athletes get health insurance, while the Associated Press reports on a new wellness program for NFL players.
Research Roundup: Medical Imaging Slowdown; Hospitals And Readmissions
Today’s studies come from Health Affairs, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the Center for Studying Health System Change, The Kaiser Family Foundation, as well as coverage by other outlets.
State Highlights: Mass. Lawmakers Struggle To Reach Agreement On Cost Controls
A selection of health policy stories from California, North Carolina, Texas, Massachusetts, Kansas, Wisconsin and Colorado.
Minnesota Expanding Health Coverage To 16,000 Kids
Minnesota, after getting federal approval of a 2009 law, will expand health care coverage to more than 16,000 lower-income kids without a waiting period or premiums.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a new effort launched by the Obama administration and insurers to fight health care fraud.
Former Obama Adviser Chosen As Commonwealth Fund President
Dr. David Blumenthal has been named the new president of one of the nation’s largest health care philanthropies.
Study: Medicaid Expansion Has Potential To Be A Lifesaver
A Harvard study published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that low-income residents of three states that expanded Medicaid generally lived longer, were healthier and had better access to health care than residents of neighboring states that did not expand the program.
Labor-HHS Bill Offers Teachable Moment Regarding Sequester Threat
Some public health organizations are using this legislation as an illustration of what the sequester’s impact would be on health programs.
