Latest KFF Health News Stories
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.
Upcoming Supreme Court Ruling: GOP As ‘Dog That Caught The Car’; Growing Concerns About Mandate
With the court decision expected to come within the next two weeks, a number of writers are offering opinions.
Viewpoints: Catholic Group Dismisses Compromise On Contraceptives; Funding Entitlements
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care policy from around the country.
States Grappling With Medicaid Uncertainty, Costs, Decisions
Some states are preparing for the health law’s 2014 Medicaid expansion.
Romney Lining Up With Ryan’s Medicare Plan As His Health Law Assertions Are Tested
Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney is aligning himself with Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to slow the grow of Medicare. In the meantime, The Washington Post assesses Romney’s assertions on Democrats’ health care law.
Abortion, Contraception Controversies Create Political Divisions
In some states, even some Republican legislators are not endorsing anti-abortion rules as a group of Catholic hospitals, which had supported the Obama administration’s contraception compromise, revoked that approval.
