Phil Galewitz

Hospitals Get Into Doctor Rating Business

KFF Health News Original

After some doctors at University of Utah Health Care noticed scathing online reviews about themselves in 2012, the hospital system decided the best way to respond was by posting its patients’ ratings of physicians on the hospital’s own website. The hospital was already randomly surveying patients about their experiences with physicians. Now, when potential patients […]

Medicaid Enrollment Increased By 3 Million From October To February

KFF Health News Original

The number of low-income people enrolled in Medicaid rose by 3 million to 62.3 million from October through February as more Americans joined the state-federal insurance program through state and federal online insurance marketplaces, according to a report released Friday by the Department of Health and Human Services. States that expanded Medicaid eligibility under the […]

Business Groups Split On Medicaid Expansion

KFF Health News Original

With several states weighing whether to expand Medicaid under the federal health law, supporters are looking to powerful business groups to help sway skeptical state legislators. But those groups are split on the issue — just like the public at large. Nationally, the National Federation of Independent Business,  which represents mostly small employers, remains opposed to the […]

Obama Urges Latinos To Sign Up For Insurance Now

KFF Health News Original

President Barack Obama appealed directly to Latinos on Thursday, telling them time is running out to sign up for health coverage this year and that they should enroll now to avoid problems. Open enrollment in the health law’s online health insurance marketplaces closes March 31 for coverage this year and that date won’t be extended, Obama said […]

Tenet Expects 15% Of Its Uninsured To Get Obamacare Coverage

KFF Health News Original

Tenet Healthcare Corp., the nation’s third largest for-profit hospital operator, said Tuesday it expects 15 percent of its uninsured patients to get covered this year as a result of the Affordable Care Act. But the company isn’t counting yet on any higher profits from the shift, Tenet officials said after a conference call with Wall Street […]

Arkansas Medicaid Fight All About The Math, Governor Says

KFF Health News Original

http://admin.brightcove.com/js/BrightcoveExperiences.js brightcove.createExperiences();Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe says his strategy to win over state lawmakers skeptical about continuing the state’s Medicaid expansion is to show them the money. “It’s arithmetic, it’s not even math,” Beebe said Monday at a media briefing sponsored by Kaiser Health News and Health Affairs. The Democratic governor said if the Arkansas legislature opts against going […]

Report: Latinos Could Be Big Winners From Obamacare

KFF Health News Original

Latinos make up a disproportionate share of the nation’s uninsured and most could get coverage from the Affordable Care Act or existing programs if every state expanded Medicaid,  according to a federal report released Tuesday. The report said that if all states expanded Medicaid, as many as 95 percent of eligible, uninsured Latinos might qualify for […]