Latest KFF Health News Stories
Schizophrenia, Suicide And One Family’s Anguish
Homer Bell was 54 years old when he committed suicide in April in a very public way — he laid down in front of a bus in his hometown of Hartford, Conn. It was the culmination of three decades of suffering endured by Bell and his family because of his illness, schizophrenia. Harold Schwartz, the […]
GAO: Current Insurance Costs For Individual Policies Vary Widely
Will premiums go up or down under the health law? It’s been one of the most contentious questions in recent weeks, as states examine the rates submitted by insurers applying to sell coverage through new online marketplaces that open for enrollment Oct. 1. Critics of the law have argued that new rules, benefit requirements and taxes will drive […]
Study: Doctors Look To Others To Play Biggest Role In Curbing Health Costs
When it comes to controlling the country’s health care costs, doctors point their fingers at lawyers, insurance companies, drug makers and hospitals. But well over half acknowledge they have at least some responsibility as stewards of health care resources. In a study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Mayo Clinic researchers […]
State Budget Officials In Alaska For Annual Gathering
It may be the dog days of summer, but it’s peak conference season. And as much of the nation melts under a heat wave, one conference stands out for both its location and its attendees. The National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) — representing the state officials who count the pennies and balance the accounts — is […]
Humana Fills Blank Spots In Mississippi Obamacare Map
Filling a potential coverage void, Humana Inc. said Friday it will sell health insurance in 36 Mississippi counties that might have otherwise been left out of a marketplace for subsidized policies sold under the Affordable Care Act. “I’m elated,” said Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, who had been working to make the deal happen. “I’m […]
Survey: Latino Groups Worry About Money For ACA Enrollment
The Obama administration is counting on Latinos to help make the Affordable Care Act a success, but there may be troubles ahead: Hispanic health centers and community organizations say they don’t have the funding or resources to carry out the complicated sign up process for the 10 million Latinos who will be eligible for new […]
Tavenner Wasn’t Consulted On Delaying Health Law’s Employer Mandate
Marilyn Tavenner said at a House subcommittee meeting Wednesday that she was not consulted on the Obama administration’s decision to postpone a key part of the health law requiring employers offer health insurance plans to their workers. Tavenner, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said she was “made aware” that the Obama administration […]
House GOP Unconvinced Health Insurance Exchange Information Will Be Secure
Updated July 18, 10:40 a.m. With the NSA’s phone call monitoring and Edward Snowden on many minds, it’s not exactly a comfortable time for the government to roll out a massive computer project dealing with personal data like income, Social Security numbers and ethnicity. But Henry Chao, a lead technology information officer from the Centers for […]
At Hospitals You May Not Get What You Are Charged For
It’s well known that the listed charges hospitals set for surgeries and other procedures — recently spotlighted by Medicare — bear little resemblance to the actual prices most patients end up paying. An analysis by Castlight, a San Francisco company that helps employers and workers compare provider prices, also finds that the hospital charges bear little relationship to […]
9 Pioneer ACOs Jump Ship After First Year
Nearly a third of the health systems chosen for the ambitious Pioneer accountable care organization program with Medicare are leaving after the first year of the three-year program. The goal of accountable care is for hospitals and doctors to save money while lowering costs. The 32 organizations selected to be Pioneers a year and a half […]
Health Law Fosters A New Kind Of Business Partnership In Georgia
Medical equipment manufacturers operate largely on a “supply and demand” model: Hospitals buy their multi-million dollar machines, use them for a few years, and then the process starts again. But Philips Healthcare and a hospital system in Georgia are betting on a new business model, one that has risks and rewards for both the hospital […]
Few Medicaid Docs Have Seen 2013 Pay Raise
Most primary care doctors are still waiting for that Medicaid pay raise that was scheduled to begin in January under the Affordable Care Act, but a federal official says the government has now approved applications from 48 states to begin paying the higher rates. A spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says with those approvals in […]
Electronic Health Records Help Cut Costs For Mass. Community Docs: Study
The adoption of electronic health records by community doctors helped drive down health costs, a study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine reported. Previous studies, many dealing with academic teaching hospitals, have yielded mixed results about the effects electronic health records (EHRs) have had and have drawn concerns over the adoption of health […]
State Insurance Exchanges Launching TV Ads To Encourage Enrollment
A folk singer playing guitar in front of a mountain stream. A Disney-like animated video about how “a new day is coming.” An announcer talking about “change is here.” A woman jumping up and down in celebration in a baseball team locker room. These images are from the first television advertisements being aired by state-run health […]
7 States, Governors Team To Tackle Hospital ‘Frequent Flyers’ Problem
Seven states and the National Governors Association are teaming up to find ways to save money and better coordinate the care of Medicaid and uninsured patients who frequently use hospital emergency rooms and other costly health services. “There’s a handful of people who drive most of our spending,” said Dan Crippen, the executive director of […]
Can Humor Sell Health Insurance?
When the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges open for business in the fall, it will be a new game. Customers will be able to comparison shop in the new online marketplaces, and health insurers will have to sell themselves to the general public in a way they haven��t before. The law’s requirement that almost […]
Republicans Ready To Try Obamacare Repeal – Again And Again
The House will vote next week on measures to delay the 2010 health law’s individual and employer mandates, House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday. The votes would be the 38th and 39th time House Republicans have voted to repeal all or part of the law. Congressional Republicans saw a new opportunity to kill or weaken President Obama’s signature […]
Some States Are Pushing ‘Employee Choice’ For Small Business Insurance
Small business workers in at least 15 states and the District of Columbia may have a menu of health insurance choices next year, something that didn’t seem likely a few months ago. Back in April, federal officials concerned about the potential for major glitches put off until 2015 a provision that would offer small businesses […]
Tax Break Can Help With Health Coverage, But There’s A Catch
There are two kinds of financial help for people planning to enroll in the online health insurance marketplaces that will open this fall. One could put people at risk of having to pay some of the money back, while the other won’t. That’s one big difference between tax credits and subsidies, both of which are intended to […]
Community Health Centers – In Every State – Get Obamacare Outreach Funds
The nation’s community health centers — which treat the poor and uninsured– apparently know a good deal when they see one. Nearly all 1,200 federally funded community health centers applied for and will be getting a piece of $150 million in federal health law money to enroll patients in new online health insurance marketplaces starting Oct.1. Federal health officials on […]
