Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s Headlines – Dec. 3, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news outlets, including the latest press reports on the looming “fiscal cliff” and on how states are viewing the health law’s Medicaid expansion. The Wall Street Journal: Fiscal Cliff Talks At Stalemate The White House and congressional Republicans remained at loggerheads—in both public and private—over how to design […]
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 30, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including news about the continuing partisan back and forth regarding “fiscal cliff” negotiations as well as reports on the health law’s implementation. The New York Times: GOP Balks At White House Plan On Fiscal Crisis The proposal, loaded with Democratic priorities and short on detailed spending […]
Missouri Governor Backs Medicaid Expansion
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon wants the state to expand its Medicaid program, marking the strongest stance the Democratic governor has taken to date on the state’s pending decision. Nixon previously said he was evaluating the issue to see what’s best for Missouri. Speaking to a packed crowd of hospital and clinic leaders in Kansas City […]
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 29, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report detailing why the idea of raising Medicare’s eligibility age always seem to crop up in policy discussions. Politico: Inside The Talks: Fiscal Framework Emerges Cut through the fog, and here’s what to expect: Taxes will go up just shy of $1.2 trillion — […]
More Workers Covered By Bosses’ Self-Insured Plans
The number of U.S. workers covered by self-insured health plans—in which their employer assumes the financial risk for health costs rather than paying insurance companies to do that—has grown steadily in recent years. But such plans are still primarily used by large companies, not small employers, a new study finds. As of 2011, more than […]
Study Questions Benefits Of Many Double Mastectomies
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. It’s a startling trend: Many women with cancer in one breast are choosing to have their healthy breast removed, too. But a study being presented later this week says more than three-quarters of women who opt for double mastectomies are not getting any benefit because their risk of cancer […]
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 28, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how party positions on entitlement programs are playing into the ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiations. The New York Times: House Republican Urges Party To Yield On Tax Cuts For Most Earners Democrats said they would not accept cuts to Medicare or Medicaid as part of […]
Hospitals Get New Grades On Safety
Updated at 9:35 a.m. The Leapfrog Group is out with its second round of hospital safety ratings, and what a difference a few months has made. In the results released Wednesday, 103 hospitals that Leapfrog had given a “C” or lower in its first round of ratings in June got an “A” in the updated Hospital […]
Momentum Builds For Hepatitis C Testing Of Baby Boomers
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an influential and often controversial panel of doctors, is moving toward a recommendation for testing that could apply to all baby boomers. The group issued draft advice to doctors saying they should consider giving a hepatitis C test to people born between 1945 and 1965, […]
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 27, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how increasing the Medicare eligibility age and making other entitlement program changes are a part of the ongoing “fiscal cliff” discourse. The Wall Street Journal: ‘Cliff’ Wranglers Weigh Medicare Age The fiscal cliff has revived an old idea that long seemed unfeasible: gradually […]
Study: States Face Increased Medicaid Costs Even If They Don’t Expand Program
If state officials think they can escape a fiscal quagmire by refusing to expand Medicaid under the federal health law, they might want to reconsider. State Medicaid costs will jump $76 billion, or nearly 3 percent, over the next decade if all 50 states decide to expand Medicaid eligibility in 2014 under the federal health […]
Report: Coverage of Smoking Cessation Treatments Is Spotty Despite Health Law
It’s hard to stop smoking. But a new report suggests it’s even harder to decipher how your insurance plan covers the cost of treatments to help you quit. In 2010, the Affordable Care Act required that all new private health insurance plans completely cover preventive services deemed effective by the United States Preventive Services Task […]
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 26, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a range of stories regarding the future of the “fiscal cliff” negotiations as well as reports about the strategies that might now be used by health law opponents. The Wall Street Journal: Talks Over Fiscal Cliff Stay Stuck In Low Gear Congressional leaders return to […]
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 21, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including articles about regulations for the health law released by the administration Tuesday and the road ahead on implementing the law. The New York Times: Administration Defines Benefits That Must Be Offered Under The Health Law The Obama administration took a big step on Tuesday to […]
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 20, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the latest news on the “fiscal cliff” negotiations as well as reports about the health law’s implementation. The Wall Street Journal: Entitlements Split Democrats With deficit talks kicking off in earnest, Democrats are divided on the magnitude of changes they would accept when it comes […]
Uninsured Die At Higher Rates After Brain Surgery, Study Finds
Your chances of surviving brain surgery might be affected by whether you have health insurance. According to the findings of a new study by Johns Hopkins University researchers, uninsured patients died at a higher rate after receiving brain surgery to remove cancerous tumors than those with private insurance. Uninsured patients had a death rate of […]
States Detail Questions About Their Exchange Options
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said Friday that he will build a health exchange in his state – as soon as the Obama administration can explain exactly what that means. The Republican governor submitted 50 questions to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about how the state-built online insurance markets are supposed to be set up. “As […]
Survey: Maryland Voters Know Little About Federal Health Law
Although Maryland is a leader in implementing major provisions of the federal health law, many of its voters are still unsure of what changes are actually in store for them. The results of a new poll, released Monday, found that while the majority of Maryland voters support the measure, only 30 percent of survey respondents […]
NFL Medical Records Go High-Tech
The game of football isn’t played without its share of injuries. Look at just one of yesterday’s marquee games: The contest between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers resulted in Ravens’ tight end Dennis Pitta and the Steelers’ running back Isaac Redman receiving concussions. A Steelers’ defensive lineman, Ziggy Hood, also left the game […]
Gerontology Expert: Revive CLASS Act To Help Pay Long-Term Care Bills
As policymakers in Washington struggled to avoid a year-end budget crisis affecting spending on the biggest health programs, gerontologists on the other side of the country were worrying about how to meet long-term care needs of the expanding senior population. At the Gerontological Society of America’s 65th annual scientific meeting in San Diego, Dr. Toni […]
