Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s Headlines – August 28, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about new polling insights regarding the presidential campaign and Medicare, as well as what might become of the House of Representatives. Los Angeles Times: Poll Watch: Tight Presidential Race In Both Convention States As Republicans prepare to get their storm-delayed convention underway in Florida, […]
Vermont Goes For Gold (Silver, Bronze And Platinum, Too)
Vermont is the only state in the nation on a path to a single payer health system. That could take a while, though. And in the meantime, the state has to set up an insurance exchange to comply with the Affordable Care Act. While some states are still struggling with the basic question of whether […]
Today’s Headlines – August 27, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about this week’s GOP convention, the politics of Medicare and abortion, and the latest health policy news from the states. The Washington Post: Poll: Obama, Romney Neck-And-Neck Ahead Of Party Conventions The Republican National Convention opens this week with President Obama and presumptive nominee […]
Hospitals Tally Likely Costs From New Readmissions Penalties
Across the country, hospitals are estimating how much money they are going to forfeit when Medicare’s new penalties for excess readmissions kick in. Hospitals are also issuing divergent verdicts on whether they think the program is a good idea or not. Starting in October, 2,211 hospitals will lose a portion of their regular Medicare reimbursements […]
Today’s Headlines – August 24, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports comparing presidential candidates’ Medicare plans and health reform views. The Associated Press/Washington Post: Romney-Ryan Medicare Overhaul Plan Could Give Rise to A New Family Dynamic: Health Care Envy As the issue rises in importance in the presidential campaign, it’s leading to inevitable comparisons for […]
Hospital Banks ‘Liquid Gold’: Human Breast Milk
When Ashley Beecher had her first daughter, nursing was a struggle, and she sometimes had to supplement her baby’s diet with formula. But when she had her second daughter in January, it was a very different story. “Very early on I noticed [that] I’ve got so much more milk than what this child is drinking,” […]
15 Minutes With Your Doctor; Ransoming Health Records
Every week Shefali S. Kulkarni selects interesting reading from around the Web. The New York Times: How Much Can Patients Learn In A 15-Minute Doctor Visit? Built more like a former professional basketball player than an elementary schoolteacher nearing retirement, the patient dropped a bagful of prescription medications on the table in the examining room […]
Today’s Headlines – August 23, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the latest round of stories about how Medicare and abortion issues are emerging both in the presidential campaign and congressional races. The New York Times: In Poll, Obama Is Given Trust Over Medicare The Romney-Ryan proposal to reshape Medicare by giving future beneficiaries fixed amounts […]
CBO Says Medicare Spending Growth Slower Than Expected
Amid its grim projections for the economy overall, the Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday said that Medicare spending growth is slowing, although the program will take up a larger share of the economy in a decade than it does now. In an update to its January report on the nation’s budget and economic outlook, CBO […]
Clinics Go Mobile To Take Health Care To The Street
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. Matt Levy, medical director of community pediatrics at Georgetown University, calls mobile health clinics permanently temporary. He runs one of the clinics in a truck that stations itself at various parking spots throughout Washington at regular hours during the week. He says the clinics like his are both a […]
Today’s Headlines – August 22, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including political reports related to the abortion debate and Medicare issues. The New York Times: Patients Would Pay More If Romney Restores Medicare Savings, Analysts Say Mitt Romney’s promise to restore $716 billion that he says President Obama “robbed” from Medicare has some health care experts […]
Today’s Headlines – August 21, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports from the campaign trail, where House candidates are turning up the Medicare debate; and from the health care marketkplace, where Aetna acquired Coventry Health, a Medicare and Medicaid insurer. The New York Times: As Romney Enjoys Ryan’s Spark, Rivals Try To Fan It But […]
Survey: Hospitals Name Their Least Favorite Insurers
Updated at 11 a.m. with comments from Cigna. It is a truth universally acknowledged that health insurance companies can be a pain for patients. What may be a surprise is that hospitals often complain, too. For the same reasons: Denied claims. Low reimbursement. Late reimbursement. Thickets of red tape. Each year ReviveHealth, a hospital public relations firm in Santa Barbara, […]
Today’s Headlines – August 20, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how the Medicare story is continuing to unfold on the presidential campaign trail. The Associated Press/Washington Post: Romney And Ryan To Hold Town Hall Meeting With NH Voters To Explain Medicare Plans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are ready to face New Hampshire […]
Hospitals React To Readmission Penalties
This week, a KHN analysis of Medicare data showed that 2,211 hospitals will face penalties in October for having too many patients readmitted for care within 30 days of discharge. Hospital executives around the country have had something to say about those penalties and the new policy. Here’s a round-up of how the story played as it […]
Today’s Headlines – August 17, 2012
One last batch of health policy headlines before you head to the beach. The Washington Post: Mitt Romney, Obama Camp Spar On Medicare Plans Mitt Romney wants to make the Medicare debate easy to understand. So on Thursday, he pulled out a black marker and stepped toward a trusty white board propped up on a […]
Survey: Few ACOs Ready For Financial Risk
Few hospitals interested in becoming accountable care organizations are ready to take on financial risk, according to a survey released Friday from The Commonwealth Fund. “We’re really still at the very beginning of the adoption curve of the ACO model,” says lead author Anne-Marie Audet, who researches health system quality and efficiency at Commonwealth. “The […]
CDC: All Baby Boomers Should Be Tested For Hepatitis C
When it comes to preventive screenings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants baby boomers to add one more item to the list. The CDC is calling for all Americans born between 1945 and 1965 to be tested for the Hepatitis C virus as part of expanded recommendations to limit related illnesses and deaths that were released today. Hepatitis […]
Don’t Change Medicare, Most Republicans Say In Poll
As Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to overhaul Medicare makes campaign headlines, a majority of Republicans oppose changing the government program for seniors, according to a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Washington Post. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.) That could spell trouble for presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his designated running mate Ryan as […]
Today’s Headlines – August 16, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how Medicare has taken center stage in the presidential campaign. The Associated Press/Washington Post: Reversing Obama Medicare Cuts May Backfire On Romney By Speeding Up Program’s Insolvency GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s new promise to restore the Medicare cuts made by President Barack […]
