Latest KFF Health News Stories
Denver Health: Low Readmission Rate Not Easy To Emulate
If Denver Health can do it, every hospital ought to be able to do it. That’s the implicit challenge of the new Medicare penalties for high hospital readmission rates that will be hitting 2,211 American hospitals come October. Denver Health, despite being a safety net hospital, won’t be paying a penalty: It has an enviably […]
Today’s Headlines – August 15, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that Medicaid is joining Medicare in the presidential campaign’s issue spotlight. The Washington Post: Medicaid Shapes Up As Major Battleground Mitt Romney’s choice of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his running mate has reignited a debate over the future of Medicare. But Ryan’s proposed […]
Today’s Headlines – August 14, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including more news and analysis related to GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s running-mate pick and how the Romney-Ryan team appears to be playing on the campaign trail. The New York Times: Medicare Rises As Prime Election Issue With Mitt Romney’s selection of Representative Paul D. Ryan […]
Regulators Urged To Move Swiftly To Prevent ‘Rate Shocks’
Consumer groups on Monday said state and federal regulators should move quickly to set rules to protect Americans from health insurance premium “rate shocks” and to prevent insurers from charging far higher rates in low income areas, when major provisions of the federal health law take effect in 2014. Dozens of recommendations for implementing a […]
Today’s Headlines – August 13, 2012
Good morning, here are your headlines: CBS News: “60 Minutes”: Romney, Ryan Answer Critics Of Medicare Position Romney answered critics who say Ryan’s Medicare plan will hurt the ticket’s chances, especially in Florida. “There’s only one president that I know of in history that robbed Medicare, $716 billion to pay for a new risky program […]
3 House Republicans Ask For GAO Report On CMS Spending
Three House Ways and Means Committee Republicans have asked the Government Accountability Office to review money spent by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on programs not related to Medicare and Medicaid. In January 2011, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, […]
Today’s Headlines – August 10, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the health law’s tax provisions and insurance rebates: The Associated Press/Washington Post: Health Care Law’s Big Tax Hikes Hit The Wealthiest 2 Percent – Others Also Caught In The Net Who gets thumped by higher taxes in President Barack Obama’s health care law? […]
Survey: Boomers Worry About Medicare’s Future, Want More Details From Candidates
A new AARP survey suggests that baby boomers aren’t confident they can retire as planned – or that they will have access to Medicare when they do. The organization asked registered voters, including an oversample of people age 50-plus, about their five top financial concerns to measure what they call an “Anxiety Index.” Health expenses ranked […]
Today’s Headlines – August 9, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including news about campaign trail sparring over women’s health issues, a political ad that has drawn criticism and a Romney aide’s response. Los Angeles Times: Survey: 61% Of Employers Expect Cost Increase From Healthcare Law More than 60% of employers in a new survey anticipate some […]
Rep. Courtney Pushes Bill To Expand Medicare Coverage Of Nursing Home Stays
Congress may be in recess, but Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) isn’t taking a vacation just yet. He went to a New London nursing home Wednesday to drum up support for legislation that would help residents such as a 98-year-old woman whose life savings were wiped out by nursing home bills Medicare wouldn’t pay. That woman’s niece, […]
Where Have All The Forensic Pathologists Gone?
Television crime dramas may draw big audiences, but they don’t seem to work as a recruiting tool for forensic pathologists. A draft report by a Justice Department Scientific Working Group for Medicolegal Death Investigation, which is open for comment through Aug. 22, spotlights the nation’s shortage of these highly trained professionals who perform autopsies to determine the […]
Today’s Headlines – August 8, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a variety of stories that reflect how health policy issues are playing on the campaign trail. The Wall Street Journal: Puzzling Over What To Call State Insurance Exchanges Health-insurance exchanges are a central part of the Obama administration’s health overhaul, serving as marketplaces for people […]
Group Health’s ‘Learning Health System’ Keeps Innovations Moving
At Group Health, a nonprofit health system in Washington state, doctors and researchers are collaborating to make sure the latest health care innovations don’t just sit on the shelf. They’ve adopted a strategy known as a “learning health system,” which creates a feedback loop of sorts between the system’s medical and research sides, including the […]
Four Want To Be Washington State’s Insurance Commissioner
Voters in Washington will be filling out their Vote-by-Mail ballots Tuesday, and they will have a chance to do something that voters in just 10 other states do: elect an insurance commissioner. The primary field this year includes four candidates, and the top two vote getters, regardless of party, will face each other in the […]
2013 Medicare Drug Plan Premiums Will Be Similar To This Year — On Average
UPDATED 1:55 p.m. Aug. 7 Premiums for private Medicare prescription drug plans will be about the same in 2013 as they have been over the past two years, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Based on drug and health plan bids, the average monthly premium for an individual next year will be […]
Today’s Headlines – August 7, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that HCA, the largest for-profit hospital chain in the U.S., is facing scrutiny about the medical necessity of some of the cardiac procedures done at some of its facilities. The Associated Press/Washington Post: Obama Administration: Average Monthly Premium For Basic Medicare Drug Coverage To […]
Survey: Employers Expect 7 Percent Growth In Cost Of Health Benefits
As employers brace to absorb cost increases in employee health benefits, many are also experimenting with new ways to control these expenses, according to a new survey from the National Business Group on Health, a non-profit association of 342 large employers. The survey’s findings, which were released today, are based on the responses of 82 […]
Today’s Headlines – August 6, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a progress report about health insurance exchanges as well as news from the campaign trail. The New York Times: U.S. Officials Brace For Huge Task Of Operating Health Exchanges Obama administration officials are getting ready to set up and operate new health insurance markets in […]
New Ads Promote Health Law’s Preventive Benefits
They aren’t campaign ads, but two new television commercials from the Obama administration that promote the president’s health law may also be boosting its image. The ads, which began airing this summer, tout the law’s preventive services benefits, including coverage of vaccinations, mammograms and other screenings. For many people, these services will now be available through […]
Today’s Headlines – August 3, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports on a Capitol Hill hearing during which House GOP lawmakers grilled the director of the Internal Revenue Service on his agency’s health care subsidy ruling. The Associated Press/Washington Post: Republicans Grill IRS Chief On Health Care Subsidy Ruling As Commissioner Defends His Agency House […]
