Latest KFF Health News Stories
Vermont Wields New Power Over Hospital Budgets
Vermont’s Green Mountain Care Board, established by state law in May 2011 and given new powers last spring, is taking over responsibility for virtually every aspect of health care in the state. This month’s project for the new regulatory board: How much hospital budgets should go up on an annual basis. The board has established […]
Economists Say Market-Based Approach Will Curb Costs Best
A market-based effort to control health care spending would provide Medicare beneficiaries with fixed subsidies, rather than the current system’s open-ended ones, a trio of conservative health economists said Wednesday. The economists said in an online paper for the New England Journal of Medicine that while the 2010 federal health law aims to slow health […]
Today’s Headlines – August 2, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including stories detailing the latest news on various issues involved in the health law’s implementation, as well as reports about Medicare and Medicaid . The Wall Street Journal: Small Firms See Pain In Health Law Restaurants and retailers face some of the toughest changes now that […]
Doctors Will Have To Figure Out Who Gets ‘No-Cost’ Birth Control
The new provision of the federal health law that waives cost sharing for women’s preventive health services may be a mandate on insurance companies, but it’s providers who are complaining about its burden. That’s because not all women are eligible for the cost sharing waiver at the same time. The rule went into effect Wednesday, […]
Experts Release 11-Point Plan To Reduce Health Spending
Some of the nation’s top health care experts, several of whom helped write the 2010 health care law, released a strategy Wednesday to take the next step — curbing spending. The proposals include state spending targets; competitive bidding for medical devices, laboratory tests and other Medicare services; and a dramatic move away from the traditional […]
Israel’s Health Care In The Spotlight After Romney Cost Comments
Mitt Romney caused quite a stir earlier this week when he applauded Israel for spending far less on health care than the United States but neglected to mention that the Israeli system depends on the kind of government regulation he has decried at home. Romney on Monday highlighted the fact that Israel spends 8 percent […]
Today’s Headlines – August 1, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the legislation to limit health spending approved by Massachusetts lawmakers. NPR: Under Health Law, ‘No-Cost’ Birth Control Starts Today Beginning today, most new and renewing health insurance plans must begin offering a broad array of women’s preventive health services, most notably coverage of […]
Today’s Headlines – July 31, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including forward-looking reports about what the Medicaid expansion might look like if the GOP controls Congress and the White House, as well as how insurers are planning to use an expected tax reform effort to nix fees their industry will otherwise face under the health law. […]
Medicaid Expansion Favored In General, Less So Near Home, Survey Finds
Americans are broadly supportive of the health care law’s expansion of Medicaid to cover millions of uninsured people, according to a new poll. But they are less enthusiastic about expanding it in their own states after they realize state taxpayers will pick up some of the cost. Last month the U.S. Supreme Court upheld most of the Affordable […]
The CBO’s New Medicaid Numbers And The Cost Of Saving Lives
This week, the Congressional Budget Office updated its numbers on the cost of the health law, the Affordable Care Act. The verdict? Now that the Supreme Court has overturned part of the Medicaid expansion — thereby allowing states to opt out of this portion of the overhaul without penalty, the law’s cost will likely be around $84 billion lower over 11 […]
Health Coverage ‘A New Part Of The Conversation’ After Tragedy
Health insurance is getting almost as much attention as the debate over gun control in the aftermath of the Aurora, Colo., theater shootings, amid reports that some of the most grievously injured lack coverage. “This does seem like a new part of the conversation” following a tragedy, said Dr. Ned Calonge, president and CEO of the Colorado […]
Today’s Headlines – July 30, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including recent reports about both the policies and politics related to the health law’s implementation. NPR: Affordable Care Act’s Insurance Rebates In The Mail Robert Siegel talks with Julie Rovner about an immediate effect of the new health care law — rebate checks — how they […]
U.K. National Health Service Gets Gold Medal Mention At Olympics
The opening ceremony for the London Olympics Friday night was full of surprises: The “queen” parachuting with James Bond into the Olympic stadium, an appearance by the evil Voldemort of Harry Potter fame. But maybe the most surprising for health wonks was the tribute to the National Health Service (NHS). That last salute came in a […]
New Funds Could Shorten AIDS Drug Waiting Lists
The Obama administration announced nearly $80 million in grants to increase access to HIV/AIDS care across the United States last week – but will it be enough to eliminate waiting lists for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program? Advocates aren’t sure. The program, known as ADAP, provides a safety net for people with HIV who cannot […]
GOP Says Coverage For The Uninsured Is Not Their Priority
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. For decades, the primary goal of those who would fix the U.S. health system has been to help people without insurance get coverage. Now, it seems, all that may be changing. At least some top Republicans are trying to steer the health debate away from the problem […]
Religious Health Care; ‘The Big Lie’ About Expanding Medicaid
KHN’s Matthew Fleming selected these interesting articles from around the Web for weekend reading options. The Atlantic: A Christian Alternative To Health Insurance The Affordable Care Act has a section that exempts members of health care sharing ministries from purchasing insurance. The Amish, Mennonite, Christian Science and Indian tribe communities also are exempt from the penalty […]
Today’s Headlines – July 27, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a new effort launched by the Obama administration and insurers to fight health care fraud. The New York Times: Hospitals Are Worried About Cut In Fund For The Uninsured President Obama’s health care law is putting new strains on some of the nation’s […]
Former Obama Adviser Chosen As Commonwealth Fund President
The Commonwealth Fund, one of the nation’s largest health care philanthropies, has named Dr. David Blumenthal as its new president. Between 2009 and February 2011, Blumenthal led President Barack Obama’s effort to expand the use of electronic medical records and other health information technology. After that job he returned to Harvard Medical School, where he […]
Today’s Headlines – July 26, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including coverage of a new study that finds Medicaid may help people live longer. Politico: White House Tailors Minority Health Care Pitch The message: Blacks and Hispanics, among whom uninsured rates are significantly higher than among whites, stand to benefit disproportionately under the health law, gaining […]
Medicaid Expansion Reduces Mortality, Study Finds
As states decide whether to expand their Medicaid programs to cover low-income childless adults, the impact of their choices became clearer today in a study showing a reduction of mortality in states that have already made that move. The research published in the New England Journal of Medicine found a 6.1 percent reduction in mortality […]
