Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health On The Hill – November 15, 2010
As Congress returns for its lame-duck session, lawmakers will debate legislation to stop an impending cut in Medicare physician payments.
Video: Obama, Rand Paul On Health Law
On CBS’ “60 Minutes” President Barack Obama acknowledged that taking on “something as big as health care” probably “wasn’t great politics.” Senator-elect Rand Paul, R-Ky., a favorite of the tea party, told ABC’s “This Week” why he believes the law should be repealed.
Video: Obama On Election Results And Health Law
In the wake of the GOP victories on election night, President Barack Obama held a news conference to talk about the “shellacking” he and his party took. He was asked about the impact of the health law on the vote. Here is an excerpt of that part of the event.
Health On The Hill – November 3, 2010
With major gains in Congress, in governors’ races and in statehouses across the country, Republicans will continue to push for repeal or significant changes to the health care law. President Obama says while he is open to making some modifications, he and Democrats will resist major changes to the measure.
AMA Head Readies New Medicare ‘Doc Fix’ Push
No matter what the outcome of the midterm elections, the American Medical Association is hard at work on a new proposal to fix the Medicare physician payment system. The AMA wants to stave off cuts of up to 30 percent, slated to begin taking effect Dec. 1. AMA chief Cecil B. Wilson talks with Kaiser Health News to talk about the looming cuts, why it’s increasingly difficult for doctors to see Medicare patients in America and how the AMA will soon try to lobby lawmakers for a permanent fix to the system.
Health On The Hill – October 27, 2010
With the elections less than one week away, ads making claims about the health law are flooding the airwaves. Many Democrats, concerned that voters view the measure in a negative light, continue to not mention health reform. Republicans, predicted to take control of the House and increase their ranks in the Senate, continue to criticize the law as too large, too expensive and intrusive into Americans’ lives. But President Barack Obama and some Democrats are promoting the law’s immediate consumer benefits and say it will improve the quality of health care for all Americans.
Florida Congressional Race Hinges On Seniors’ Confusion, Anger
As emotions run high over the new health law, older voters’ concerns about Medicare cuts could be a deciding factor in Florida’s 2nd Congressional District. Reporter Marilyn Werber Serafini travelled to north Florida to talk with seniors and discovered some angry voters, including one woman who changed political parties because she doesn’t like the Democrats’ health law.
Video: Checking In With Tom Daschle
Jackie Judd checks in with Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader and a senior, informal, advisor to President Obama during the health debate. He talks about the challenges facing the administration now, including walking the line between the “pragmatic and idealistic” and about how to respond to the many requests for waivers from complying with the law. Daschle has a new book about the new debate: “Getting It Done.”
Health On The Hill – October 18, 2010
Some Democrats are talking about health care in their elections in a new way: send us to Washington to fix parts of the health care bill that you don’t like. Meanwhile, oral arguments in a Virginia court case challenging the law’s requirement that individuals purchase health care insurance are proceeding in court.
Health On The Hill – October 11, 2010
The Department of Health and Human Services has granted approximately 30 waivers to employers, insurers and unions that will allow them to offer limited benefit, or “mini-med,” health insurance plans.
Health On The Hill – October 4, 2010
As the November elections near, more Democrats appear to be campaigning on the health care law, touting a package of consumer protections that went into effect for plan years starting after Sept. 23.
Health On The Hill – September 27, 2010
Just weeks before the November elections, new polling shows that four out of 10 adults – no matter whether they supported the law – think the health care law did not do enough to change the health care system in America, and 53 percent of Americans are still confused about health reform.
How The Health Law Changes Could Affect You
For the past few months, health reporter Michelle Andrews has been writing about various aspects of the new law for her weekly feature “Insuring Your Health.” Today, the six-month anniversary of the signing of the health bill, a number of key provisions officially kick in and Jackie Judd sat down with her to discuss them.
Health On The Hill – September 21, 2010
The Obama Administration and supporters of the new health law have planned a series of events this week to commemorate the law’s six-month anniversary and a package of consumer protections that go into effect Thursday as Republicans plan to unveil their plans Thursday to overhaul the nation’s health care system.
Jane Carroll, 53, lives in Silver Spring, Maryland and has been in weight management programs much of her life.
Health On The Hill – September 13, 2010
As Congress returns from its August recess, the Senate is expected to debate amendments to a package of small business tax breaks that would repeal a provision of the health care law requiring businesses to submit a 1099 form to the Internal Revenue Service for yearly purchases of $600 or more from a vendor.
Health On The Hill – September 7, 2010
As the Obama administration continues to implement the health care overhaul law, some myths
Baltimore Homeless Program Expects Boost From Medicaid Expansion
Many homeless people are uninsured and ineligible for Medicaid. But that will change beginning in 2014, when Medicaid greatly expands under the new health law.
Health On The Hill – August 16, 2010
Insurers, lawmakers and state insurance regulators continue to debate what may and may not be included in a calculation of the medical loss ratio. Separately, debate is also ongoing over how much power individual states have to enforce provisions of the health care law.
Health On The Hill – August 11, 2010
President Obama has signed legislation into law that will give states an additional $16 billion in Medicaid funding. As House members left the Capitol to resume their August recess, some predicted that town hall meetings in their districts would focus more on job and the economy than health care, a change from the town halls of last August where health care was often a combative issue.
