Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Reform Advocates Make Voices Heard In Federal Court Case
Friday was the last day for people with something to say about the new federal health law to file briefs in the huge multistate lawsuit in Florida challenging its constitutionality and supporters as well as opponents chimed in.
Dr. Donald Berwick – A Resource Guide
Dr. Donald Berwick, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is well-liked and known as a passionate advocate for improving the health care system. Some Republicans accuse him of favoring health care rationing – a charge Democrats dismiss as nonsense.
Text: Berwick’s Prepared Testimony – ‘I Pledge To Be Open And Transparent’
Tomorrow, Dr. Donald Berwick, the adminstrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is scheduled to testify before the Senate Committee on Finance. Here is an advance copy of his prepared statement.
Hundreds Die of Illnesses In Texas County Jails
More than 280 inmates in Texas county jails died from illnesses while in custody over a four-and-a-half period. There are no state standards for health care in county jails, but criminal justice advocates and correctional facility experts say the large number of illness-related deaths prove they’re needed.
Transcript: 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.
2014 Question Looms: Could Medicaid Recipients Buy Insurance On Exchanges?
As budget-weary state officials contemplate dropping out of the Medicaid program, a potentially game-changing question has arisen in Washington: Would poor people who lose coverage get subsidies to buy private coverage?
Pawlenty Seeks To Stop Health Law As He Eyes Presidency
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a likely GOP contender for the White House in 2012, publicly opposed the law again this week, this time with a preliminary filing supporting a challenge to the overhaul in a Florida court.
States’ Woes Spur Medicaid Drop-Out Talk
Faced with widening deficits, some conservative legislators in Texas and other states explore the “nuclear option” – quitting the state-federal health program for the poor.
Health Law Expected To Boost Medicaid Enrollees In Managed Care
But states’ increasing use of the private plans is raising questions about whether low-income residents are getting adequate care.
Advocates Prepare To Challenge GOP On Health Law
In the aftermath of Republicans’ election victories, defenders of the health care law are huddling to thwart GOP efforts to eviscerate the sweeping measure. Groups that back the law aren’t likely to coalesce around a single message to increase public support.
In Dialysis, Life-Saving Care at Great Risk and Cost
An untold number of dialysis patients are injured or die as a result of needle dislodgements, but Medicare rules don’t require clinics to report such adverse incidents to outside authorities.
Health Insurance Open Season Questions? Here Are Some Answers
Readers of The Washington Post posed questions about potential taxes on insurance, how to pick a plan and the increase in costs and KHN’s Michelle Andrews provided answers.
Health Law Or No, Most Businesses Likely To Keep Offering Insurance
A new survey of more than 2,800 employers found no big reason for workers to worry.
Poll: Economy-Not Health Law-Topped Voters’ Concerns
Health care ranked fourth among factors that influenced how people voted last week, according to a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Families Fight To Care For Disabled Kids At Home
In states like Illinois, parents can provide at-home care for children with severe illnesses and Medicaid foots the bill. But the funding disappears the minute they turn 21, forcing families to make a painful choice: Find the money to pay for sometimes exorbitant health care costs or send their children to a nursing home.
Conservatives’ Conflict: Try For Health Law Repeal – Or Revision?
Conservatives are already debating whether it’s better for Republicans to chip away at part of the health law or just lay the groundwork for 2012.
HHS Cuts Premiums For Some High Risk Pools
Trying to spur enrollment in a new health insurance program for uninsured people with pre-existing medical conditions, the federal government is doing something private insurers almost never do: slashing rates.
Transcript: Boehner And Obama On Election Results And Health Law
In the wake of the GOP victories on election night, incoming House Speaker Boehner and President Obama responded to questions about the impact of health reform on the vote.
Riding An Elevator With Boehner: What Would You Say?
Less than 24 hours after Republicans won control of the House, soon-to-be-speaker John Boehner denounced the new health care law, saying it would “kill jobs in America, ruin the best health care system in the world, and bankrupt our country” — and renewed his vow to try to repeal it. Kaiser Health News asked people around the country to answer the following question: “If you ended up in an elevator with Rep. Boehner, what single thing would you urge him to do about health care in this country?”
Transcript: Health On The Hill – The Election’s Impact On The Health Law
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.
