Latest KFF Health News Stories
HHS Relaxes Some Rules For Doctors, Hospitals To Get Aid For Electronic Health Records
The federal government is providing $27 billion over the next decade to reward doctors and hospitals for installing electronic health systems. But some hospital officials say the regulations are still too onerous.
Jacob Lew Nominated To Head OMB
The search for Peter Orszag’s successor at the Office of Management and Budget is over, as the White House announced Tuesday morning that President Obama has picked Jacob Lew, who held the same job during the Clinton administration.
Text: National HIV/AIDS Strategy For The United States
The Obama administration released its National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States Tuesday.
Administration To Release New HIV/AIDS Strategy
As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama promised greater focus on HIV/AIDS but the effort was postponed as the administration wrestled with other issues.
Hospitals Hope To Improve Outlook By Turning For-Profit
Deals in Detroit and Boston may be the leading edge of a trend, hospital analysts say.
Transcript: Health On The Hill – July 12, 2010
President Obama’s decision to use his recess appointment powers to nominate Donald Berwick to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services continues to anger Republicans who wanted a public examination of Berwick’s record.
Week In Review: Berwick As CMS Chief Sets Washington Abuzz
President Obama used a recess appointment to bypass the usual congressional confirmation process, advancing his administration’s health reform implementation efforts but triggering GOP cries of political foul.
In Texas, Rural Hospitals Ask For State Help
Rural health advocates asked state lawmakers Wednesday to help pay for improvements to rural hospitals in up to 42 Texas counties. Without state help, they said, the rural hospitals have no hope of doing necessary renovations to catch up to federal and state hospital codes.
Consumers Can Now Compare Hospitals On Medical Scans
The federal government recently handed consumers a new trove of data about how hospitals use their fancy medical scanners. The implicit message: Avoid hospitals that lean too heavily on devices that can expose you to radiation and other risks.
What Really Makes Health Insurance Premiums Go Up
AHIP walks reporters through the process of how actual premiums are calculated for the individual and small group market.
Seven Health Care Changes You Might Have Missed
Provisions such as eliminating co-payments for some preventive services, reviewing premium increases and expanding Medicaid coverage to adults without children could have a lasting impact on the health system.
Transcript: Dr. Donald Berwick’s Speech To The British National Health Service
President Obama’s appointment – during a congressional recess – of Dr. Donald Berwick to head the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services is focusing new attention on Berwick’s record and beliefs, in particular a 2008 speech about Britain’s National Health Service. This is an edited transcript.
Price Fixing And Kickbacks Sully Medical Supply Business
The new health care law does not address costs for medical supplies
Latest Destination For Medical Tourism: The U.S.
Forget sending workers overseas for lower cost medical care: A growing number of employers are encouraging workers to travel within the states to medical facilities they say have better quality and lower costs.
Transcript: Health On The Hill – July 6, 2010
Congress left town for the July 4th recess without taking action on legislation that would give states additional Medicaid funding through June of next year. A bipartisan group of governors who came to Washington last week said that without the extra funds they would have to make budget cuts beginning July 1.
Consumer Groups: Force Insurers To Provide More Details Justifying Price Increases
Under the new health law, many insurers will have to publicly report how much they plan to raise premiums and why, but consumer advocates say draft rules on how much information is required to justify “unreasonable” increases fall short.
Week In Review: Details On Health Reform’s High-Risk Insurance Pools And HHS’ Insurance Website
Two of the new health law’s early deliverables – high-risk insurance pools and a federal website for consumers – took center stage as July 1 marked a busy day in the administration’s implementation schedule.
Obama’s Health Plan Getting Tested In Court
The Obama administration’s biggest domestic policy accomplishment — the new health care law — is under steady legal attack. On Thursday, lawyers argued the first case to hit the courts, filed by the attorney general of Virginia. More than a dozen other state challenges are in the pipeline.
COBRA, Medicaid Subsidies Still Loom Over Congressional Agenda
Democrats had hoped to extend health insurance subsidies for newly laid off workers, extend extra Medicaid payments to the states, and pass a long term Medicare ‘doc fix’ before the July 4 recess. But all they could accomplish was a short-term Medicare fix.
What You Need To Know About The Government’s New Health Insurance Website
The new health law mandated that the government set up a website to help consumers understand all of their insurance options. The site, http://www.healthcare.gov, launched July 1.
