Latest KFF Health News Stories
Small Business Owners Have Mixed Reviews On Health Law’s Tax Credits
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the tax credit offered to small business owners to cover their employees could be a burden; others say it will help them afford insurance for their workers.
Cancer Patients’ Dilemma: Expensive Pills Vs. Invasive Chemo Treatment
Gaps in insurance policies make oral drugs too pricey for some cancer patients.
Analysis: Everything You Need to Know About the Fiscal Commission
President Barack Obama’s fiscal commission meets today for the first time. Here’s a guide to help you follow the proceedings.
Transcript: Health On The Hill – April 26, 2010
The new health law mandates that states adhere to several changes, including setting up high-risk health insurance pools by June. Jackie Judd and Noam Levey discuss where efforts now stand.
New Health Law Brings Better Coverage For Women
Among the many goals of the new health law is one that hasn’t received much attention: to improve women’s experiences in the health insurance world.
New Health Law Will Require Industry To Disclose Payments To Physicians
Doctors who accept speaking fees, five-star meals and other compensation from pharmaceutical or medical device companies will soon see their names — and the value of the gifts they accept — revealed on the Web.
Balanced Budget Out of Reach, Many Experts Warn
President Obama’s fiscal commission faces a daunting task in reducing the deficit.
Federal Officials Confirm A Shift In Medicaid Drug Rebates
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services confirms that some discounts states received from drugmakers will now be shifted to the federal government.
Poll Finds More Confusion Than Anger Over New Health Law
The first Kaiser Health Tracking Poll released since health overhaul became law shows that most people are confused — not angry.
Black Americans Look To Health Plan For New Hope
Many African-Americans hope the health care overhaul will cut the high rates of chronic disease in their communities. But not everyone is convinced the bill will ease the health disparities they face.
Despite Federal Help, States Struggle To Move People Out Of Nursing Homes
A program, known as “Money Follows the Person,” aims to help elderly and disabled people in nursing homes live on their own and save tens of millions of dollars for Medicaid. But many states are having trouble finding affordable housing, and fewer than 6,000 people have moved. The goal is 37,000 by 2013.
Lung Cancer Screening Often Raises Costly, Scary False Alarms
An analysis of lung cancer screening finds that 21 to 33 percent of the suspicious nodules found by CT scans are false alarms, resulting in extra scans and biopsies, which cost an average of an extra $1,100.
States’ Medicaid Funds Tapped For Federal Health Overhaul
The new health care law could shift billions of dollars from cash-strapped states to the federal government by changing the way Medicaid prescription drug rebates are treated.
Big Health Insurers Have A Gift For College Grads
This year’s crop of college graduates may have trouble finding a job, given the state of the economy. But some of them will have a much easier time keeping health insurance while they look.
Transcript: Health On The Hill
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing this week to discuss how to protect consumers from unreasonable health insurance premium increases.
In Kansas, Small Medicaid Cuts Have Big Impact On Some Seniors
In Kansas, cuts to Medicaid in-home services for the elderly produce quick consequences for some people who have had to move out of their apartments and into nursing homes.
Florida Finds ‘Dramatic’ Difference In Medicaid HMOs Vs. Traditional Care
Medicaid patients in traditional fee-for-service care get some services at two to three times the frequency of those who are in managed care, a preliminary state report suggests. What it doesn’t say: Is that good or bad?
The President’s Orders On Same-Sex Partners’ Hospital Visitation Rights
The White House released a copy of the memo sent by President Barack Obama to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on hospital visitors’ rights, including those for same-sex partners of patients.
Obama: Hospitals Must Grant Same-Sex Visitations
Hospitals that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding will be required to comply with the order.
New Long-Term Care Insurance Will Provide Flexible Cash Benefits
The CLASS Act, part of the health care overhaul, will provide about $75 a day to people who sign up for the long-term care insurance policy. Advocates say it could help people stay in their homes. But critics raise concerns about the financial viability of the program.
