Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Reform: The Big Issues Bedeviling Harry Reid
To get the necessary 60 votes to pass health overhaul legislation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid must resolve Democrats’ disagreements on the public option, abortion, cost and affordability.
Health On The Hill: After Delays, Senate Votes On Health Bill Amendments
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey reports from Capitol Hill, where the Senate voted on four amendments to the Democrats’ health overhaul bill.
New Survey: ‘Cadillac Tax’ Would Force Employers To Trim Health Insurance Costs
Two-thirds of employers would raise deductibles, change insurers or scale back coverage to avoid the so-called Cadillac tax on high-cost benefits proposed in the Senate Democrats’ health care bill, a survey to be released Thursday by consulting firm Mercer says.
Analysis Of Medicare Costs Knocks McAllen, Texas, Off Its Expensive Perch
An independent advisory board has a new way to evaluate geographical differences in Medicare spending. Now, McAllen, Texas is no longer considered as one of the top two expensive areas in the country.
Health Bill Would Affect Food, Drug Industries
The Senate and House health care overhaul bills are each about 2,000 pages long. While the bills are mostly aimed at revamping the health insurance system, tucked in the pages are provisions that would spell big changes for the food, drug and medical device industries, too.
Recession-Driven Cuts Threaten Efforts To Expand Adult Day Care
Facilities, which generally provide social and medical services, rely heavily on funding from state governments and charities, which have been hit hard by the recession. Advocates say the 4,000 state-licensed centers around the country provide a cost-effective alternative to nursing homes and allow caregivers to remain in the workforce.
Seniors Often Reluctant To Switch Medicare Drug Plans
Comparing plans can save hundreds of dollars for some consumers but many people are overwhelmed at the prospect of making such a change. Seniors have until the end of the year to revise their coverage.
New Report: Insurance Plans For Most Americans Wouldn’t Cost More After Health Reform
According to analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate Democrats’ health care overhaul bill would substantially reduce premium costs for 57 percent of people who buy subsidized coverage through new exchanges, while rates would hold steady or decline slightly for large and small employers.
Transcript: Health On The Hill – November 30, 2009
Panelists discuss the array of amendments Democrats and Republicans are expected to offer as the Senate begins debate on health overhaul legislation.
White House Defends Overhaul’s Cost-Cutting
Tiring of gripes that overhaul proposals won’t slow health spending, the White House chose the afternoon before the long Thanksgiving weekend to tell reporters, essentially, “They will, so.”
Seven Things You Didn’t Know Were In The Senate Health Bill
While much of the attention paid to the Senate health reform bill has been about the public option or financing, there are many lesser-known provisions that would affect consumers.
Health Reform’s Impact on Premiums: Winners, Losers And, For Many, A Question Mark
If a Democratic health bill passes,certain individuals and small businesses initially would pay more for insurance, while others would pay less, experts predict. But the long-term outlook is less clear.
For Public, Affordability A Key Issue In Health Bill
The debate in Washington over how much the health care overhaul bills will cost has largely centered on the bottom line for the federal government. But polls repeatedly show Americans are much more concerned about how a reshaped health care system will affect their own family’s financial situation.
Poll: Public Most Concerned With Bread-And-Butter Issues In Health Reform Debate
A poll “shows little movement in measures of public opinion” on health reform. About one-third like the current Democratic bills, another third want reform, but not what Democratic lawmakers have in mind and one-quarter think Congress should not spend time on the issue now.
Transcript: Health On The Hill – November 23, 2009
Panelists discuss the Senate’s vote to begin debate on health reform legislation.
About 11 percent of people ages 60 and older suffer from some kind of abuse every year. But as a part of health care overhaul legislation, lawmakers are taking steps that would for the first time establish a federal beachhead in fighting such abuse.
Evidence-Based Medicine: Hard For Some To Swallow
Patients often find it difficult to base medical decisions on study results. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
A Consumers’ Guide To The Health Reform Bills
The Senate and House health bills differ in important ways. We ask and answer questions consumers might have about the bills.
Plastic Surgeons Cry Foul Over ‘Botax’ Proposal In Senate Health Bill
Levies on liposuction, breast augmentation and other cosmetic procedures would generate billions of dollars to help cover the uninsured.
CBO Releases Estimate On Senate Bill
Read or download the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation’s estimates of the the Senate Democrats’ health bill, called “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”
