Latest KFF Health News Stories
The IPAB: The Center Of A Political Clash Over How To Change Medicare
A panel established by the health law to rein in Medicare spending is the target of a House GOP effort to begin dismantling the 2010 health law.
A Timeline Of The Health Law’s Milestones And Regulations
The health law was controversial even before it was signed by President Obama two years ago tomorrow. But the political controversy has not deterred the administration from issuing hundreds of pages of regulations that are already affecting consumers, hospitals, doctors, insurance companies and state governments.
How Obama Lost The Messaging War Over Health Care Law
As the health law heads to the Supreme Court, public opinion about the policies remains almost as divided as it was when President Obama signed it into law two years ago.
The New Jersey Experience: Do Insurance Reforms Unravel Without An Individual Mandate?
New Jersey attempted reforms without imposing a mandate. The outcome in that state offers reasons why supporters say the individual mandate is necessary if the federal health law is to achieve its goals.
Two (Very Different) Miami Hospitals Prepare For Health Law’s Medicaid Expansion
Even as Florida leads the Supreme Court challenge against the health law, a private and a public hospital are anticipating an influx of new patients who will be covered by Medicaid if the law stands.
New Ryan Budget Would Transform Medicare And Medicaid
KHN’s Marilyn Werber Serafini details how the Wisconsin Republican’s proposal places greater limits on federal spending for Medicare than last year’s blueprint.
A Tale Of Two Health Insurance Extremes
Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents — 25 percent — while Massachusetts’ is the lowest — less than 2 percent. We profile two people who are living the reality of that difference.
AARP Arming For Medicare Battle
Against a backdrop of proposals to overhaul the popular social insurance program and a presidential campaign likely to address entitlement spending, the seniors group is mobilizing.
Delayed Release Of Student Health Plan Rule Scrambles Financial Aid Calculations
This long-awaited regulation — designed to boost benefits offered by student health insurance plans — could affect plan costs and, in some instances, the cost of attending college.
Groups Push For Tough Health Spending Targets In Massachusetts
The state’s largest employer group and a coalition of congregations are putting pressure on state legislators to curb spending dramatically.
Mississippi Builds Insurance Exchange, Even As It Fights Health Law
Mississippi, a deeply red Southern state that is part of the Supreme Court case against the health law, is moving full speed ahead with one of the key provisions of that law: an online health insurance exchange.
Connecticut Weighs Its ‘Nurses Only’ Medication Policy For Homebound Seniors
Gov. Malloy has proposed letting supervised home health aides give medication to Medicaid patients.
Off-Label Use Of Risky Antipsychotic Drugs Raises Concerns
The expensive medications, designed for people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders, are being prescribed regularly for common problems such as anxiety and attention-deficit disorder and are being used on children and the elderly.
Rules For New Insurance Marketplaces Give Insurers Clout
The long-awaited rules may disappoint consumer groups which had sought to reduce the clout of insurers on the governing boards.
The Hardest Job To Fill (And Keep) In Washington: CMS Chief
The revolving door at the top of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services raises questions about the key agency implementing the health law.
Farzad Mostashari: Man On A Digital Mission
An eBay merchant who sells funny barbecue aprons out of his living room is better equipped to send information electronically than many physicians. Farzad Mostashari is the guy trying to change that.
Oregon Emphasizes Choices At Life’s End
The state has been at the forefront of trying to make sure a person has as much control over the end of life as possible with a detailed directive that has been adopted by 14 other states.
Can GOP Deliver On Its Promise To Preserve Traditional Medicare?
Republicans say they can overhaul the entitlement program while still offering the current option. But it may not look the same as it does today.
GOP Presidential Hopefuls: Where They Stand On Health Care
An interactive chart shows where eight of the current and former candidates – Gingrich, Paul, Romney, Santorum, Bachmann, Cain, Huntsman and Perry – stand on major health care issues.
Coming Soon To Massachusetts’ Dental Offices-Maybe
Could the mid-level dental care providers now at work in Minnesota solve the access problem in Massachusetts and other states?
