Latest KFF Health News Stories
Medicare Combats Fraud With Billing Statements That Beneficiaries Can Understand
New consumer-friendly statements urge seniors to report suspicious charges and make it easier to appeal denials of coverage.
Electronic Intensive Care Unit Expands In Alaska
A nurse, a doctor and six computer monitors help raise the standards of care for critically ill patients in Anchorage and in rural hospitals.
House Moves Closer To IPAB Repeal Vote
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about the latest movement in House Republican efforts to repeal a key part of the health reform law — the Independent Payment Advisory Board. One House committee passed a repeal of IPAB Tuesday while another held a hearing on it. The full House is expected to vote on a repeal of IPAB as early as the end of March.
Atlanta’s Grady Hospital Chief Sees Major Threat In Medicaid Cuts
New CEO John Haupert says federal and state efforts to trim the health care program for low-income residents could harm his safety-net hospital.
Texas Women’s Health Fund In Jeopardy Over Abortion Politics
Texas is in a stand-off with the federal government over a program that provides contraception and reproductive check-ups for low-income Texas women. A new Texas rule would exclude Planned Parenthood clinics from participating, even though the program has nothing to do with abortion.
State GOP Pushes For ‘Abortion-Free’ Mississippi
Emboldened by the first Republican majorities in both chambers of the legislature since Reconstruction, anti-abortion advocates see a chance to limit abortion further and possibly ban it in Mississippi. Nearly two dozen anti-abortion bills have been introduced in the state legislature.
The Parent Trap: Adult Children Care For Elderly Parents
This story by Kaiser Health News’ Marilyn Werber Serafini features members of the sandwich generation: raising children, dealing with elderly parents and the care they need – and sometimes feeling like they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.
The High Price Of Caring For A Loved One With Alzheimer’s
Nearly 15 million people fall into the role of unpaid caregiver for those sick with dementia. Add it all up, and it comes to about 17 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $202 billion in 2010 alone. New money from the Obama Administration in the 2013 budget is intended to help.
Poll: Most Americans Support Contraception Rule
Republicans may still take heat over Medicare proposals, survey also finds.
Medicare Spends Less Than Private Insurers On Knee Replacements
Study finds that’s mostly because the government pays far lower rates for hospital care
House Republicans Pound Sebelius On Health Law
Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ appearance before the House Ways and Means Committee. She defended the health care law and the president’s fiscal 2013 budget request. The hearing had all the hallmarks of a partisan political event.
Five Questions About The Health Law’s Mandate To Cover Birth Control
While controversy over one aspect of the Obama administration’s contraception rule
Different Takes: Maryland Advances An ‘Enterprising’ Plan To Eliminate Health Disparities
The University Of Maryland’s Dr. E. Albert Reece and The Heritage Foundation’s Stuart Butler discuss how health enterprise zones, a new take on an old economic development idea, might be used to improve the health of the state’s minority populations.
Using A New Twist On Enterprise Zones To Eliminate Health Disparities
Dr. E. Albert Reece, the dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, writes that the state’s General Assembly is considering a series of bold initiatives – including “Health Enterprize Zones” – to reduce and eliminate health disparities, especially in Maryland’s most underserved communities.
Maryland’s Health Enterprise Zones Need The Right Incentives And Rules
The Heritage Foundation’s Stuart Butler, an architect of the urban “enterprise zone” idea more than 30 years ago, offers his suggestions on how to make a recent proposal in Maryland to set up Health Enterprise Zones a successful endeavor.
Minnesota Exchange Grant Arrives In Politically Divided State
The federal government has awarded Minnesota $26 million to help it create a health insurance exchange, but Republicans in the GOP-led state legislature there are engaged in a bitter fight with Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton on its planning and even its existence.
Analysis: Is A New Federal Patient Safety Effort Doing Enough To Curb Medical Errors?
The Medicare program is betting on a new course of action to curb patient harm. The effort is pegged to the success of a little-known entity called a “hospital engagement network.”
Can Massachusetts Lead The Way On Controlling Health Costs?
As of April 1, base health insurance rates for small businesses will increase, on average, just 1.8 percent. Four prominent economists discuss why the state is having success keeping premium costs down.
Feds Jump-Start Health Insurance Co-Ops With Loans
Seven organizations will receive a total of $639 million in federal low-interest loans to launch new health insurance plans in eight states, the federal government announced Tuesday.
Seniors Need To Reevaluate Their Needs For Popular Medical Treatments: The KHN Interview
Dr. Nortin Hadler argues in a new book that older Americans need to be more aggressive about challenging doctors on prescribed procedures. “People should want to know the likelihood that death will be postponed by doing something,” he says.
