Latest KFF Health News Stories
New Group To Set Priorities for Medical Effectiveness Research
Congress is betting more than $3 billion over the next decade that “comparative effectiveness” research can transform medical care by helping determine the best approach to a particular illness.
The High Cost Of A Good Night’s Sleep
Diagnosing sleep apnea, which has been shown to increase the risk of serious illnesses, is a big business. Critics worry, though, that sleep tests are overprescribed at great cost to the health system.
Unique in the nation for having public health insurance plans that are run by counties, California has public plans that stretch from San Francisco to the Mexican border and cover 2.5 million people.
Do No Harm – And Keep An Eye On Costs
Kaiser Health News staff reporters talked with physicians and health policy experts about the recent American College of Physicians’ ethics statement that focuses on the principle of cost-effectiveness in delivering health care.
Texas Insurers Could Send Out $160 Million In Rebates Next Year – Maybe
Texas is one of the 17 states that has asked the federal government to delay the insurance rebate program. But consumers and advocates want the new law to kick in on time in 2012.
National Health Spending Grew Slowly In 2010
But officials say that for the first time in years premiums for people in private insurance plans rose faster than what was spent on their care, according to KHN’s Marilyn Werber Serafini.
Building Health Reform’s Research Arm
KHN’s Shefali S. Kulkarni interviews Dr. Anne Beal, COO of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
We Watch The Debates So You Don’t Have To
KHN boils down the weekend’s GOP presidential debate marathon to just the discussions of health care issues, including Medicare, premium support and contraception.
Court: Massachusetts Must Cover Legal Immigrants
Massachusetts’ highest court ruled Thursday that the state must offer the same level of subsidized insurance to legal immigrants as to citizens. The decision affects roughly 40,000 residents and could cost the state at least $150 million per year.
Collaborative Efforts Can Save Money And Improve Care
Employers, insurers and hospitals are banding together in several areas of the country to tackle cost and quality issues.
Kansas, Oklahoma Insurers Won’t Get A Break On Rebate Rule
Kansas and Oklahoma are the seventh and eighth states to get the thumbs down from the federal government on their requests to phase in new regulations that could result in health insurance rebates to consumers.
Lawsuit Accuses Company Of Fraudulently Cycling Patients Through Nursing Homes, Hospice Care
Whistleblowers allege that AseraCare improperly channeled people to gain maximum Medicare reimbursements. In a separate suit, federal attorneys say the company pressured employees to enroll patients in hospice who weren’t dying.
Case-by-Case, California Examines Adult Day Care
Martha Norris, 62, depends on Napa Valley Adult Day Services in Napa, Calif. The program and others like it throughout the state have narrowly escaped elimination due to state budget cuts.
Connecticut Drops Insurers From Medicaid
The ‘Insurance Capital’ bucks the nationwide trend of states turning to private managed care plans.
For Hospitals, There’s No App For That
Hospitals are usually eager to embrace the latest medical technology, but the road to deploying tablet computers has been bumpy.
Top Maternity Hospitals In Mass. Stop Early Elective Deliveries
A growing number of hospitals in Massachusetts are saying no to elective inductions and C-sections before 39 weeks. The change is happening quietly and some new mothers don’t like it.
A Health Insurance Plan President Gingrich Might Support
He’s done with mandates, but Newt Gingrich likes John Goodman’s idea for helping people who buy insurance and paying for care for those who don’t.
Needle-Exchange Programs Face New Federal Funding Ban
Program supporters say the ban, which is part of the recently passed omnibus spending bill to fund the federal government until the end of the current fiscal year, will undermine public health.
New Year, New Health Care Battles
KHN reporters preview some of the big issues coming this year: The GOP’s fight to repeal the law and what the party can offer instead; states’ efforts to beat back growing Medicaid costs; consumers’ troubles affording care.
Click each reporter to view their prediction.
Test your knowledge of who has said what about Medicare over the many years of the program’s history.
