Latest KFF Health News Stories
Excluded Groups Want In On Health Information Technology Funding
Providers who were frozen out of a pool of $27 billion in federal funds to convert to electronic medical records are trying to fight back to qualify for the money and increase the size of the money available.
Vermont Steps Closer To Single-Payer Health Care
Gov. Peter Shumlin says the new system will treat health care as a right and be a huge jobs creator.
States Cutting Back On Drug Programs For HIV Patients
Budget shortfalls are forcing many states to tighten their AIDS drug assistance programs and bump low-income patients to waiting lists.
Newt Gingrich On GOP Medicare Plan (Video Clip)
Sunday on NBC’s Meet The Press, Newt Gingrich likened Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to change Medicare into a voucher system “social engineering,” and said imposing radical change from either side of the political spectrum isn’t a “very good way for a free society to operate.”
Who Pays For Unintended Pregnancies?
The cost of unintended pregnancies is large, and much of the bill – about $11 billion per year – is ultimately picked up by the government, a new study finds.
Health Insurance Rate Hikes Face Tougher Scrutiny
The Obama administration issued final rules Thursday requiring insurers to justify rate increases of 10 percent or more.
Survey: Consumers Face Higher Health Care Costs
Employees will be experiencing higher co-pays and deductibles in their health insurance next year as employers continue to reduce their overall coverage to deal with rapidly rising costs.
Health On The Hill Transcript – Coburn Exit Has Some Questioning Role Of Gang Of Six
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with The Fiscal Times’ Eric Pianin about the Gang of Six, negotiators seeking consensus on deficit reduction plans.
Coburn Exit Has Some Questioning Role Of Gang Of Six (Video)
In today’s Health On The Hill, KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with The Fiscal Times’ Eric Pianin about the Gang of Six, negotiators seeking consensus on deficit reduction plans. The group lost a member this week after Sen. Tom Coburn left talks Tuesday over proposed cuts to Medicare, potentially leaving them overshadowed by other similar efforts, like one headed by Vice President Joe Biden. (Audio and text versions also available.)
In Medicare Debate, Both Sides Claim An Edge
In the debate over Medicare, both Democrats and Republicans are claiming the upper hand after years of honing their attacks on the other, and next week’s special congressional election in N.Y. will provide a test case of who is winning.
States Struggling To Pay For Aged, Disabled Community Programs – A KHN Interview
Martha Roherty, who represents officials running state programs, says that “things that allow people to keep their family members at home longer” are often being cut.
Administration Offers New Path For ACOs
Facing strong criticism of the proposed regulation for accountable care organizations, the Obama administration announced new options to lure hesitant hospitals and doctors.
Minnesota GOP Between A Rock And Hard Place on Health Exchange Options
GOP lawmakers generally oppose efforts to set up the insurance marketplaces called for in the health law – but they aren’t crazy about the alternatives either.
States Seek to Soften Rule on Insurers’ Profits, Millions Of Dollars In Consumer Rebates At Stake
Nine states are pushing the Obama administration to ease a requirement that insurers spend 80 percent of their premium revenues on medical care
Florida Pushing New Fees For Most Medicaid Recipients
But the provision could get a chilly reception from federal officials, who would have to approve the changes.
Gloomier-Than-Expected Forecast For Medicare
The outlook for the federal health insurance program that, as of last year, covered 47.5 million elderly and disabled Americans is a dramatic shift from last summer.
Untouchable! Vets’ $52 Billion Health Care Plan
The military is trying to figure out ways to slow down the rapidly rising cost of care and the Obama administration’s 2012 budget calls for the first changes since 1996.
Romney Defends Mass. Health Plan: ‘Right For The People Of My State’ (Video Excerpts)
In a major speech today at the University of Michigan Medical School, Mitt Romney defended the health reform law he signed while governor of Massachusetts. And, he used a PowerPoint presentation to lay out a very different vision for what he would do if he becomes president, which includes reliance on more market-based competition among insurers and health care providers.
A Success Story: Expanding Health Care Options For Detroit’s Poor-The KHN Interview
In this video, KHN reporter Jenny Gold interviews Dr. Herbert Smitherman about the Voices of Detroit Initiative that tracked 33,000 uninsured people and helped get more than half of them into coordinated care systems.
A Success Story: Expanding Health Care Options For Detroit’s Poor-The KHN Interview
Dr. Herbert Smitherman talks about the Voices of Detroit Initiative that tracked 33,000 uninsured people and helped get more than half of them into coordinated care systems.