Latest KFF Health News Stories
Medicare Rule Sparks Concerns About Patients’ Access To Home Health Care
Providers criticize health law requirement targeted at curbing wasteful spending.
On Health Law’s Anniversary: Predictions For Next Year
We asked 12 players from across the nation what they thought they would have accomplished by next year’s anniversary of the health law, or what issues they expect to be central in the ongoing debate.
Despite Deep Divisions, Health Law Will Eventually Win Over Public
The early provisions that have taken effect in the past year have slowly triggered understanding among more Americans about the law’s valuable patient protections, and consumers will oppose having those taken away.
One Year Down, Pollsters Handicap Health Law Politics
A fresh take from two pollsters on how the politics of health reform have played out in the first year of the new health law and how public opinion has evolved.
The Health Debate Is Far From Over; Will Be Cornerstone Issue In 2012
The early provisions that have taken effect in the past year have slowly triggered understanding among more Americans about the law’s valuable patient protections, and consumers will oppose having those taken away.
HHS Says 48,000 Have Used Medicare Drug Discounts This Year
The health law provides a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs and 7 percent for generics once beneficiaries reach the doughnut hole.
Obesity Problems Fuel Rapid Surge Of Type 2 Diabetes Among Children
The disease was once considered “adult-onset” diabetes, but cases among U.S. children have ramped up from virtually zero to tens of thousands in little more than a decade.
Analyzing The Health Law’s Rocky First Year – Health On The Hill Transcript
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and NPR’s Julie Rovner report on how proponents and opponents are marking the first anniversary of the law.
Maternity Wards, NICUs Face Budget Scrutiny
State health officials, searching for solutions to Texas’ budget shortfall, are eying neonatal intensive care units, which they fear are being overbuilt and overused by hospitals eager to profit from the high-cost care.
Health Insurers Respond To Reform By Snapping Up Less-Regulated Businesses
Health insurance companies respond to new regulations by expanding into related
Americans Remain Divided, Confused About Health Law As Anniversary Nears
Support levels have changed little since the landmark bill was signed last March as the partisan divide on the issue continues, new Kaiser Family Foundation poll finds.
‘Playing the Granny Card’s Gotta End’ – Douglas Holtz-Eakin On Medicare And Politics
In an interview with KHN, the former adviser to President George W. Bush and presidential candidate John McCain says the health law is standing in the way of reining in Medicare and Medicaid spending and that he always believed that the law “was a dead man walking.”
Ryan Says Congress Will Dodge Entitlement Cuts
Congress is unlikely to tackle major changes in Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security before the 2012 election because of few signs that Republicans and Democrats are willing to assume the political risk, according to House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Doctor Shortages Under Health Law May Depend On Geography
Study suggests that areas with low rates of primary care physicians, such as the South and Mountain West, could struggle as they see a surge in Medicaid enrollments and federal incentives for doctors may not be much help.
Medicine’s Rising Costs Put Hippocratic Oath At Risk
A health policy analyst and physician says doctors are under pressure to ration care.
Brokers Seek To Preserve Role In Health Insurance Marketplace
Insurance agents fear the health reform law threatens their livelihood and want changes in rules to protect their commissions and guarantee them a role in the new health exchanges.
Many Adults Struggle To Pay Medical Bills, Report Finds
The recession and rising health costs create financial hardships or cause consumers to forgo care, according to a survey by the Commonwealth Fund.
Dems To GOP: Show Us Your Health Insurance
A bill introduced by House Democrats would require members of Congress to declare whether they are taking health benefits subsidized by taxpayers. The bill has next to no chance of passing because Republicans control the House. But its introduction puts some heat on the GOP.
Health Law Funding: GOP Sticking Point In Spending Bill
Health On The Hill: Some House and Senate Republicans have said they will vote against a three-week funding measure for the federal government because it does not take steps to stop funding for implementation of the health care law. Watch the video.
GOP Wants States To Lead On Health Coverage
If Republicans are successful in repealing last year’s health law, they want to replace it with legislation that would give states far more discretion about how to cover people, according to a top Senate Republican.
