Latest KFF Health News Stories
Haley Barbour Draws Fire For Medicaid Changes In Mississippi
Mississippi Gov. Barbour’s ways to control the rising costs of Medicaid are sometimes controversial, but he maintains that states need more freedom to run the program.
Text: CBO’s Options On Health Spending
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has issued nearly 40 pages of new health spending and cuts it says would reduce the federal deficit by billions of dollars including changes to the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
AMA Eyes Well-Known Washington Hands In Search For CEO
The American Medical Association is one of the best-funded lobbying shops in Washington, and their current CEO and Executive Vice President, Michael Maves, will leave his post in June.
A Guide To GOP Proposals On Family Planning Funds
House Republicans cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood and other Title X programs, and Senate Democrats tried to restore it. But the Senate Wednesday failed to pass either bill and so the programs, which once had strong bipartisan support, remain a point of contention.
States’ Mental Health Budgets Fall In Recession
Analysis by advocacy group NAMI finds cuts of $1.8 billion, or about 8 percent of the states’ total budgets, from 2009 through 2011.
Table: Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary
This table details 2008 Medicaid spending in each of the nation’s 306 hospital markets.
From California To The New York Island, A New Understanding Of Higher Medicare Spending
CMS analysis shows that some regions with high spending levels are below the national average if patient health and special expenses are factored in.
To Cap Medicaid, Florida Looks To Managed Care
Florida’s annual Medicaid bill runs in the billions – it’s nearly one-third of the state’s budget. As Florida struggles to close a budget shortfall of $4.5 billion, Medicaid is a target for cuts. Often, that means moving Medicaid recipients into managed care.
Younger, Disabled Medicare Beneficiaries Have Trouble Getting Supplementary Insurance
Federal law does not guarantee beneficiaries under the age of 65 the right to buy Medigap coverage and even when they do qualify for a plan, it is often prohibitively expensive.
Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey talks with KFF’s Jackie Judd about last week’s order by a federal judge in which he stayed his earlier decision striking down the health law, but also ordered the Obama administration to file an appeal. Also, the Senate considers how it will fund the federal government.
Calorie Labeling For Restaurants Recommendations Coming Soon
The health law directs the FDA this month to issue proposed rules for restaurants and other food vendors to begin providing calorie-count information.
Ignoring Political Risk, Ryan Renews Push For Medicare Vouchers
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., says he will include “aggressive” changes to Medicare in his upcoming budget proposal.
Health On The Hill Transcript: GOP Governors Seek To Modify Medicaid Programs
Republican governors are asking Washington for more flexibility regarding how they run their Medicaid programs, saying that Washington puts too many restraints on states.
How Much Will Federal Health Law Cost States? Depends Whom You Ask
A raft of studies have come out recently purporting to say how much the health overhaul will cost states. And they reach dramatically different conclusions on the subject.
Ariz. Medicaid Cuts Spur Debate Over Impact On Providers
Doctors and hospitals raise concerns that reducing eligibility may spur ER crowding and premium increases, but experience in Missouri shows less dire consequences.
Miss. Gov. Barbour: ‘We Shouldn’t Have To Kowtow’ To Feds On Medicaid Rules
Gov. Haley Barbour, R-Miss., renewed GOP calls for block grants to states to pay for Medicaid costs.
Obama Rejects Governors’ Plan to Overhaul Medicaid
The recession-fueled state budget crisis has turned Medicaid into the next battleground in the ongoing war over President Obama’s signature health care reform law.
Helping Patients Understand Their Medical Treatment
Consumers are increasingly expected to manage their complex regimens but that is especially challenging for those who don’t have the ability to comprehend health information.
Obama To Governors: Opt Out of Health Law If You Can Do Better
President Obama offered governors a smaller concession to health spending flexibility than they expected by endorsing a bipartisan proposal to allow states to opt out of most of last year’s health law’s requirements.
A New Nurse In The House: The KHN Interview With Rep. Renee Ellmers
N.C. Republican, with 20 years of health care experience, says Democrats’ health law is “overstepping, unconstitutional and extremely costly.”
