Latest KFF Health News Stories
Connecticut Weighs Its ‘Nurses Only’ Medication Policy For Homebound Seniors
Gov. Malloy has proposed letting supervised home health aides give medication to Medicaid patients.
Oregon Emphasizes Choices At Life’s End
The state has been at the forefront of trying to make sure a person has as much control over the end of life as possible with a detailed directive that has been adopted by 14 other states.
Handle With Care: Helping Seniors Move On
Robert Ray of Silver Spring is in the business of helping the elderly move. He’s president of Caring Transitions in Silver Spring, a company that manages everything from packing boxes to finding a real estate agent.
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.
The National Alzheimer’s Plan: An Opportunity For Action
Alzheimer’s expert Dr. Rachelle Doody writes that the recently released draft framework for a national Alzheimer’s plan is somewhat vague even as it contains excellent goals and begins to focus the minds and resources of key stakeholders on these issues.
Taking Steps To Overcome Alzheimer’s Disease
Robert Egge, the Alzheimers Association vice president of public policy, offers his take on why the current push to develop a national plan to combat Alzheimer’s represents a historic opportunity to strengthen the federal government’s efforts to overcome this disease.
Different Takes: The National Plan To Address Alzheimer’s Disease
Kaiser Health News talked to two experts about current efforts to craft a national plan to overcome Alzheimer’s disease.
Controversial Amendments Injected Into Florida Vaccine Bill
Some Florida lawmakers want to allow pharmacists to administer shingles and pneumonia vaccines to seniors. Physicians are pushing back.
Tips For Buying Long-Term Care Insurance
Consumer advocates say if you decide to get the coverage, be careful about the details.
The coverage is expensive and often restrictive, but it offers vital protection and flexibility for some consumers facing a nursing home stay.
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.
How Lawsuits Can Stymie Some Automatic Cuts
Advocates for the elderly and disabled have been able to thwart budget cuts in California by challenging them in federal court.
Medicare Offers Extra Enrollment Time For Seniors Who Call Today
Extra time is limited only to seniors who have had trouble signing up and contact one of several organizations that are working to help beneficiaries.
What Every Baby Boomer Should Know About Medicare
Among the most costly mistakes is missing the deadline for enrollment.
Officials Looking To Cut Federal Spending Eye Medigap Policies
They argue that if policies were less generous, seniors might reduce their trips to the doctor of find cheaper care, which would save the government money.
Affluent Seniors Could Take A Hit On Medicare
Both Democrats and Republicans are eyeing proposals to require well-off Medicare beneficiaries to pay more for their coverage as the super committee looks for ways to hold down spending.
Helping Low-Income Veterans Maintain The Best Possible Quality Of Life
The Veterans’ Affairs Aid and Attendance program can help wartime veterans remain at home or assist them in paying for long-term care. A large number of veterans across the country who qualify for this aid, however, somehow are slipping through the cracks. A Washington state pilot program is correcting this problem.
How PARIS Is Helping Veterans In Need
In Washington state, the Public Assistance Reporting Information System — PARIS — has proven to be an important tool in efforts to identify eligible veterans and connect them with the benefits they earned while serving their country.
Open-enrollment season for Medicare Part D often brings confusion for seniors all over the United States trying to sign up for prescription drug plans. Most counties in the U.S., however, have programs to help seniors wade through the options.
