Latest KFF Health News Stories
Attention, Shoppers: Prices For 70 Health Care Procedures Now Online!
Guroo.org shows the average local cost of 70 common diagnoses and medical tests in most states. That’s the real cost — not “charges” that often get marked down — based on a giant database of what insurance companies actually pay.
Critics: Medicaid Services Ill. Gov. Rauner Would Cut Save Illinois Money
Some legislators and patient advocates say the targeted services, including dental and mental health services, not only help keep people healthy — they save the state money.
Fancy Flourishes At Hospitals Don’t Impress Patients, Study Finds
A study at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins finds that patients in older buildings rate their care about the same as those in a sleek new hospital tower.
UCLA Bacteria Outbreak Highlights The Challenges Of Curbing Infections
The lethal infection is one of three that the CDC says urgently require close monitoring and prevention to halt their spread.
Even Insured Consumers Get Hit With Unexpectedly Large Medical Bills
Enrollees may face big charges as a result of lack of transparency and confusion about insurer’s provider networks.
States Add Dental Coverage For Adults On Medicaid But Struggle to Meet Demand
Dentists say they’re reluctant to see Medicaid patients because they’re typically paid about half as much as they get from private patients.
Some Pediatricians Don’t Have Adequate Training With IUDs
Although IUDs — a form of long-acting birth-control — are growing in popularity and recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, some pediatricians face challenges in offering it to teenage patients who are sexually active.
A Q&A On Achieving Mental Health Parity In Medicaid Managed Care
Emily Feinstein, the director of health law and policy at the substance abuse and addiction center CASAColumbia, discusses her expectations for a proposed mental health parity rule in Medicaid managed care, and outlines some of the issues in play regarding these proposed regulations.
Blue Cross North Carolina’s Price Tool Could Shake Up Medical Industry
The state’s largest insurer is the latest to pull back the veil of secrecy shrouding health care costs by publishing prices for more than 1,200 non-emergency procedures.
Medical Debt Still a Problem Under Health Law — Despite Protections
The health law was supposed to keep people from going broke, but despite limits on how much people will have to pay in the face of a medical catastrophe, many are still struggling to pay their health care bills.
Study: Suffering At The End Of Life Getting Worse, Not Better
The percentage of Americans experiencing pain in the last year of life increased between 1998 and 2010, despite the growth of palliative care programs and hospice use, according to a study released Monday.
Mixed Results For Obamacare Tests In Primary-Care Innovation
Early reports show two major medical-home experiments run by the health law’s Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation reduced hospitalizations in some cases but are still working to cut overall costs.
Learning About Hospice Should Begin Long Before You Are Sick
With the growth of the hospice industry, consumers have a number of choices for end-of-life care. Here’s a primer to help be prepared.
Vice President Joe Biden Calls For Renewed Focus On Patient Safety
At an Irvine, Calif., conference, Vice President Joe Biden told hospital executives and other health care leaders that it’s time to “double down” on making patients safer in hospitals and reducing infections and readmissions.
Cleveland Hospitals Grapple With Readmission Fines
The Cleveland Clinic, serving mostly insured patients, sees its Medicare fines go down, while fines go up at the city’s hospitals in low-income neighborhoods. The National Quality Forum is beginning a trial to adjust the program for hospitals that serve more poor people.
HHS, Research Community Debate Informed Consent Policy
Supporters say the proposed changes would lead to clear and thorough explanations of the dangers studies involve, but some advocacy groups warn they could have a chilling effect on innovation.
Nearly Half Of South Florida Hospitals Below CDC Standards On Infections
The ratings are part of a national effort to cut down on the most common infections patients contract in hospitals.
Health-Law Test To Cut Readmissions Lacks Early Results
Results so far show community agencies haven’t made a big difference in keeping seniors from making return hospital trips. But administration officials say the program has plenty of potential.
Most Marketplace Customers Have New Filing Requirements This Tax Season
The health law requires people to report their coverage situation. Those who get insurance through their jobs will only have to check a box on the usual return, but those without insurance or those who received subsidies will have to fill out new forms.
Payment Disparities Puzzle, Intrigue Charlotte Health Execs
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina says it decided to reveal how much it pays hospitals for particular procedures to help consumers hold down costs.
