Latest KFF Health News Stories
Letters To The Editor: A New Medical Convenience; ‘Copper Plans’ And Other Coverage Issues
Letters to the Editor is a regular feature in which readers comment on KHN original stories.
Tech-Savvy Subjects Test Exchange Website, Advise Changes
The University of Pennsylvania recruited young people to shop for coverage on healthcare.gov to learn what gave them trouble navigating the site.
Nurse Practitioners Gain Flexibility With New State Law
The law, effective July 15, is viewed as an innovative compromise in Kentucky, but some people involved in national scope-of-practice debates are skeptical.
Will Health Reform Bring New Role, Respect To Primary Care Physicians?
By paying primary care doctors to cut specialist and hospital revenue, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is helping to alter the medical spoils system.
Study: Hospitals Using Electronic Medical Records Not Bilking Medicare
In 2012, Medicare was rocked by allegations hospitals were systematically overcharging the government program by misusing electronic medical records. A study published Tuesday disputes that.
Chattanooga’s success in achieving bargain-priced policies offers valuable lessons for other parts of the country as they seek to satisfy consumers with insurance networks that limit their choices of doctors and hospitals.
How Illinois Has Spent $56M From Health Law’s Prevention Fund
The health law seeks to reduce health care costs by spending more money on prevention and wellness efforts.
Proposal To Add Skimpier ‘Copper’ Plans To Marketplace Raises Concerns
Advocates say the plans could expose consumers to unacceptably high out-of-pocket costs if they get sick.
Retooling Hospitals, One Data Point At A Time
The University of Utah improved quality and reduced costs by tracking each patient’s care.
Getting Rural Patients Psychiatric Help Fast
Patients in rural hospitals often have to wait days to see a psychiatrist. South Carolina is a leader in turning that around.
Health Care System Needs To Prepare For Global Warming
Dr. Al Sommer, the former dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who helped produce a new report on climate change, says changes expected this century could lead to many deaths and a strain on hospitals.
Drug Discount Program Has Drugmakers Crying Foul
Hospitals and drug makers are waging a pitched battle over the program — known as 340B — that requires drug manufacturers to give steep discounts to hospitals that treat a large percentage of poor patients.
Drug Discount Policy For Hospitals, Clinics Under Scrutiny
Critics argue that some facilities using the program should not be eligible and that the money they receive from the sale of the discounted drugs is not always being plowed back into patient care.
More Than 750 Hospitals Face Medicare Crackdown On Patient Injuries
The 1 percent cut in payments is the latest effort by the federal government to improve hospital care.
Survey: Most Buying On Insurance Exchanges Were Uninsured
The most satisfied were those who received subsidies; the least satisfied had their previous plans canceled.
Boeing, Health Care Providers Join Forces In Bid To Curb Costs
The aerospace giant is teaming with accountable care organizations to save themselves money by taking the “middle men” — insurers — out of their health care equation.
Insurers Push Back Against Growing Cost Of Cancer Treatments
Many are encouraging the use of less-costly regimens and paying the same for drugs, whether they’re given in hospital outpatient settings or doctors’ offices.
Say What? Many Patients Struggling To Learn The Foreign Language Of Health Insurance
Decoding premiums, co-insurance, co-pays and deductibles has some people reeling
Health Data Geeks Get Their Day
In the health information technology gold rush, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists are betting on new companies that help consumers, insurers and hospitals save money.
What’s At Stake For Birth Control In Upcoming SCOTUS Decision
Many health plans could be affected by the coming high court ruling on cases challenging the mandate to provide specific types of contraception.
