Latest KFF Health News Stories
Rural Hospitals Face Tough Choices On Computerized Records
Hospitals in remote places are making tradeoffs to adopt electronic medical records. Some are joining larger systems, sacrificing their independence. Others are going it alone, carefully.
In Seattle, Insurers And Hospitals Complain About New Rules
State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler says rules will help consumers see which providers are in-network and ensure they get the coverage they have paid for.
Florida Blue: Health Law Enrollments ‘Exceeded Expectations’ But Premiums May Rise In 2015
Many of those in Florida who bought insurance plans on the health law’s federal marketplace were previously uninsured — one of the reasons premiums will likely rise in 2015, a senior executive for insurer Florida Blue says.
Health-Care David And Goliath Partner To Open After-Hours Clinic
In Seattle, an unlikely collaboration provides weekend and after-hours care for patients who in the past had turned to hospital emergency rooms for non-emergency treatments.
Is Bigger Better? Idaho Hospital Battle A Microcosm Of Debate Over Industry Consolidation
A federal court’s ruling dissolving the merger of the state’s biggest hospital system and biggest doctors’ practice may discourage future ventures.
15-Minute Visits Take A Toll On The Doctor-Patient Relationship
Patients are more likely to leave frustrated and without the tools they need to take charge of their own health after rushed visits.
Obama Sharply Criticizes Republicans As He Announces 8 Million Have Enrolled
President says others have been denied the law’s benefits because many states haven’t expanded Medicaid.
Obama Announces 8 Million Have Enrolled In Marketplace Plans
The president also announced that 35 percent of people who enrolled on the federally run healthcare.gov marketplace are under age 35.
Fully paid up but still no coverage
A 39-year-old Philadelphia day care teacher, made three monthly premium payments at more than three times the subsidized rate just to make sure she was covered. And her insurance has still been canceled three times
VA, California Panels Urge Costly Hepatitis C Drugs For Sickest Patients
Expert panels suggest those with less serious liver disease wait for drugs in development.
Adding Dental Care Contrasts With Mo. Legislature’s Opposition To Medicaid Expansion
Some of Missouri’s working poor have had no dental coverage since benefits were cut in 2005.
States Battle Asthma as Numbers Grow
With a climate especially bad for asthmatics, Missouri has been a pioneer in fighting the disease.
Doctors Overlook Lucrative Procedures When Naming Unwise Treatments
In the “Choosing Wisely” campaign, medical specialty societies have published lists of procedures that doctors and patients should consider skeptically. But some groups overlooked their own dubious, but profitable procedures.
Texas Doctors Shun Insurance, Offering Care For Cash
Doctors who use the model say they can keep their costs down by avoiding the bureaucracy of the health insurance system.
Doctors’ Billing System Stays Stuck In the ’70s For Now
Last week Congress delayed the upgrade of codes that govern the U.S. medical system. Some say this will waste billions of dollars and make cost-saving and life-saving research more difficult.
Early Drug Claims Suggest Exchange Plan Enrollees Are Sicker Than Average
But experts say it’s too early to draw conclusions about the impact on premiums.
Oregon Medicaid Plan Sees High Demand
Trillium Community Health Plan is scrambling to take care of many more new customers than it expected in the first months of Affordable Care Act coverage.
Nevada Offers Rare Bet: Year-Round Sales Of Health Plans
It is the only state to mandate that insurers who sell individual plans outside the online marketplace must keep sales open throughout the year. The health law allows insurers to offer individual plans even outside the open enrollment period, but in most areas few companies appear interested.
State Exchange Executives Face Tough Questions From House Subcommittee
For some states, like California, things have gone well. But the rollout in states like Maryland and Oregon has been rocky. Mary Agnes Carey and CQ Roll Call’s Emily Ethridge discuss what we’ve learned about why some did better than others.
Co-op Health Insurance Plans See Early Success
Montana’s health insurance co-op is encouraged by its strong enrollment and plans to expand into Idaho next year. But some caution that it will be difficult for co-ops to grow beyond a niche player.
