Latest KFF Health News Stories
Requiring Doctors To Justify Scans Reduces Waste
A funny thing happens when a computer challenges orders for medical scans that aren’t likely to help diagnose patients: Doctors often drop the test requests.
College Student Health Plans Often Get Low Marks
College health plans – used by students who aren’t covered by family insurance plans or whose parents are uninsured – can offer only limited protection. The new health law may help.
For-Profit Cash Infusion May Help Detroit Medical Center Rebound
A deal to buy the beleaguered city’s largest health system would mean $850 million in improvements.
Medical Spending Spiking In Once Thrifty Areas
Areas like Provo, Utah, that were once models of cost-efficient care are becoming more expensive
Hospital Tries ‘Speed Dating’ To Attract Doctors, Patients
Although some critics say marketing drives up costs, many in the hospital industry say it’s crucial in the face of increasing competition. One Dallas area hospital is trying a version of “speed dating” to bring in patients and doctors.
The Health Care Cost Problem We Refuse To See
I agree with those who think the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act doesn’t do enough soon enough to control the rate of increase in health insurance premiums. But I disagree that the solution is simply to pass more laws that regulate health insurance rates (as suggested in a May 9 New York Times editorial) […]
Insurance Regulators Wrestle With Definition Of ‘Unreasonable’ Rate Increases
State and federal officials are wrestling with how to define “unreasonable” premium increases, a thorny issue Congress has handed regulators.
Lobbyists Have Long Wish List For New Health Rules
Now that the health care bill is law, an array of groups — representing doctors, insurers, small businesses and others — have switched to their post-passage game plans. Among their top goals: Helping shape the all-important regulations being written by the Obama administration.
Sebelius, Holder: New Health Reform Law Will Help Prevent Medical Fraud
Obama administration officials, touting $2.5 billion recovered from Medicare overpayments and fraud, immediately turned to talk of how health reform could ensure bigger successes in the future.
Rescissions: Much Ado About Nothing
How many times have you heard President Obama say, “Health insurers won’t be able to drop your coverage just because you get sick?” Or Kathleen Sebelius? Or the Democratic leadership in Congress? Or the mainstream news media? You would think that the private health insurance industry was being revolutionized.
Health Law Guarantees Protections For Emergency Room Visits
The new health law mandates that insurers cannot pay less for emergency care in “out-of-network” hospitals and eases consumer worries about having to pre-authorize an emergency room visit.
Health Law’s “Grandfather” Clause Could Deprive Consumers Of Key Benefits
Business and consumer groups are sparring over rules that might allow existing health plans to sidestep some patient protections in new health care law.
Today, we begin a new Friday afternoon feature: a wrap-up of the week’s major health policy news coverage.
Are Doctors Like Wall Street Lenders?
Unless clarifications are made in the financial overhaul legislation currently pending in Congress, doctors and dentists — as well as other health practitioners — are concerned that they will face hefty costs and paperwork burdens.
Hospitals Criticized For Keeping Quiet On Charity Care
Too many nonprofit hospitals fail to adequately publicize their charity-care programs, two advocacy groups say in a survey report released today.
Studies: When Doctors Take More Responsibility, Care Becomes Cheaper And Better
Medical homes – where primary care doctors are held responsible for coordinating care for individual patients
Medical Students Learn First Hand About Health Costs
At the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, students get hands-on lessons about the impact of treatment costs on patients by volunteering Saturdays at the East Harlem Health Outreach Program, a student-run free clinic for uninsured residents of a low-income neighborhood nearby.
Teaching Doctors The Price Of Care
Doctors in training have traditionally been insulated from details about the cost of tests and treatments they prescribe. But concerns about rising health costs are slowly changing that.
Using High Tech To Lower Health Costs
Electronic medical records could help curb health costs by providing doctors with details on the price of tests and drugs, health policy experts say.
The Worst May Be Over, But Big Challenges Remain For State Budgets
With an improving economy and help from the federal government, the worst of the fiscal bloodbath for state governments seems to be over. But the next couple of years still will be challenging and the long-run outlook for state budgets is shaping up to be even tougher.
