Latest KFF Health News Stories
Obamacare Creates ‘Upheaval’ At Free Clinics
With many of their patients now insured under the law, most W. Va. free clinics are choosing to get paid by Medicaid.
Hospital, Insurer Earnings Show Mixed Messages About Health Spending
Hints of cost spikes matter because much is riding on spending forecasts.
Report Touches Off Fight Over Future Of Doctor Training Program
Lawmakers may split over the Institute of Medicine’s proposals to redirect funding.
Veterans’ Needs ‘Should Drive Where They Get Their Care’
As Congress and the VA look to ease long wait times by sending more patients to outside providers, Dr. Ken Kizer, a former VA undersecretary for health, discusses how such an effort could play out.
Some Plans Skew Drug Benefits To Drive Away Patients, Advocates Warn
Groups file complaint with federal officials saying four Florida insurers discriminated against people with HIV in setting up pricing structure for drugs, and another analysis finds that many silver plans place medications for costly diseases in highest formulary tier.
Shortage Of Saline Solution Has Hospitals On Edge
Manufacturers of the essential fluid say they won’t be able to catch up with demand until next year.
Patient Injuries: Hospitals Most Likely To Be Penalized By Medicare
Out of all 761 hospitals that are in line to be penalized for high rates of infections and complications this fall, 175 of them are most likely to be penalized because their preliminary scores are nine or above on a scale of 1 to 10.
Q&A: Can Claims Data Crack the Health Care Cost Riddle?
More states are creating all-payer claims databases. Find out how they work.
Parents Of Mentally Ill Adult Children Frustrated By Privacy Law
Even if parents are providing health insurance, they often can’t find out about what’s happening when their adult children suffer from severe mental illnesses.
FAQ: VA And Military Care Are Different, But Often Confused
The health systems serving veterans and military members are separate but both are under scrutiny.
Georgia Looks To Reopen Some Closed Rural Hospitals As E.R.s
Georgia is issuing a new kind of license to rural hospitals to be stand-alone ERs. Many of these hospitals have had to close or reduce services in the past few years due to budget pressures.
Should Medicare Pay The Same No Matter Where The Patient Gets Care?
That question was the focus of a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday, and it’s an important issue in the context of the debate over ending the Medicare SGR. Mary Agnes Carey and CQ HealthBeat’s John Reichard discuss.
Patients Lose When Doctors Can’t Do Good Physical Exams
Reviving bedside medicine is becoming a new priority at some medical schools after technology has hurt some doctors’ abilities to use physical exams to make accurate diagnoses.
Texas Nurse Practitioners Look to Ease Supervision Rules
Texas lawmakers loosened some supervision requirements during the last legislative session, but nurse practitioners are still battling for increased autonomy in the state Medicaid program.
Gaps In Kids’ Dental Coverage A Trouble Spot
New data indicate that difficulties persist despite the health law’s efforts to expand pediatric dental insurance.
For Medicaid Patients, Access To Primary-Care May Not Be As Advertised
A survey conducted in Seattle found that half the time, primary-care providers listed as accepting new patients on Medicaid managed-care organization websites, in fact were not accepting new patients.
Telemedicine Policy Draws Opposition From Patient Advocates, Health Care Providers
A policy statement issued by the Federation of State Medical Boards updates the group’s views on telehealth, and is leading to questions about whether it could restrict rather than expand patient access to care.
Illinois Medicaid Moves To Managed Care
Hundreds of thousands of Medicaid recipients are being shifted into some kind of managed care this year as part of a sweeping overhaul.
Low T Business Is Booming, Despite Questions About Risks
Testosterone prescriptions in the U.S. more than tripled in the last decade, but recent studies raise serious safety and financial concerns.
KHN’s consumer columnist looks into issues raised by the health law.
