Latest KFF Health News Stories
Some Medical Students Seek A Match For Two
More than 17,000 fourth-year medical students found out where they’ll be completing the final years of their medical education on “Match Day” last Friday. But unlike most of their peers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, John Zampella and Matthew Huddle weren’t focused on where they’ll be doing their medical residency training. Instead, […]
States Tackle Mental Illness and Gun Ownership
Little-noticed but controversial provisions in recently passed gun-control measures in New York have local officials and mental health advocates trying to strike a balance among patient privacy, their rights and public safety.
Poll: Three Years Later, Americans Still Don’t Understand Health Law
It’s been three years since President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, yet two-thirds of uninsured adults — the very people the law sets out to help — say they still don’t know what it means for them. Sixty-seven percent of the uninsured younger than age 65 — and 57 percent of […]
States Balk At Enforcing Health Law’s Insurance Protections
Florida regulators won’t penalize insurance companies that violate new health law consumer protections that take effect in January but will report them to the federal government, according to an agreement between the state and federal officials. Citing lack of money and legal authority, Pennsylvania’s top insurance regulator hasn’t decided whether his agency can enforce the provisions, […]
29 States Get ‘F’ For Price Transparency Laws
Wonder why you can’t get a straight answer on how much a health care procedure will cost you? One big reason: State laws which allow hospitals and other providers to keep costs hidden until they send you the bill. A report card on price transparency released today gives 29 states an “F” and seven states […]
Matchmaker, Er, Match Week, Make Me A Doc
Fourth-year medical students have been talking a lot about their perfect match these days: first impressions, the one who called right after they met, some that were too far away. For many, “match week” — this week — is what they’ve been working toward over the past four years. It’s the week that decides if, and […]
Midnight Drama As Minnesota House Passes Exchange Bill
Landmark health insurance legislation is on its way to the Minnesota Senate after the House approved it shortly after midnight on Friday. The House passed a conference committee’s proposal to reconcile the differences in House and Senate bills enacting a Minnesota health insurance exchange. The ever-controversial exchange bill had a bumpy ride in the House, as […]
Minnesota Exchange Bill Moves Forward Without Abortion Restrictions
UPDATE, 7 a.m. March 15: The Minnesota House approved the conference committee bill in a dramatic midnight vote after hours of heated debate. Elizabeth Stawicki’s report on the vote will be posted shortly. ST. PAUL, MINN. — Abortion restrictions have been cut from a final version of Minnesota’s health insurance exchange bill that will impact how more […]
Colorado Sets Its Exchange Fee
The price of policies in Colorado’s health insurance exchange will include a 1.4 percent fee to help fund exchange operations. The state’s exchange board voted to enact the fee Monday. Board Chairwoman Gretchen Hammer characterized it as lean compared with the 3.5 percent fee the federal government is expected to tack on to policies sold […]
Dick And Jane Sign Up For The Exchange
Signing up for health insurance is intimidating — even if you know you might get some help paying for it. The federal government is trying hard to come up with a way to make the process a bit more palatable — about as simple as, say, doing your taxes online. The Centers for Medicare and […]
Democrats, Republicans Clash Over Health Care Savings
Leaders from each chamber of Congress have competing budget proposals that seek savings in health spending. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about what’s next for the proposals and what President Obama could offer.
Readers responded to stories including a profile of patient safety advocate Regina Holliday; a story about that gap that often prevents cancer patients from getting rehabilitation services; an interview with the CEO of the American College of Nurse Practitioners; coverage of San Diego Hospice’s bankruptcy; and a piece about a fight brewing in Washington, D.C., over nurse-staffing issues.
Difference In What Medicare Spends On Cancer Care May Not Affect Survival Rates
Although Medicare spending for patients with advance cancers varies regionally, a new study suggests that those differences are not related to survival rates. The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, examined Medicare spending on patients with advanced lung, colorectal, pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancers. Cancer care costs account for approximately 10 […]
Mississippi Legislature Passes ‘Anti-Bloomberg’ Bill
Mayor Mike and his public health edicts are having a rough ride. On Monday, a state judge in Manhattan knocked down the rule capping soda sizes that Mayor Michael Bloomberg championed. (Here’s a PDF of that ruling.) Lawmakers in Mississippi are taking things one step further. A bill on the governor’s desk would bar counties and […]
Q&A: I Have A Pre-Existing Condition, Where Can I Get Health Insurance?
Consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about insurance options for people with pre-exisiting conditions.
GOP Senators Seek To Cut Health Law Funding
Add Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to the list of lawmakers who wants to cut funding for the 2010 health care law as part of the debate over government funding for the remainder of the fiscal year. In an interview with radio show host Hugh Hewitt, Rubio said he’ll support legislation to fund the government through Sept. 30 […]
What’s The Price? Simple Question, Complicated Answer In Medicare
I wrote to Medicare a while back, asking for a price. I know nothing is simple in the world of health care costs, but I just needed one number, a number Medicare uses all the time, I supposed, to calculate payments to doctors and hospitals. Here’s what I wanted to know: How much does Medicare […]
A Bump In The Road To Accountable Care?
The Pioneer accountable care organizations have long been the shining stars of the Affordable Care Act’s strategy to rein in the country’s out-of-control spending on health care. The 32 organizations are part of a Medicare pilot project called for in the health law that could revolutionize the health system by paying doctors and hospitals for […]
Idaho, Utah, N.M. Running Out Of Time To Set Up State Exchanges
Three western states which had gotten tentative go-aheads to run their own online health insurance websites — Utah, Idaho and New Mexico — are running out of time to be ready for an Oct. 1 launch and experts doubt they will get green lights from the federal government. “We are not seeing enough progress that these states can easily […]
House Spending Bill Cuts Funding For Exchanges
You don’t hear much these days about Republicans trying to repeal the 2010 health care law. The Supreme Court ruling last June upheld most of the measure. President Obama’s re-election and Democrats’ continued control of the Senate have helped “Obamacare” implementation to move ahead. But there is one way to slow things down: use the power […]
