Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 31, 2012
Happy Halloween! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including that latest about how health policies are playing on the campaign trail as well as how Mega-Storm Sandy took its toll on New York hospitals. Los Angeles Times: Romney Says He’ll Undo Obama Healthcare Reform On Day 1. Can He? Mitt Romney has […]
Romney Narrows Gap With Obama On Voters’ Trust To Manage Medicare
As the race for the White House has tightened, President Barack Obama has seen his advantage on several key health issues narrow significantly among likely voters, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Wednesday. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation). Most troublesome for Obama is that, among likely voters, GOP candidate Mitt Romney has pulled nearly […]
At New York University Medical Center, A Dramatic, Critical Evacuation
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. One of the most dramatic stories to come out of New York last night is the critical evacuation of New York University Langone Medical Center. As CNN reports it, around 7:45 p.m. Monday, the hospital’s basement started taking on water. At one point, the “lower floors and […]
How the Election Will Affect Health Care in Texas
This story comes from The Texas Tribune. If President Obama wins a second term and the Affordable Care Act stays in place, the debate will likely turn to whether Texas will join an expansion of Medicaid. Gov. Rick Perry says Texas will opt-out of that expansion. But Anne Dunkelberg of the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a liberal state […]
Those Who Like The Health Law And Those Who Understand The Health Law
Sure there are those who support the health care law, and those who want to repeal it. But how many people in the U.S. actually understand the Affordable Care Act? That’s what a Stanford University professor asked in a nationwide survey in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, GfK and the Associated Press. The […]
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 30, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the campaign landscape as well as issues related to the implementation of the health law. Los Angeles Times: Poll Finds 2012 Race Dead Even, Forsees Relatively High Turnout With only one week left in the 2012 campaign, a major new Pew Research Center […]
For Med Students, How To Define ‘Best’ Residencies
Attention medical students: When selecting your residency program, there’s more than just geography and the hospital’s reputation to consider. The nation’s 23 top academic medical centers also vary drastically in what researchers are calling “the intensity” of care they provide patients at the end of life, according to a new report from the Dartmouth Atlas Project. And more intense […]
Vermont Pushes State Employees To Use CHIP Program For Their Kids
The administration of Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin is encouraging state employees with children to consider dropping their kids from their parents’ health care plan and instead enrolling them in Dr. Dinosaur, Vermont’s version of the state-federal health insurance program for low-income children. The administration says the change could save state employees a lot of money — and […]
Pricey New Prostate Cancer Therapy Raises Questions About Safety, Cost
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. Bill Sneddon had a feeling he was in trouble when his doctor called with his latest test results. “I just had a premonition that something’s not right,” said Sneddon, 68, of Ocean Township, N.J. And, sure enough, Sneddon’s instincts were right. He had prostate cancer. “Well, it’s […]
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 29, 2012
Good morning! Despite the foul weather in our neck of the woods, Kaiser Health News is online and publishing today. If you’re in Sandy’s path, please be safe! The Washington Post: WaPo-ABC Track: 49 Romney, 48 Obama, Three Days Running For the third consecutive day of the Washington Post-ABC News national tracking poll, a single […]
As Fiscal Cliff Looms, Medicare And Medicaid Face Uncertain Futures
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. No matter who wins the election on Nov. 6, official Washington will have to deal with something called the “fiscal cliff” before the end of the year. What’s coming is a perfect storm of expiring tax cuts, scheduled budget cuts, and various other spending changes scheduled to […]
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 26, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how health policy issues are playing across the election landscape and how business leaders are urging a deficit deal with more taxes and with efforts to address entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid. The Associated Press/Los Angeles Times: CEOs Urge Congress To Reduce […]
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 25, 2012
Good morning, here are your headlines: The Washington Post: Obama Says He’ll Renew Pursuit Of ‘Grand Bargain,’ Offering Specifics On Agenda President Obama, criticized as failing to offer a vision for a potential second term, has begun sketching out his agenda with greater specificity in recent days, including a pledge to solve the nation’s intractable […]
Medicaid Spending Growth Drops As Enrollment Slows
Enrollment growth in Medicaid slowed this year as the economy improved, easing pressure on government spending.
Fixing Health Care Isn’t About Party, ‘It’s About Building A Sustainable System’ – The KHN Interview
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the co-founder of Doctors for America, talked about his organization’s recent bus tour and what concerns physicians about the way the nation’s health system operates.
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 24, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, incluidng reports about a variety of Medicaid-related issues, such as how a scheduled pay raise for physicians who participate in the program will not be easy to implement. Los Angeles Times: Voters In Ohio Village Skeptical Of Both Obama And Romney The hardworking people in struggling […]
Industry Likes Medicare Home Care Expansion, But Cost Is Unknown
Patient advocacy and industry groups are cheering Medicare’s move to start paying nursing home, home care and physical therapy bills for some patients who were previously denied coverage. But how much extra it will cost the government is far from clear. The change “is expected to affect the lives of tens of thousands of Americans, perhaps hundreds of thousands” […]
Next Generation Of Doctors Will Face Training Challenges
Things are looking good for medical schools this year, with a record number of students in the 2012 class and the most diverse cohort yet. But a government freeze on residency training positions may stop that momentum in its tracks. With the nation facing a projected shortage of as many as 90,000 doctors in the […]
GOP Plan Would Cut Medicaid By $1.7 Trillion, Study Says
The House Republican plan to repeal President Barack Obama’s health law and turn Medicaid into a block grant program would save the federal government $1.7 trillion from 2013 to 2022, a 38-percent spending reduction, according to a report today by the Urban Institute for the Kaiser Family Foundation. It would also result in 31 million […]
The Stakes Are High For Physicians In This Election Year
Despite varying political backgrounds, three health care experts are advising physicians that the presidential election will be crucial in deciding the way they practice and how it can be financed. Discussing some of the prickliest issues at stake in the health care delivery system, Dr. David Blumenthal, previously a director of health IT for the […]
