Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s Headlines – August 21, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports from the campaign trail, where House candidates are turning up the Medicare debate; and from the health care marketkplace, where Aetna acquired Coventry Health, a Medicare and Medicaid insurer. The New York Times: As Romney Enjoys Ryan’s Spark, Rivals Try To Fan It But […]
Survey: Hospitals Name Their Least Favorite Insurers
Updated at 11 a.m. with comments from Cigna. It is a truth universally acknowledged that health insurance companies can be a pain for patients. What may be a surprise is that hospitals often complain, too. For the same reasons: Denied claims. Low reimbursement. Late reimbursement. Thickets of red tape. Each year ReviveHealth, a hospital public relations firm in Santa Barbara, […]
Today’s Headlines – August 20, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how the Medicare story is continuing to unfold on the presidential campaign trail. The Associated Press/Washington Post: Romney And Ryan To Hold Town Hall Meeting With NH Voters To Explain Medicare Plans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are ready to face New Hampshire […]
Maryland Seeks A New Balance In Its Unique Hospital Payment System
Maryland hospitals want insurers to pay more as the state considers cuts in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates.
Hospitals React To Readmission Penalties
This week, a KHN analysis of Medicare data showed that 2,211 hospitals will face penalties in October for having too many patients readmitted for care within 30 days of discharge. Hospital executives around the country have had something to say about those penalties and the new policy. Here’s a round-up of how the story played as it […]
Today’s Headlines – August 17, 2012
One last batch of health policy headlines before you head to the beach. The Washington Post: Mitt Romney, Obama Camp Spar On Medicare Plans Mitt Romney wants to make the Medicare debate easy to understand. So on Thursday, he pulled out a black marker and stepped toward a trusty white board propped up on a […]
Survey: Few ACOs Ready For Financial Risk
Few hospitals interested in becoming accountable care organizations are ready to take on financial risk, according to a survey released Friday from The Commonwealth Fund. “We’re really still at the very beginning of the adoption curve of the ACO model,” says lead author Anne-Marie Audet, who researches health system quality and efficiency at Commonwealth. “The […]
Don’t Change Medicare, Most Republicans Say In Poll
As Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to overhaul Medicare makes campaign headlines, a majority of Republicans oppose changing the government program for seniors, according to a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Washington Post. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.) That could spell trouble for presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his designated running mate Ryan as […]
Today’s Headlines – August 16, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how Medicare has taken center stage in the presidential campaign. The Associated Press/Washington Post: Reversing Obama Medicare Cuts May Backfire On Romney By Speeding Up Program’s Insolvency GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s new promise to restore the Medicare cuts made by President Barack […]
Denver Health: Low Readmission Rate Not Easy To Emulate
If Denver Health can do it, every hospital ought to be able to do it. That’s the implicit challenge of the new Medicare penalties for high hospital readmission rates that will be hitting 2,211 American hospitals come October. Denver Health, despite being a safety net hospital, won’t be paying a penalty: It has an enviably […]
Today’s Headlines – August 15, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that Medicaid is joining Medicare in the presidential campaign’s issue spotlight. The Washington Post: Medicaid Shapes Up As Major Battleground Mitt Romney’s choice of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his running mate has reignited a debate over the future of Medicare. But Ryan’s proposed […]
Today’s Headlines – August 14, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including more news and analysis related to GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s running-mate pick and how the Romney-Ryan team appears to be playing on the campaign trail. The New York Times: Medicare Rises As Prime Election Issue With Mitt Romney’s selection of Representative Paul D. Ryan […]
Regulators Urged To Move Swiftly To Prevent ‘Rate Shocks’
Consumer groups on Monday said state and federal regulators should move quickly to set rules to protect Americans from health insurance premium “rate shocks” and to prevent insurers from charging far higher rates in low income areas, when major provisions of the federal health law take effect in 2014. Dozens of recommendations for implementing a […]
Today’s Headlines – August 13, 2012
Good morning, here are your headlines: CBS News: “60 Minutes”: Romney, Ryan Answer Critics Of Medicare Position Romney answered critics who say Ryan’s Medicare plan will hurt the ticket’s chances, especially in Florida. “There’s only one president that I know of in history that robbed Medicare, $716 billion to pay for a new risky program […]
3 House Republicans Ask For GAO Report On CMS Spending
Three House Ways and Means Committee Republicans have asked the Government Accountability Office to review money spent by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on programs not related to Medicare and Medicaid. In January 2011, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, […]
Today’s Headlines – August 10, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the health law’s tax provisions and insurance rebates: The Associated Press/Washington Post: Health Care Law’s Big Tax Hikes Hit The Wealthiest 2 Percent – Others Also Caught In The Net Who gets thumped by higher taxes in President Barack Obama’s health care law? […]
Survey: Boomers Worry About Medicare’s Future, Want More Details From Candidates
A new AARP survey suggests that baby boomers aren’t confident they can retire as planned – or that they will have access to Medicare when they do. The organization asked registered voters, including an oversample of people age 50-plus, about their five top financial concerns to measure what they call an “Anxiety Index.” Health expenses ranked […]
Today’s Headlines – August 9, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including news about campaign trail sparring over women’s health issues, a political ad that has drawn criticism and a Romney aide’s response. Los Angeles Times: Survey: 61% Of Employers Expect Cost Increase From Healthcare Law More than 60% of employers in a new survey anticipate some […]
Rep. Courtney Pushes Bill To Expand Medicare Coverage Of Nursing Home Stays
Congress may be in recess, but Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) isn’t taking a vacation just yet. He went to a New London nursing home Wednesday to drum up support for legislation that would help residents such as a 98-year-old woman whose life savings were wiped out by nursing home bills Medicare wouldn’t pay. That woman’s niece, […]
Where Have All The Forensic Pathologists Gone?
Television crime dramas may draw big audiences, but they don’t seem to work as a recruiting tool for forensic pathologists. A draft report by a Justice Department Scientific Working Group for Medicolegal Death Investigation, which is open for comment through Aug. 22, spotlights the nation’s shortage of these highly trained professionals who perform autopsies to determine the […]
