Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Insurance Prices For Women Set To Drop
Any woman who has bought health insurance on her own probably didn’t find herself humming the old show tune, “I Enjoy Being a Girl.” That’s because more than 90 percent of individual plans charge women higher premiums than men for the same coverage, a practice known as gender rating. Women spend $1 billion more annually […]
Report: Higher Payments Are No Cure For Doctor Shortage
Medicare should not try to address the shortages of doctors and health care providers in some areas of the country by raising reimbursements to lure practitioners there, the Institute of Medicine recommended Tuesday. The committee concluded that while “there are wide discrepancies in access to and quality of care across geographic areas, particularly for racial […]
Today’s Headlines – July 17, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report that concludes that few Americans will pay more as a result of the health law. USA Today: Few Will Pay More Under Health Care Law Though the law is projected to raise more than $800 billion in taxes, fees and penalties over a […]
Safety Net Hospitals Could Lose Money In Medicare Changes, Study Warns
When Medicare begins adjusting hospital payments in October based on quality, one of the primary metrics will be patient experience ratings that cover everything from the communication skills of doctors and nurses to their promptness in responding to complaints about pain. A new study finds that this change may add to the financial troubles of […]
Today’s Headlines – July 16, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a variety of reports from the past weekend’s meeting of the National Governors Association in Williamsburg, Va., and how the nation’s state executives continue to wrestle with what to do next after the Supreme Court’s decision on the health law’s Medicaid expansion. Los Angeles Times: […]
Study: PTSD Treatment For Soldiers Improving, But There’s Still Work To Be Done
When it comes to diagnosing and treating posttraumatic stress disorder among soldiers returning from service in Afghanistan, Iraq and other modern battle theaters, the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense still have a long way to go to meet the needs of armed service members, according to a new Institute of Medicine study. In […]
Every week, KHN reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni selects interesting reading from around the Web. The New York Times: Keeping Parkinson’s Disease A Secret When Nancy Mulhearn learned she had Parkinson’s disease seven years ago, she kept the diagnosis mostly to herself, hiding it from friends, colleagues — even, at first, her mother, sister and teenage children. […]
Today’s Headlines — July 13, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including continuing coverage of how the nation’s governors are handling the high court’s decision allowing states to opt out of the health law’s Medicaid expansion. The New York Times: Lines Are Drawn Over Opting Out Of Medicaid Plan In the weeks since the Supreme Court ruled […]
Maine’s Efforts To Pare Medicaid May Put It On Collision Course With Administration
State is moving ahead with plans to cut thousands of residents from the health insurance program for the poor.
Mayo Clinic ‘Affiliations’ Spread The Brand
There’s a lot of jockeying for postion in the health care market as medical centers prepare to implement the provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act. The debate over the health care law has created a lot of uncertainty in the market. Many health care providers are responding by linking with each other to manage […]
Rockefeller, MedPAC: Focus Dual Eligibles Overhaul On Care Over Costs
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., has asked the Department of Health and Human Services to overhaul a demonstration project aimed at changing the way millions of individuals who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid receive health care. In a letter to HHS, Rockefeller asked Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to “take immediate steps to halt this initiative as currently structured […]
Today’s Headlines — July 12, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about yesterday’s House vote to repeal the health law. The New York Times: Repeal Of Health Care Law Approved, Again, By House Waging old battles with new zeal, the House passed a bill on Wednesday to repeal President Obama’s health care overhaul law less […]
Teaching Doctors About The Cost Of Care
All new doctors take the Hippocratic Oath, promising to care for their patients to the best of their abilities. But what does that mean in terms of the cost of that care, when medical debt accounts for more than 60 percent of personal bankruptcies in the United States? The fee-for-service payment system has long rewarded doctors […]
Study: Mass. Global Payment Approach Lowers Costs, Improves Care
There’s some encouraging news in the ongoing struggle to control health care costs without sacrificing quality. The Alternative Quality Contract, a global payment model put in place by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts in 2009, has both curbed costs and improved the quality of care, according to a Harvard Medical School study published today […]
Could Grass-Roots Pressure Trigger Change Of Heart In Texas?
Health reform advocates and Democrats in Texas are reacting to Gov. Rick Perry’s vow to turn down both the Medicaid expansion and health insurance exchange mandated in the federal health law. Anne Dunkelberg of the left-leaning, Austin, Texas, think tank Center for Public Policy Priorities said that the Legislature will get to vote on whether […]
Firefighters Prevail In Fight for Health Insurance
President Obama has told federal agencies to start offering seasonal firefighters the same health benefits year-round federal employees get. The order came as legislation to make the change was introduced in Congress.
House Debates Repeal Of Health Law
Video Excerpts: In advance of Wednesday’s House vote to repeal the health law, Rep. John Dingell offers Republicans his gavel from Medicare passage, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor denounces “Washington-based care.”
Morning Joe’s Scarborough ‘Confesses’ His Son Benefits From Health Law
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640 Push aside that cup of coffee and check this out: TV personality and former House Republican Joe Scarborough revealed this morning that his 24-year-old son is among those benefiting from the health law. Scarborough, a small-government conservative who has criticized presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney for being the “the godfather of Obamacare,” was wrapping […]
Today’s Headlines — July 11, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the scheduled House vote on repealing the health law as well as how stakeholders — whether it be certain governors or wall street investors — are responding to the Supreme Court’s decision on the Medicaid expansion. Los Angeles Times: Republicans Focus On Repealing, […]
Report: Nation Isn’t Ready To Meet Elderly Patients’ Mental Health Care Needs
The U.S. is not prepared for the mental health needs of aging baby boomers, according an Institute of Medicine report released Tuesday. A continued lack of specialists and other trained providers including primary care physicians and nurses will likely make it difficult for aging patients to receive treatment for depression, dementia and other conditions. In […]
