Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s Headlines – June 8, 2012
The Washington Post: White House, Lawmakers Prepare For Supreme Court Ruling On Obama’s Health-Care Law In this city of rumors and leaks, it has been an excruciating lead-up to the Supreme Court ruling on President Obama’s health-care law. The decision is just days away, but virtually no one knows precisely when it will come or […]
New Colon Cancer Test Holds Promise For Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives are twice as likely to get colon cancer and die from the disease than the white population in the United States. When Mayo Clinic doctor David Ahlquist took a trip to Bethel, Alaska in the mid-1990’s that startling statistic caught his attention. “Here they had one of the world’s highest rates of colon […]
Costs Of Raising Children Grows, And Health Care Is A Big Reason
What’s the matter with kids today? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they’re more expensive. The USDA released its annual report Thursday on how much it costs to raise a child. The grand total for a child born in 2011 is $234,900 — $295, 560 if inflation is factored in — for all child-related […]
Number Of Cancer Survivors Growing, But So Are Their Health Problems
Two studies released this week paint a good news/bad news picture of life after cancer. The good news is that the number of cancer survivors in the U.S. is expected to increase by about 30 percent during the next decade to nearly 18 million, according to a report published this morning by the American Cancer Society […]
Today’s Headlines – June 14, 2012
The Wall Street Journal: Republicans See Advantages In Go-Slow Approach On Bills Democrats accuse GOP leaders of deliberately dragging their feet on legislation that might help the economy, as it might also boost President Barack Obama’s re-election prospects. Republican leaders deny that. They blame Democrats for blocking GOP efforts to extend tax cuts and avert […]
Doctors Admit To Unprofessional Behavior In Study At 3 Chicago Hospitals
Working in a real hospital isn’t usually as dramatic as is portrayed in TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy or House, MD, but a new study has identified unprofessional behaviors to which hospital-based doctors most frequently admit, including badmouthing fellow doctors and finding medical excuses to get out of having to care for patients. Two-thirds of […]
Today’s Headlines – June 13, 2012
The Wall Street Journal: Health-Care Law Or Not, Insurance Is Set To Change As the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the federal health overhaul, health insurers are in the spotlight. The law has been reshaping the health insurers’ business—requiring, for instance, that they spend a set share of premium dollars on health care, or […]
Report: Health Spending Will Climb To Nearly One-Fifth Of GDP
National health spending will account for nearly one-fifth of the U.S. economy in 2021, according to updated estimates from the federal government. Actuaries from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported their annual projections in the journal Health Affairs on Tuesday. The actuaries estimate that health spending will account for 19.6 percent of the […]
Medicaid Costs Loom Over States’ Tepid Economic Recovery
Updated at 4:45 p.m. on June 13. States continue to struggle with Medicaid costs, a factor that looms over their tepid economic recovery, according to a report released Tuesday. The economic outlook for the states is starting to brighten, but growth is slow and budgets still are tight, said the National Governors Association and the […]
Today’s Headlines – June 12, 2012
Good morning! Here are your morning headlines: The Wall Street Journal: Insurers Stand Firm On Benefits Three of the biggest U.S. health insurers said they plan to keep offering some benefits now required under the federal health overhaul legislation, even if the Supreme Court strikes down the entire law. Humana Inc., Aetna Inc. and UnitedHealth […]
Seniors Missing Out On Some New Medicare Benefits
Next time President Obama vacations in Hawaii– his usual Christmas destination –he might want to tell seniors there about how his health law provides free annual wellness visits for people enrolled in Medicare. So far, just 1 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who live there, or 890 people, have used the benefit this year, the lowest percent of any […]
Secrets And Electronic Health Records: A Privacy Concern
Does your orthodontist or opthamologist need to know what you tell your psychotherapist in order to provide you with quality care? In the age of electronic medical records, a whole range of health care providers may have access to this information whether you want them to or not. The issue of how to ensure that […]
Today’s Headlines – June 11, 2012
Good morning! Here are your headlines: NPR: Health Care Decision Hinges On A Crucial Clause All of Washington is breathlessly awaiting the Supreme Court’s imminent decision on the Obama health care overhaul. Rumors circulate almost daily that the decision is ready for release. As usual, those rumors are perpetrated by people who know nothing, but […]
State Medicaid Head: Uncertainty, Legislative Politics Have Slowed State Implementation
Andy Allison, Arkansas Medicaid director and president of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, is adamant that cash-strapped states won’t be able to do much to expand coverage to the uninsured if the Supreme Court strikes down the law.
Ex-Medicare Chief Vladeck: Deaths Will Increase If SCOTUS Strikes Health Law
Bruce Vladeck, who ran Medicare and Medicaid under President Clinton, forecasts “chaos” in the health care delivery system if the Supreme Court strikes down the health law.
Toobin’s Tips On SCOTUS Decision
Every week, KHN reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni selects interesting reading from around the Web. ABC News: Health Scare: How Much Will You Pay For Health Care? When the nurse calls my name, I head up to the check-in desk. “I’m sorry,” she says as she lowers her eyes and hands me the phone. On the […]
‘Health Reform Bracketology’ Offers Roadmap To ACA’s Future
When is the Supreme Court like the NCAA? When health care consultant Mike Leavitt works up an interactive PDF bracket to lay out many of the possible scenarios that could result from the upcoming Supreme Court decision on the health law, combined with the outcome of November elections. It comes with all the tension and […]
Rewarding Docs For Efficiency Reaps Savings For Insurer
Can bonuses of $10,000 or more spur primary care doctors to cut expensive hospital admissions and emergency room visits without harming care? CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield says the answer is yes. The insurer, which covers people in Maryland, Washington and Virginia, says its “patient-centered medical program” shaved $40 million — or 1.5 percent — off expected costs last year, its first in operation. Much […]
Today’s Headlines – June 8, 2012
Good morning and happy Friday! Here are some headlines to get your weekend rolling: The New York Times’ The Caucus: New Poll: The Supreme Court And The Health Care Law More than two-thirds of Americans hope the Supreme Court will overturn some or all of the 2010 health care law, according to a new poll […]
Survey: Young Adults Don’t Necessarily Fit ‘Young Invincible’ Stereotype
Young adults’ insurance coverage has significantly improved since the passage of the health law, but this trend could be derailed by the Supreme Court’s much-anticipated ruling on the law, expected this month. One of the law’s most popular provisions requires insurers to cover people up to age 26 on their parents’ policies. Roughly 6.6 million […]
