Latest KFF Health News Stories
The Downside Of Health Care Job Growth
Health care employment has been the bright spot in the otherwise lackluster recent jobs reports. As overall employment decreased by 2 percent from 2000 to 2010, employment in the health care sector actually increased by 25 percent. But that’s not necessarily a good thing, according to an opinion piece published in the most recent edition of the […]
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report that some lawmakers on Capitol Hill are meeting to attempt to find ways to deal with an upcoming deadline — Jan. 1 — which is also known as the “fiscal cliff.” Politico: Secret Talks Under Way About ‘Fiscal Cliff’ The uptick in back-channel […]
Wallack On Vermont’s Goal: ‘Universal, Affordable Coverage’
Anya Rader Wallack, tapped to move Vermont toward a single payer system, is confident the state would enact its own individual mandate if the Supreme Court strikes down the federal mandate.
Migrant Health Clinics Caught In Crossfire Of Immigration Debate
The hunt for illegal immigrants interferes with federally funded care for farmworkers.
Lots of ‘C’s As Hospitals Get Graded For Patient Safety
The cities of New York and Los Angeles grade their restaurants on cleanliness and the precautions they take to avoid making customers sick. Now hospitals are getting similar assessments for their patient safety records from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit devoted to patient safety. For 2,651 hospitals, Leapfrog created a single letter grade out of […]
Happy Wednesday! Here are your headlines: The Washington Post: Gov. Walker Survives Recall In Wisconsin Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker won a vote to keep his job on Tuesday, surviving a recall effort that turned the Republican into a conservative icon and his state into the first battleground in a bitter, expensive election year (Fahrenthold and […]
Leavitt Talks Prevention, But Not Politics On Bipartisan Panel
Just a few days after he was tapped to be a part of presidential-hopeful Mitt Romney’s transition team, Michael Leavitt Tuesday took on a very different mission: obesity. Leavitt was one of four former cabinet officials presenting a report on the economic impact of the obesity epidemic at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington. The […]
California Lawmakers Move Bills To Guarantee Health Coverage
Pre-existing conditions would not prevent a Californian from buying health insurance on the individual market in 2014, if state lawmakers succeed with a push to make sure the main tenets of the national health law survive in the state – no matter how the U.S. Supreme Court rules later this month. Last week lawmakers put […]
Today’s Headlines – June 5, 2012
Los Angeles Times: Congress Shifting Attention To Women’s Issues, Healthcare Congress returns its attention this week to women’s issues, with the Senate voting on legislation to ensure paycheck equity as GOP front-runner Mitt Romney tapped a Republican congresswoman to be his campaign liaison in the House. … The House this week is expected to take […]
To Curb Spending On Elderly, Hospitals Try New Business Models
Believe it or not, there is a silver lining to the massive storm cloud that is Medicare’s spiraling health care costs. The storm cloud, of course, is the out-of-control spending on health care for the elderly. For instance, more than 13 percent of all federal spending goes toward Medicare. Two thirds of that spending goes to the […]
Study: Hospital Observation Stays Increase 25 Percent In 3 Years
The number of Medicare patients who enter the hospital for observation rose dramatically even though Medicare enrollment and hospital admissions declined slightly, according to a study by gerontologists at Brown University in Providence, R.I. The researchers analyzed medical records and hospital claims for 29 million people in traditional Medicare from 2007 to 2009. They found […]
Today’s Headlines – June 4, 2012
Good Monday morning! Here are your headlines: Reuters/Chicago Tribune: Looming Court Ruling Worries Some With Health Woes PCIP is a temporary government program set up to run until 2014, when the Obama healthcare law is due to take full effect and prevent insurance companies from the common practice of denying people coverage due to pre-existing […]
The New Normal In Health Insurance: High Deductibles
Supporters say high-deductible insurance can contain health costs by giving patients an incentive to take better care of themselves and to shop more carefully. Critics say the plans are just a way for corporations to shift costs onto workers, especially those dealing with chronic illness.
Report Offers Glimpse of Health Law’s Impact On Washington State
Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is weighing in on the fate of the Affordable Care Act with a report released this week about what’s at stake for Washingtonians if the law is overturned by the Supreme Court. “There’s so much confusion and misunderstanding out there,” says Kreidler, a Democrat. “This is kind of a […]
The Cost Of Dying; Insuring Fertility
Every week, KHN reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni selects interesting reading from around the Web. Newsweek: Why Did Her Husband’s End-Of-Life Care Cost So Much? During those four days Terence had his blood drawn—eight times. Urine collected at least twice. There was a CT scan of his chest and an MRI of his brain. A physical […]
Today’s Headlines – June 1, 2012
June! Hope you had a great May, and it’s Friday! Here are your headlines: Los Angeles Times: Republicans Make New Offer In Student Loan Stalemate Under the proposal, Republicans suggested raising the amount federal employees contribute toward their retirements, a proposal Obama had included in his budget for the coming fiscal year, but is unlikely […]
Feds Seek To Reduce Disparities In Childhood Asthma Rates
What do agriculture, transportation and justice have to do with childhood asthma? More than you think. Federal public health officials today announced a new inter-agency task force designed to eliminate the racial and ethnic gap among children suffering from asthma. The Departments of Agriculture, Justice and Transportation — as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and […]
Today’s headlines – May 31, 2012
Good morning, here are your headlines for this Thursday! The Washington Post: Medical Device Tax Repeal Bill Gains Some Ground Makers of medical devices are gaining some momentum in a vigorous campaign to persuade Congress to scrap a tax imposed on their industry by the 2010 health-care law. A bill to void the tax sponsored […]
Poll: 42% Of Women Take Action In Response To Contraception Debates
More than four in 10 women have taken action, such as donating money or trying to change a friend’s opinion, in response to recent controversies over women’s reproductive health issues, according to a new survey. Debates over the Obama administration’s decision to implement the health law’s requirement that health plans cover birth control, state and federal disputes […]
Need Help Navigating Patient Data Laws? New Website Offers One-Stop Shop
As more patient information goes digital, health providers, insurers and government officials are having a tougher time navigating the patchwork of state and federal laws that dictate what information can be shared without violating patient confidentiality. “Frankly there’s a lot of confusion out there about what types of information can be shared, what parties can […]
