Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s Headlines – February 21, 2012
Good morning! Hope you enjoyed Presidents’ Day! Here are your morning headlines to get you back in the swing of things: USA Today: Court Action Could Prolong Health Care Fight Next month’s challenge to the Obama-sponsored health care law could affect the care available to most Americans, alter the balance of power between Washington and […]
GOP Contraceptive Amendment Could Have Wider Effect; The Love Of Caregiving
Every week, reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. Mother Jones: The GOP Plan To Give Your Boss ‘Moral’ Control Over Your Health Insurance In their latest move in the battle over contraception coverage, top Republicans in Congress are going for broke: They’re now pushing a bill that would allow employers and […]
Reid Vows Health Prevention Fund Will Be Replenished, Eventually
Prevention advocates, take heart. The $5 billion cut to the health law’s prevention fund included in a House-Senate conference deal on the “doc fix” will be replenished in the years ahead by design as the fund grows, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Thursday. At a news conference Thursday, Reid said, “We put into law […]
Today’s Headlines – February 17, 2012
Happy Friday! The Wall Street Journal: Catholic Bishops Fight Contraception Rule At House Hearing Catholic bishops took their fight against a new federal rule requiring health insurance plans to cover contraception to a House hearing, where a representative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops testified that Obama administration changes announced last week are “simply […]
An Animated Conversation About ACOs
Accountable Care Organizations are a continuing source of interest to both health care providers and consumers. We at KHN have called them “the hottest three-letter word in health care.” Now WBUR’s CommonHealth blog has put together a video animation that walks viewers through how ACOs work and what that means for consumers. The blog promises that […]
Today’s Headlines – February 16, 2012
Good morning! Los Angeles Times: Lawmakers Reach Tentative Deal To Extend Payroll Tax Break Despite discomfort in the Republican ranks, House and Senate negotiators reached a deal in principle early Thursday to extend a payroll tax break, continue unemployment benefits and ensure that Medicare doctors do not get a pay cut this year. … One […]
Tentative ‘Doc Fix’ Deal Would Cut Health Law’s Prevention Fund by $5B
After wrangling for weeks over how to finance a Medicare “doc fix,” House and Senate conferees have a plan. The proposal would cut Medicare payments to hospitals and other providers for “bad debt,” Medicare payments to clinical laboratories and Medicaid “disproportionate share” payments to hospitals that serve many poor patients, and divert $5 billion from the health law’s $15 […]
Does Contraception Really Pay For Itself?
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. Last week, President Barack Obama announced that religious groups won’t have to pay for contraceptive services themselves. Instead, the cost would be borne by their insurance companies. That compromise has raised a whole new set of questions on its own, though. Here’s the way the new […]
In just over 5 weeks, the Supreme Court will hear challenges and defenses of the 2010 Affordable Care Act
Today’s Headlines – February 15, 2012
Good morning! Hope you had a great mid-week Valentine’s Day. Here are your headlines to get you going this morning: Los Angeles Times: Deal Would Extend Jobless Benefits, Prevent Medicare Cut One day after House Republican leaders made a major concession on the payroll tax cut, congressional negotiators struck a tentative deal that also would […]
Autoworkers’ Health Claims Offer Clues To Regional Spending Variations
Why does health care cost more in some areas of the country than others? It’s a question researchers have struggled with for decades, because the potential answers — unnecessary surgeries, generally bad health of patients or high prices charged by providers — each carry different prescriptions for how to hold down medical costs. Now a […]
Despite Best Intentions, Californians Don’t Talk About End-Of-Life Wishes
Most Californians say it is important to plan for end-of-life care but far fewer have done so, a gap that means they may not spend their dying days the way they wish. According to a survey released Tuesday by the California HealthCare Foundation, 70 percent of Californians said they would prefer to die at home, […]
Today’s Headlines – February 14, 2012
Good morning! Happy Valentine’s Day! ♥ The New York Times: House Republicans Yield On Extending Payroll Tax Cut Congressional Republicans backed down on Monday from a demand that a payroll tax rollback be paid for with reductions in other programs, clearing the way for an extension of the tax cut for 160 million Americans through […]
Updated at 8:50 a.m. Feb. 14. If it’s the middle of February, and it’s time for the yearly Washington ritual: A president proposes Medicare and Medicaid cuts, and then nursing homes and hospitals complain that those cuts will destroy the quality of care. Today was no different: President Barack Obama released his fiscal 2013 budget plan. Since many of the about […]
A New Way To Carry KHN In Your Pocket
Can’t get enough Kaiser Health News? Now there’s a new way to take KHN with you everywhere you go. KHN is available on Google Currents, a mobile news app for smartphones and tablets. It works on any iPhone or Android phone, plus any iPad or Android tablet. The Google Currents edition of Kaiser Health News […]
Today’s Headlines – February 13, 2012
Good Monday morning! Here’s your headlines to start the week: The Wall Street Journal: Budget Sets Stage For Year-End Clash President Barack Obama’s budget plan, to be released Monday, will serve both as an outline of his re-election campaign message and a blueprint of the White House strategy for another clash looming after the November […]
Every week, Jessica Marcy searches for interesting in-depth reading. The Daily Beast: How Karen Handel’s Komen Resignation Boosts Her Political Prospects Even if you put politics and ideology completely aside, Karen Handel had to resign from Susan G. Komen for the Cure. It’s hard to think of the last time an employee did so much […]
Today’s Headlines – February 10, 2012
Happy Friday. Here are your end-of-the-week headlines: The New York Times: Pessimism High, Republicans Warn Of Possible Expiration Of Payroll Tax Cuts Congressional Republicans said Thursday that negotiations over extending a payroll tax cut were going so poorly that it was possible the tax break — along with added unemployment benefits — could expire at […]
Coakley v. Cuccinelli: Attorneys General Debate The Health Law
http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1 State attorneys general Martha Coakley and Ken Cuccinelli won’t be arguing the constitutionality of the 2010 health law before the Supreme Court in late March, but they brought their opposing cases before the National Press Club in Washington on Thursday.
HHS Unveils Requirements For Consumer Insurance Labels
The rules detail standard, easy-to-understand information that insurance plans will be required to provide consumers.
