Latest KFF Health News Stories
Shortage Of Research On When There’s Too Much Health Care
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. There’s little doubt that the U.S. wastes a lot of money on unnecessary health care. But pinning down the worst offenders isn’t easy, as a fresh analysis of the scientific literature finds. Published research on overuse is in pretty short supply, so rooting out waste by […]
Today’s Headlines – January 25, 2012
Good morning! Here are your post-SOTU headlines: NPR: Analysis: Landmark Health Overhaul Gets Barely A Mention When it came to health, what was most surprising was how little President Obama had to say in his State of the Union address. His landmark 2010 health overhaul — whose fate is currently before the Supreme Court and […]
Consumer Groups Ask Obama To Not Weaken Provisions For Insurance Labels
Leaders from some of the nation’s top consumer and seniors advocacy groups today urged President Barack Obama not to weaken a key consumer provision of his signature health care overhaul law. The provision requires health insurers and employers to use standardized, easy-to-understand information documents to describe health plan benefits and costs. These forms would explain how […]
On First Lady’s Guest List: Young Adult Insurance Coverage
Adam Rapp of Fall Creek Township, Ill., will have one of the best seats in the House as President Barack Obama addresses a joint session of Congress Tuesday night. In a custom dating back to the Reagan administration, the first lady’s guest list for the annual State of the Union address combines both personal and political […]
Jon Stewart, Health Policy Wonk
Who knew comedian Jon Stewart was worried about essential health benefits? Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius found herself in the middle of a surprisingly substantive interview Monday night on Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” — 16 minutes of full-on wonkery, about half televised and half for the Web audience only. The Daily Show With […]
Today’s Headlines – January 24, 2012
Good morning! Here are your headline highlights: The Associated Press/Washington Post: Supreme Court Won’t Hear Arguments Demanding Kagan’s Recusal From Health Care Case The Supreme Court won’t hear arguments from a conservative watchdog group that wants Justice Elena Kagan disqualified from deciding the constitutionality of President Barack Obama’s national health care overhaul (1/23). Politico: Survey: […]
Panel Sidesteps Controversy On Draft For Comparative Effectiveness Research
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) — created by the health law to help determine the most effective medical treatments — released its draft priorities and research agenda on Monday, but it did not single out any specific diseases, treatments or procedures to study. Instead, the nongovernmental institute that will oversee billions in research funding […]
Today’s Headlines – January 23, 2012
Welcome back! Here are your morning headlines: The Wall Street Journal: Can Accountable-Care Organizations Improve Health Care While Reducing Costs? It’s often said that the main method of paying health-care providers—with a fee for each service—results in increased and wasteful spending. Such a system, its critics say, rewards providers just for doing more procedures, rather […]
Advocates Demand Clarity About Options For Patients In Financial Need
Many Americans continue to struggle with the high cost of medical care, unaware that non-profit hospitals are required to provide information about potential financial assistance or relief. But, a provision in the 2010 health law seeks to clarify what help hospitals should offer. Advocates were on Capitol Hill Friday to raise awareness about the provision […]
Explaining Medicare’s ‘Premium Support’
Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. Washington Monthly: The Yaz Men: Members Of FDA Panel Reviewing The Risks Of Popular Bayer Contraceptive Had Industry Ties Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration convened a committee of medical experts to weigh new evidence concerning the potential […]
New Restrictions On Abortion Almost Tied Record Last Year
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. If it seemed like 2011 was a big year for laws restricting abortion, it was. In fact, according to “Who Decides? The Status of Women’s Reproductive Rights In the U.S.,” the 21stannual report compiled by the abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, the 69 laws enacted restricting […]
Today’s Headlines – January 20, 2012
Good morning and happy Friday to you! Here are your morning headlines post the GOP debate in South Carolina: The Associated Press/Washington Post: Obama To Press Congress to Revisit Last Year’s Failed Attempt At $1.2T Deficit Cut The proposal runs counter to the common wisdom in Washington that any major deficit reduction effort is unlikely […]
S.C. GOP Debate Gets Heavy On Health Care Issues: Video and Transcript
On CNN Thursday night, Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Rep. Ron Paul disputed each other’s positions on the health law and on abortion.
CBO Report Card: Poor Grades For Some Medicare Cost Cutting Efforts
The underlying premise of some of the 2010 health law’s most ambitious changes to Medicare is using financial incentives to get doctors and hospitals to improve the quality of care and lower costs. Both accountable care organizations and the Value-Based Purchasing Program aim to give bonuses to hospitals that achieve such goals. But a new […]
No Easy Fix For Medicare Doctors’ Pay
If you were hoping for a quick resolution of the Medicare physician payment issue, think again. The “doc fix” issue is part of a broader and more complicated debate: how to finance an extension of the current payroll tax cut for the rest of the year and federal benefits for the long-term unemployed. Both parties want to stop […]
Today’s Headlines – January 19, 2012
Good morning! Here are your morning headlines: The Associated Press/Washington Post: White House Says Health Overhaul On Track In Many States, But Prepares Federal Backstop Anyway President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul is on track in many states, the White House asserted Wednesday. But officials said the administration is preparing a federal backstop anyway for […]
Vermont Moving Forward With Its Own Flavor Of Health Reform
Vermont lawmakers are taking steps to move the state toward a publicly-financed insurance program and craft a state health exchange, which is required by the 2010 federal health law and which state officials hope to use as the groundwork for their eventual move to a unique single-payer system. Gov. Peter Shumlin’s administration this week offered […]
Washington State Bill Would Require Abortion Coverage
“Personhood” has dominated the abortion debate in recent months, highlighted by the failure of a high-profile constitutional amendment in Mississippi. And while abortion rights advocates in several states continue to defend against other bills that would define an embryo or fetus as a person, advocates in Washington state are taking the offensive. Democratic members of […]
A Health Exchange Progress Report, Sort Of …
They’re making progress! Well, at least 28 of them and the District of Columbia are. That was the main talking point from the White House this morning during a press briefing revolving around a report stating that 28 states are “on their way” to establishing new marketplaces, called exchanges, where consumers can begin to shop for health insurance […]
States Ease Barriers To Medicaid, CHIP Enrollment, Survey Says
Updated at 10:55 a.m. Half the states last year made it easier for children and their parents to enroll in Medicaid by streamlining enrollment and using technology advances to verify citizenship requirements, according to a report released Wednesday. Medicaid is the state-federal health insurance program for the poor and disabled that covers about 60 million Americans. […]
