Latest KFF Health News Stories
Needle-Exchange Programs Face New Federal Funding Ban
Program supporters say the ban, which is part of the recently passed omnibus spending bill to fund the federal government until the end of the current fiscal year, will undermine public health.
New Year, New Health Care Battles
KHN reporters preview some of the big issues coming this year: The GOP’s fight to repeal the law and what the party can offer instead; states’ efforts to beat back growing Medicaid costs; consumers’ troubles affording care.
Click each reporter to view their prediction.
Today’s Headlines – December 21, 2011
Good morning! Los Angeles Times: With Payroll Tax Cut Unresolved, Congress Packs Up After weeks of bitter partisan wrangling, the Capitol emptied for the holidays with no sign of negotiation toward a compromise that would save an expiring tax break. As of Jan. 1, the payroll tax cut that has been in place all year […]
Test your knowledge of who has said what about Medicare over the many years of the program’s history.
Today’s Headlines – December 20, 2011
Good morning! Here are your morning headlines to get you up and at ’em: The New York Times: House Set To Vote Down Payroll Tax Cut Extension A core group of conservative House members … have balked all year at short-term spending agreements, including proposed legislation to raise the debt ceiling and bills to increase […]
32 ‘Pioneers’ Selected To Test New Health Care Model For Seniors
Thirty-two groups were named Monday to test a new health care model, called for in the health care law, which is designed to improve care for seniors while reducing costs. The groups, which range from Boston-based Partners Healthcare, the largest health care provider in Massachusetts, to the doctor-led Healthcare Partners of southern Nevada, were selected […]
Generic Lipitor Now At Stores Near You
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. It’s here. The cholesterol-fighter Liptor, the biggest hit in the history of the pharmaceutical industry, is now widely available in generic form. The Pfizer drug finally lost its U.S. patent protection at the end of November, opening the door for cheaper substitutes (atorvastatin, generically) and ending […]
Today’s Headlines – December 19, 2011
Good morning! Here are your A.M. headlines to get you going: The New York Times: Extension Of Tax Cut Stalls In House As GOP Objects The once-seemingly sure deal, which allowed the Senate to recess for the year, was for a $33 billion package of bills to keep the Social Security tax paid by most […]
Cancer Vaccines, Top Health Stories Of The Year
Every week, reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. Zocalo Public Square: How Doctors Die Years ago, Charlie, a highly respected orthopedist and a mentor of mine, found a lump in his stomach. He had a surgeon explore the area, and the diagnosis was pancreatic cancer. … He went home the next […]
Early Exit For Early Retiree Insurance Program
This story is part of a reporting partnership that includes Minnesota Public Radio, and Kaiser Health News. The clock is winding down on a little known – but very popular – program created by the Affordable Care Act to help employers offer health benefits to early retirees. The $5 billion early retiree reinsurance program has […]
Today’s Headlines – December 16, 2011
Good morning and happy Friday! Here are your morning headlines. The Washington Post: Medicare’s ‘SGR’ Formula Has Snowballed To Budget-Busting Juggernaut It was adopted by Congress in 1997 almost as an afterthought — a new formula to keep Medicare spending on doctors from growing faster than the economy as a whole. But like a snowball […]
Health Costs A Key Worry For Those Nearing Retirement
Americans express changing expectations toward retirement, with near-retirees feeling significantly more anxious than those who’ve already left the workforce about whether their income and savings will support them into their golden years. Those approaching retirement feel most concerned about whether they will be able to pay for their health care as they live increasingly longer, according […]
Bloggers Take To Keyboards On Wyden-Ryan Medicare Plan
Yesterday, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., rocked the health policy world with a new, bipartisan plan to reform Medicare. The two lawmakers propose to change the program for the elderly and disabled by giving beneficiaries a fixed amount to use on health insurance coverage. The plan would preserve traditional Medicare for […]
The Ryan-Wyden Medicare Plan In The Twittersphere
KHN reporters Christian Torres and Shefali S. Kulkarni collected photos and Tweets using Storify about today’s release of the Ryan-Wyden plan on transforming Medicare. Click through for the collection:
Wyden Joins Forces With Ryan On Medicare
Updated at 11:00 a.m. on Dec. 15. A new Medicare overhaul plan touted as a serious bipartisan approach was unveiled today, but it leaves out key details about how it would avoid raising seniors’ premiums. Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden is teaming up with Republican Rep. Paul Ryan on a Medicare overhaul plan that would give […]
Today’s Headlines – December 15, 2011
Good morning! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a new approach being advanced by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to overhauling Medicare. The New York Times: Lawmakers Offer Bipartisan Plan To Overhaul Medicare A Democratic senator, Ron Wyden of Oregon, and a Republican member of the […]
HHS: 2.5 Million Young Adults Now Covered, Exceeding Projections
An estimated 2.5 million young adults have gained health insurance coverage since the 2010 health law took effect, according to a new government survey – a finding the Obama administration is embracing as it continues efforts to communicate the health’s law’s benefits, even as the public’s opinion about the law remains mixed. The number is […]
Today’s Headlines – December 14, 2011
Good morning! Here are your early morning headlines: The New York Times: House Passes Extension Of Cut To Payroll Taxes … [T]he House on Tuesday passed a bill extending a cut in Social Security payroll taxes for 160 million Americans for another year. But the Democratic majority in the Senate vowed to reject the measure. […]
Blue Shield Of Calif., UCLA Tussle Over Rates
Blue Shield of California, which earlier this year pledged to cap its profits at 2 percent, took public Tuesday a contract dispute with UCLA Medical Center, which saw a nearly 17 percent operating margin this year. Unless the two can agree on contract terms by the end of the year, some Blue Shield customers who […]
Medicare ‘Doc Fix’ Debate Shifts to Senate
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Politico Pro’s Matt DoBias about the latest developments on Capitol Hill concerning a pending Medicare physician payment cut set to take effect Jan. 1 without passage of a “doc fix.”
