Latest KFF Health News Stories
FAQ: Seniors May See Changes in Medigap Policies
As debt limit talks drag on, lawmakers are eying possible changes in Medicare supplemental plans – moves that could increase seniors’ out-of-pocket costs.
Today’s Headlines – July 15, 2011
Happy Friday! In preparation for the weekend, here’s what we’re following to start the day. Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that the debt-ceiling strategy appears to moving toward a “plan B.” The New York Times: ‘Decision Time’ On Budget, Obama Tells Leaders The president said he might summon the […]
Record-Breaking Year For Abortion Restrictions
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. As predicted by those on both sides of the contentious abortion battle, states in the first half of this year have enacted a record 162 new laws or changes to existing laws that affect reproductive health, according to a new report from the Guttmacher Institute. According […]
Penalties For Doctors Who Keep Patients Waiting
Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. MedPage Today: Time Is Money And Some Doctors Are Paying The Price When she makes a doctor’s appointment, Cherie Kerr makes it clear that she better not be kept waiting long. She said she usually tries to schedule the first appointment […]
Today’s headlines – July 14, 2011
Good morning! Today’s headlines include reports about how tempers are flaring in the midst of debt-ceiling negotiations and how failure to reach an agreement could lead to tough choices about which of the nation’s obligations will be left unpaid. Los Angeles Times: Default Risk Widens Rift Within GOP So far, such warnings have had little impact in […]
Health Blogs Buzzing About Insurance Exchanges
Monday’s release of proposed regulations on the oft-talked about health insurance exchanges sparked a feverish 244-page read by bloggers who are now exchanging their own ideas on just what the regs will mean for the health law, for employers and for people looking to buy health insurance online. Here’s what some of them are saying: At […]
Tauzin: Home Health Care Is ‘Not An Elective Thing’
Former House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin has some advice for Republicans who want Medicare beneficiaries to pick up part of the tab for home health services: It won’t work. “[Home health] is not an elective thing. You get assigned to it by your doctor. You have to have it or otherwise you’re in the hospital […]
Give Teeth A Chance, Says New IOM Report
Millions of people each year are skipping out on their annual trip to the dentist. And it’s not because they’re afraid of the drill. Many people just can’t find a dentist or can’t pay for a visit: 33.3 million Americans live in a region with a shortage of dental professionals; kids, seniors and minorities are particularly […]
Today’s Headlines – July 13, 2011
Today’s headlines detail the next moves in the ongoing budget discussion, including a “last-choice option” proposed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and reports about how the health industry is lining up against possible cuts. The New York Times: Hopes Dwindling For Compromise In Budget Talks From the White House and Congress to financial […]
Cleveland Clinic Sees $30M In Doc Training Funds At Stake in Deficit Talks
Dr. James Stoller, chair of the Education Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, is nervously watching the deficit talks on Capitol Hill. Among the proposals being discussed is a plan to cut as much as $14 billion over 10 years from Medicare reimbursements for doctor training, according to a list summarizing possible health cuts leaked Tuesday. […]
Insurance Commissioners Back Away From Broker Bill
This post was updated at 5:47 p.m. Brokers hoping that the nation’s top insurance regulators would endorse a controversial bill now pending in Congress had their hopes dimmed Tuesday. “We’re looking for solutions other than changing federal law,” said Kevin McCarty, Florida’s insurance commissioner. Late last month, a McCarty-headed committee of the National Association of Insurance […]
Cantor Chides Obama for ‘Walking Back’ In Negotiations
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., this morning said that President Barack Obama was “walking back” on some potential budget cuts agreed to in bipartisan debt reduction negotiations headed by Vice President Joe Biden. Those talks had identified up to $2.3 trillion in cuts over the next decade, but Obama now will only commit to […]
List Of Potential Medicare And Medicaid Cuts Stirs Washington
Washington is abuzz about a spreadsheet that was leaked this morning outlining potential Medicare and Medicaid savings that could end up in a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling. The summary is an outline of areas that House and Senate negotiators discussed during debt ceiling negotiations with Vice President Joe Biden, House Majority Leader […]
Today’s Headlines – July 12, 2011
Good morning! In today’s headlines, reports about the new HHS rule on health exchanges rule and how its nod to state flexibility may help states move forward. The New York Times: Obama Administration Rolls Out Standards For Health Insurance Marketplaces In a big step to carry out the new health care law, the Obama administration unveiled […]
Hospital Spots Push Back Against Payment Cuts
As Congress and the White House continue to struggle over reducing the deficit, a coalition of hospitals and hospital associations launched a second broadcast commercial warning lawmakers not to target them. The Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care is spending $1 million this week on a broadcast campaign that asks Congress to leave hospitals out […]
A Flower But No Cigar for Sebelius
She bought a potted plant, but if Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius thought it would be enough to persuade the operators of her local hardware store to support new insurance regulations, it didn’t happen. Sebelius and her top deputies came to Frager’s Hardware Store near Capitol Hill to unveil proposed rules on insurance […]
Today’s Headlines – July 11, 2011
Good morning! Here’s what we’re reading to get our week started! In today’s health policy headlines, more reports on the challenges President Barack Obama and congressional leaders are facing in the ongoing debt reduction negotiations. The Wall Street Journal: Deficit Negotiators Hit Reset President Barack Obama and Republican leaders in Congress clashed Sunday over the […]
Capitol Hill Store Owner Is Both HHS Host and Health Law Skeptic
When Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius visits Frager’s Hardware Store near the U.S. Capitol Monday, where she is expected to release the much-anticipated proposed regulations on the health insurance exchanges, she’ll face many skeptics. John Weintraub, the store’s co-owner, is one of them. “I am not confident at all that Obamacare will lower my […]
Governors Wary Of ‘Blending’ Federal Contribution To Medicaid, CHIP
If a deal to reduce the deficit results in lower federal payments to states for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, then the National Governors Association will say no thanks. That’s what NGA chair and Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire suggested Friday. As part of the ongoing negotiations between the White House and Capitol Hill, one proposal would combine […]
Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs for Kaiser Health News’ Daily Report. This week in Research Roundup: JAMA finds the quality of care at rural “critical access hospitals” to be wanting. Health Affairs compares spending in various state Medicaid programs. The National Bureau of […]
