Latest KFF Health News Stories
Why Black Women, Infants Lag In Birth Outcomes
Across the U.S., maternal and infant death rates are far higher for African-Americans than whites.
Today’s Headlines – July 8, 2011
Happy Friday! Here’s what we’re reading in anticipation of the weekend: Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that budget negotiators are setting their sights on a “grand debt deal” — a concept that is causing some Democrats concern regarding how safety net programs will fare. The New York Times: Still […]
In The Capitol Corridors: Democrats Weigh Politics Of Health Cuts
Rep. Jim McDermott has some advice for Democrats who support Medicare and Medicaid cuts as part of a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling: Beware of the 30-second television spot. “Any Democrat who votes for it opens himself or herself up to Murphy’s Law,” warns the 12-term Washington Democrat, who is one of 20 […]
Sounding Off On Medicaid’s ‘Big Difference’ In Quality Of Life
How is quality of life affected by getting health insurance? Positively, both financially and mentally, a new study says. A group of researchers — led by economists from MIT and Harvard –sought to answer that question when they studied how getting health insurance coverage through Medicaid affected the health and well-being of low-income Oregon residents in a […]
Oregon Program Builds On British Model
Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. American Medical News: HIV In Primary Care: Treating An Aging Epidemic Of the 3,155 U.S.-based members of the HIV Medicine Assn., 45% are older than 50, according to a March 17 Institute of Medicine report on HIV screening and access […]
Deficit vs. Medicare: Republicans At Odds
A poll released Thursday revealed significant discrepancy among Republicans who were asked whether it’s more important to reduce the federal budget deficit or to maintain Medicare and Social Security benefits. Not surprisingly, it was all about money. In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, more affluent Republicans favored reducing the deficit, while lower […]
Medicaid Makes ‘Big Difference’ In Lives, Study Finds
But a new study – the first of its kind in nearly four decades – finds that Medicaid is making a bigger impact than even some of its supporters may have realized.
Today’s Headlines – July 7, 2011
Good Thursday Morning! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about signs of progress in the debt-reduction talks and details of a new study that finds Medicaid makes a big difference in people’s lives. The New York Times: President Looks For Broader Deal On Deficit Cuts The president’s renewed efforts follow what […]
Study: Hospitals Differ On Response To Medicare Cuts
A new study in Health Affairs provides more reason for concern that the trend of hospital consolidation, which may have been accelerated by the health care law, will lead to higher prices for the privately insured in places where hospitals have lots of market power. The study found that as Medicare payments drop, hospitals that […]
To Friend Or Not: The Facebook Challenge For Doctors
Two years ago, Dr. Gabriel Bosslet received two friend requests from patients on his Facebook page. ”I was kind of taken aback by it. I wasn’t sure how to respond to it,” he said. The requests were a first for the doctor who serves as a faculty member in pulmonary and critical care medicine at […]
Community Mental Health Centers Welcome Proposed Regs
Mental health advocates are welcoming an effort by federal officials to better regulate community mental health centers, calling it a long-overdue step. “It’s important because right now community mental health centers are the only group of providers that operate in Medicare without conditions of participation. It’s important for there to be standards to make sure […]
Today’s Headlines – July 6, 2011
Good morning! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how budget pressures and the deficit reduction negotiations are having an impact on Medicare and Medicaid. Kaiser Health News: A Dozen States Slice Medicaid Payments To Doctors, Hospitals Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz, working in collaboration with USA Today, […]
Help wanted: Doctors to limit expensive tests, hospital visits and high-cost surgeries. You’re not likely to see such a direct job listing, but managed care companies are getting into the business of running physician groups as a strategy to keep costs down, as Kaiser Health News reported over the weekend. Hospitals, larger physician groups and […]
Health Exchange Rule – What’s Vital To Success?
Health exchanges — online marketplaces often compared to sites like Expedia or Travelocity because they’ll give consumers a range of health insurance options — are vital to the success of the federal health law. So policy experts and industry officials are eagerly awaiting a proposed federal rule, due out any day, on how the exchanges will work. […]
Reischauer Moving On, But Not from Health Issues
Robert D. Reischauer, who has headed the Urban Institute since 2000, announced today that he is moving on from the think tank, but that may mean more time for health care policy issues. Without the responsibilities of running Urban, he said in an interview, he expects to have more time to “contribute in a real way […]
Lower Prices For High-Risk Coverage
How low can they go? Experts agreed that pricey premiums for the new “pre-existing condition insurance plans” created under the health care overhaul were partly to blame for anemic enrollment in the plans, which reached just 21,454 after several months, compared with potentially hundreds of thousands that had been projected. Starting July 1, the Obama […]
Today’s Headlines – July 5, 2011
Good Tuesday morning! Back from break and looking to catch up on what happened over the weekend? We’ve got it for you. Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how Medicare, Medicaid and the health care industry might fare in the ongoing budget negotiations. The New York Times: Administration Offers […]
The Secret Lives of Docs-In-Training
Ever wonder what hospital doctors do during their short breaks? Or how they manage to make it through a 28-hour shift? Look no further than hospital call rooms. During a recent trip to the Washington Hospital Center, Dr. Emil S. Oweis, a second-year resident, took me to a place where patients are not invited: resident […]
Comparing Care In States Vs. Territories … Plus More
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, Research Roundup includes: The Archives of Internal Medicine examines care in U.S. states vs. U.S. territories. The Journal of General Internal Medicine looks at the use of social media […]
Are Rising Hospice Costs A Concern?
KHN’s story on concerns about the rising costs of hospice to Medicare, which ran Tuesday in The New York Times, has stirred up passionate debate among palliative care blogs and advocates. The story reported that the fourfold increase in hospice costs over the last decade has heightened worries that Medicare’s flat fee method of payment […]
