Latest KFF Health News Stories
Startup Seeks To Hold Doctors, Hospitals Accountable On Patient Record Requests
Despite laws requiring that health care providers hand over copies of patient records in a timely fashion, many people have trouble getting theirs. Ciitizen, a Palo Alto, Calif., company that helps cancer patients with the task, recently published a scorecard that rates hospitals, doctors and clinics on their compliance with records requests.
La Casa Blanca revela norma final sobre transparencia de precios en salud
La norma establece que, a partir de 2021, los hospitales deben publicar los precios de todos sus servicios en internet, para que los consumidores tengan información.
White House Unveils Finalized Health Care Price Transparency Rule
The final directive drew swift responses from the hospital and insurance industries. The Trump administration also released a proposed rule that would require health insurers to spell out for all services beforehand just how much patients may owe for their out-of-pocket costs.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Rural Seasonal Workers Worry About Montana Medicaid’s Work Requirements
Montana is one of several states that want Medicaid recipients to prove they work a steady, minimum number of hours monthly. Will federal courts allow the Montana rule change to stand?
Aumento récord de casos de enfermedad del Legionario
Jacuzzis, hoteles y hospitales en todo el país siguen siendo focos de esta enfermedad potencialmente letal, que las personas contraen luego de inhalar vapor o gotas de agua contaminadas.
Record Number Of Legionnaires’ Cases In 2018 Risk Lives, Cause Cleanup Headaches
Legionnaires’ disease cases hit an all-time high in 2018, with eight times more cases than 20 years ago. Even though many facilities in Missouri and elsewhere have water management plans in place to deal with the potentially deadly disease, they are still finding the underlying bacteria that causes it in their water.
Obamacare’s Star Ratings Offer A Glimmer Of Insight ― But Not For All
Federal officials unveil new ratings for the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace plans. Missouri is one of eight states that has no plans earning at least three stars on a five-star scale.
Calificación de estrellas del Obamacare ofrece algo de información, pero no para todos
Las calificaciones se pueden ver en cuidadodesalud.gov, el sitio federal en donde los consumidores revisan los beneficios y precios de los planes.
‘Fear Of Falling’: How Hospitals Do Even More Harm By Keeping Patients In Bed
In what experts call an “epidemic of immobility,” older hospital patients remain stuck in bed, their movements tracked by loud and ineffective bed alarms, losing muscle mass that’s key to their health and daily functioning.
Medicare: comienza la inscripción sin una herramienta popular para comparar precios
El viejo buscador de planes proporcionaba grandes ahorros, según expertos. Pero luego de un rediseño, perdió muchas de sus funciones clave.
As Medicare Enrollment Nears, Popular Price Comparison Tool Is Missing
For more than a decade, customers used the online plan finder to compare dozens of policies. Yet after a redesign of the website, the search results no longer list which plan offers a customer the best value. Federal officials say it will be fixed before enrollment begins next week.
Tenn. Block Grant Experiment Would Boost Federal Funding, State Medicaid Chief Says
In a Q&A with Kaiser Health News, Tennessee Medicaid Director Gabe Roberts says state officials are requesting a modified block grant from federal officials because it would save money and allow the state to keep some of that savings.
KHN Files Lawsuit To Force Feds To Disclose Medicare Advantage Audits
The Freedom of Information Act lawsuit could spur the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to release audits that document up to $650 million in overcharges.
Why Red Wyoming Seeks The Regulatory Approach To Air Ambulance Costs
Wyoming is taking on expensive air ambulance bills by trying to expand Medicaid to cover transport for all patients. This is a big change: a red state seeking to control what’s been a growing free-market bonanza.
Trump Administration Hits Brakes On Law To Curb Unneeded Medicare CT Scans, MRIs
Critics worry the delays come at a steep cost: Medicare paying for millions of unnecessary exams and patients subject to radiation for no medical benefit.
Insurers Running Medicare Advantage Plans Overbill Taxpayers By Billions As Feds Struggle To Stop It
An enhanced government effort to catch insurers that overcharge Medicare faces resistance from the insurance industry.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Medicare Going In ‘Right Direction’ On Opioid Epidemic
A new report by the inspector general for HHS shows prescriptions to treat opioid addiction are way up in recent years, while prescriptions for the painkillers have fallen.
Cómo tener una receta más barata antes de salir del consultorio
Una herramienta permite que los médicos informen a sus pacientes sobre los costos de los medicamentos, en base a sus planes de salud. E incluso pueden ofrecerles opciones más baratas.
