Latest KFF Health News Stories
Insuring Your Health – 2012 Archive
In an ongoing KHN feature, Michelle Andrews writes about the coming changes to health care. Please send comments or ideas for future topics to questions@kffhealthnews.org Read 2011’s Insuring Your Health stories. See Andrews answer your health insurance questions via video. When Employers’ Health Plans Disappear, Workers Often Have Few Options December 31, 2012 For some people, […]
Work Insurance Often Offers Coverage For Programs To Stop Smoking
Some companies are also penalizing employees who don’t give up cigarettes by hitting them with higher health insurance premiums.
Coverage Of Bariatric Surgery Is Spotty For Obese Kids
Experts in pediatric obesity say that caution is warranted, but some physicians see the operations as offering a safe chance to take off significant weight and avoid harmful disease.
Some Companies Base Premiums On Employee’s Salary
Although few employers have used this strategy, consultants say it could help many in 2014 meet new requirements in the health law.
Both Patients And Physicians Can Suffer When Test Results Aren’t Reported
The push for better coordination of patient care, including the adoption of electronic medical records, should help improve the delivery of test results to patients from doctors and to doctors from those who perform the tests.
N.Y. Malpractice Program May Offer Model For Medical Liability Cases
Under the system, when a lawsuit is filed, a judge with expertise in medical matters becomes the point person for that case and helps broker a settlement.
Hospitals Offering Complementary Medical Therapies
Experts say the move comes with consumers’ willingness to spend money on therapies such as acupuncture and massage and with the recognition that some can be effective.
After Bike Crash In Canada, Columnist Finds No Clear Road To Recovery At Home In NYC
After a serious bike crash in Canada, a writer returns home and finds many uncertainties in her medical options.
$6.8 Billion Spent Yearly On 12 Unnecessary Tests And Treatments
The conclusion comes from a study that looked at procedures and prescriptions ordered by primary care doctors frequently.
Premiums, Deductibles And Cost Sharing In Employer Health Plans Keep Rising
As they shoulder more health care expenses, workers in some plans can reduce their costs by participating in company wellness programs.
Helping Patients Know Their ‘Medical Mind’ Can Ease Uncertainty
In a new book, oncologist and New Yorker writer Jerome Groopman and his wife, endocrinologist Pamela Hartzband, encourage consumers to chart their own path when looking at treatment decisions.
When Battling Cancer, Patients Often Face Hefty Expenses
Advances in treatment, including new drugs and high-tech procedures, can be costly, even for those with insurance.
Memphis Hospital Teams Up With Churches To Deliver Care
The Methodist Le Bonheur system and about 400 churches work together to make sure church members have social support when they go into the hospital and when they come out.
Some Doctors Refuse To Treat Kids Who Have Not Been Immunized
These pediatricians say they are worried about other patients in the waiting room, some of them too young to be immunized or with health problems that compromise their immune systems.
Employers Increasingly Trimming Or Cutting Disability Benefits
The same pattern that has emerged in health insurance — employers’ shifting more costs onto workers’ shoulders — is occurring in disability coverage.
Readers Face Multiple Dilemmas About Insurance Coverage, Costs
“Insuring Your Health” columnist Michelle Andrews answers questions from readers, including someone wondering about coverage if you’ve been drinking, talking with your insurer about a family member’s bill and preventive colonscopies.
Getting Up Close And Personal With Emergency Care, Canadian Style
Health care columnist’s bike accident lands her in an emergency room where she finds interesting differences from U.S. treatment.
New Emergency Care Programs Focus On Quality-Of-Life Issues
With training, hospital emergency department staff members can enhance their skills in pain and symptom management and improve their communication skills.
Health Law Bolsters Funding For In-School Clinics
At about 1,900 schools around the country, children can get checkups, vaccinations and help with medication.
Insurance Usually Covers Diagnosis, Treatment Of Most Sleep Problems
As awareness of the issue has increased, so has expensive testing.
