Latest KFF Health News Stories
Despite A Growing Appetite, Buffet-Style Flat-Fee Clinics Shutter In Seattle
A small number of medical practices have been moving to “direct primary care,” in which patients pay a monthly retainer for unlimited services. But the collapse of Qliance in Seattle may portend problems with the business model.
Out Of Work And Looking For Insurance: COBRA May Be The Best Bet For Now
With lots of questions about the 2018 insurance market still in play, someone who is between jobs might want to stick with their job-based insurance at least until the outlines of the health law’s marketplaces are clear in the fall.
Quantity Over Quality? Minorities Shown To Get An Excess Of Ineffective Care
The researchers looked at 11 services that medical groups have said are often unnecessary and found that Hispanics and blacks got them at higher rates than whites.
Hospitals Now Tap Lawyers To Fulfill Patients’ Legal Needs
About 300 health care systems around the country have set up medical-legal partnerships to help patients who are dealing with legal problems that affect their health.
Defensores desconfían de nuevas reglas para inscribir en planes de salud en el otoño
En el otoño, corredores y aseguradoras podrán guiar a los consumidores en el proceso para obtener un plan de salud de principio a fin. Pero algunos piensan que no mostrarán todas las opciones por igual, sino aquéllas por las que obtendrían una comisión.
Consumer Advocates Wary Of New Marketplace Rules For Brokers
Federal officials relaxed their rules this month about how brokers and insurers can work with individuals to apply for health law policies.
‘You’ve Got Mail’: Emails And Robocalls Hit Home In Promoting Medicaid Enrollment
An Oregon study finds that spending a lot more money to reach out personally to low-income residents eligible for Medicaid doesn’t bring an advantage.
GOP’s Health Bill Could Undercut Some Coverage In Job-Based Insurance
In states that take up the bill’s option to change the essential health benefits, the out-of-pocket spending limits and annual and lifetime caps on coverage in large group plans could fray.
Preexisting Conditions And Continuous Coverage: Key Elements Of GOP Bill
The Republican health plan would require insurers to offer coverage to people who have preexisting medical conditions. But if states opt to allow insurers to charge sick people more than healthy ones, people who have been more than 63 days without coverage could see significantly higher insurance costs.
Rural Shoppers Face Slim Choices, Steep Premiums On Exchanges
The larger an area’s population, the more likely insurers will compete in that market, according to an Urban Institute analysis.
Urgent Care Sites Cater To Cancer Patients, Letting Them Check Some Worries At Door
Hospitals and oncology practices are setting up urgent care services aimed specifically at cancer patients to help keep them out of the hospital.
‘Center Of Excellence’ Designation Doesn’t Rule Out Complications Of Bariatric Surgery
The risk of serious problems varies widely among bariatric surgery centers, a new study finds.
CHIP Offers Families With Seriously Ill Kids More Financial Protection Than ACA Plans
Out-of-pocket costs can rise dramatically for children with chronic health issues if a family changes marketplace coverage, according to a new study.
For Doctors, A Clamp Down On Visas Could Have An Uneven Effect In The U.S.
New research shows that physicians getting H-1B visas account for just over 1 percent of all doctors, but some areas are much more likely to be seeking their services.
Kids With Hepatitis C Get New Drugs And Coverage May Prove Easier Than For Adults
The drugs, approved by the FDA for children earlier this month, can run $100,000 for a course of treatment.
GOP Bills To Replace Obamacare Do Not Tinker With Lawmakers’ Coverage
Republicans are hoping to overhaul the federal health law. Among the law’s many provisions is a requirement that members of Congress and their staffs buy their health insurance on the law’s marketplaces.
Trump’s Effort To Lure Consumers To Exchanges Could Bring Skimpier Plans
The changes proposed by the administration for the health law marketplaces in 2018 could increase customers’ out-of-pocket costs and reduce the amount they receive in premium tax credits.
Mujeres con seguro médico tienen más chances de lograr embarazos in vitro
Un nuevo estudio revela que las mujeres cuyos seguros de salud cubren la fertilización in vitro (FIV) son más propensas a repetir el procedimiento si el primer intento fracasa, aumentando así sus chances de tener un bebé.
Women With Coverage For IVF More Likely To Have Procedure Again, Give Birth
After four cycles of IVF, women with insurance had a 57 percent probability of giving birth while a woman without coverage had a 51 percent chance, a study in JAMA reports.
VPH: nueva versión de la vacuna previene el contagio con solo dos dosis
Defensores de la salud pública esperan que con la nueva recomendación de administrar solo dos dosis de la vacuna contra el VPH a niñas y niños de entre 9 y 14 años las tasas de vacunación mejoren.