Latest KFF Health News Stories
House GOP Lays Down Budget Marker Targeting Medicare, Medicaid; Repealing Health Law
Senate Republicans will unveil their budget plan Wednesday. Both chambers are planning to vote on their proposals next week, in hopes of approving a joint budget resolution by the April 15 statutory deadline.
Viewpoints: ‘Impressive’ Growth In Coverage; Middle Ground In Supreme Court Fight
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
A selection of health policy stories from Iowa, Indiana, California, Pennsylvania, Kansas, New Jersey and North Carolina.
New Class Of Cholesterol Drugs Moving Ahead
Meanwhile, The Fiscal Times examines the high cost of hepatitis C drugs Sovaldi and Harvoni to state budgets.
Although Home Caregivers Are In Demand, Few Earn Minimum Wage Or Overtime
PBS NewsHour examines the difficulties faced by many of these caregivers, who can have arduous duties and struggle financially. Also, The Fiscal Times explores whether the federal government is paying too much for Medicare Advantage plans.
$200 Billion Proposal To Fix Medicare Doctor Payments Under Fire
Many Republicans are divided by the cost of the package being put together by Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to stave off payment cuts to doctors. Some Democrats are lambasting the deal as well.
Republicans Focus On Contingency Plans If Supreme Court Rules Against Subsidies
Republican lawmakers — long-time Obamacare opponents — are increasingly thinking about what steps, if any, Congress should take if the high court overturns the law’s insurance subsidies.
House GOP Budget Plan Would Repeal ACA, Privatize Medicare, Block Grant Medicaid
The Republican blueprint, which is to be unveiled today, purports to balance the budget in 10 years. Congressional budgets do not have the force of law and are largely advisory documents.
Minn. Governor Seeks Task Force To Mull Future Of MNsure
Gov. Mark Dayton is proposing that an advisory group to consider future options for MNsure, including a possible switch to the federal government’s healthcare.gov website. Meanwhile, an expanded audit of Colorado’s exchange awaits the governor’s pen and efforts to expand Medicaid in Missouri have failed to gain traction.
HHS Says 16.4 Million People Have Gained Insurance Under Health Law
The increase, which includes people buying private insurance on the law’s marketplaces, young adults covered on their parents’ policies and those covered through an expansion of Medicaid, has driven the largest reduction of uninsured Americans in four decades, officials said.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: It’s Time To Get Rid Of Annual Medicare Doc Pay Fix; Lobbyists Rally On Health
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
A selection of health policy stories from Georgia, Oregon, Washington state, California, Minnesota, Iowa and Colorado.
Texas Medicaid Fraud Investigators Fall Short Of Annual Goals
Meanwhile, in Missouri, the Medicaid program is stepping up its interest in wellness incentives; and, in Colorado, an issue emerges regarding the Medicaid transport program.
Aid Workers Being Flown Back To U.S. After Possible Ebola Exposure
The four health care workers are among 10 who officials worry had contact with another American worker with the virus in Sierra Leone.
Obama Visits Phoenix VA Hospital, Says New Leadership ‘Chipping Away’ At Problems
President Barack Obama made a visit to the once-troubled veterans’ health facility where whistle blowers triggered a scandal and officials undertook a massive effort to shape up the system.
Colo. Co-Op Captures Biggest Market Share On State Insurance Exchange
The nonprofit health insurance co-op made market gains with an aggressive price cut. Some analysts, though, warn that this strategy involves financial risk. In other Colorado health exchange news, state Insurance Commissioner Marguerite Salazar says it’s time for non-compliant plans that were allowed last year to transition to more comprehensive plans required under the Affordable Care Act.
N.H. House Panel Votes To End State’s Medicaid Expansion
Gov. Maggie Hassan, whose budget plans include keeping the expansion, calls the move “misguided.” News outlets also take a look at debate about the issue in Tennessee and Missouri.
As Special Obamacare Late-Enrollment Period Begins, So Do More Efforts To Sign People Up
The special sign-up window is being billed as a mechanism to ease the sting of tax penalties for those who didn’t obtain health insurace in 2014, but news outlets report that it is unclear how many people are aware of this period, which ends April 30.
Hospitals Could Be Hurt If Supreme Court Rules Against Subsidies
Elsewhere, the Internal Revenue Service warns consumers of tax scams related to the health law penalty, and USA Today looks at why prevention programs meant to keep Americans healthy are lagging, despite the law.
