Latest KFF Health News Stories
Federal Lawmaker Calls For ‘Superbug’ Prevention Investigation
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., is asking a House committee to examine what the federal government is doing to prevent such infections. In the meantime, regulators are skeptical the instruments implicated in a superbug outbreak in California can be properly cleaned.
Medicare May Fine Advantage Plans For Inaccurate Provider Lists
Elsewhere, a Medicare decision on “preferred pharmacy networks” is met by mostly cheers from industry officials.
Hospitals Spending Billions On New Buildings, But They May Not Improve Patient Satisfaction
NPR examines the building boom among hospitals and how these new facilities differ from what they’re replacing. KHN reports on a study from Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore that found patients weren’t any more satisfied in a new building.
Humana, Aetna Project Lower Medicare Revenue
The insurers respond to Medicare’s announcement of a slight decline in payment rates for Advantage plans. Meanwhile, Tenet recorded higher admissions and revenue as newly insured patients sought treatment.
Sen. Hatch Prepares Obamacare Contingency Plan
The Senate Finance Committee chairman is readying a “short-term” proposal to help those who could lose subsidies if the Supreme Court strikes them down in a challenge to the health law. Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, some push to tie funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program to a Medicare doctor pay fix, and changes are in store for the top leadership at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Sign-Ups Stagnate In State Exchanges This Year
Although state-run exchanges in California and New York led the nation in enrolling consumers in health coverage in 2014, that was not the case this year, reports Bloomberg News. Other stories look at enrollment tallies in Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Connecticut.
Almost 11 Million People Get Medicaid Under Health Law
Since the health law took effect, 10.8 million more people are covered by the federal-state insurance program for low-income residents. Meanwhile, Utah’s hospitals offer to pay for the state’s share of Medicaid expansion.
Key Variables In Health Law Challenge: Who Has Standing? What Do Four Words Mean?
News outlets examine various arguments that could factor into the Supreme Court’s consideration of a pending challenge to the health law.
Survey: With Health Law’s Help, Uninsured Rate Drops To Lowest Level In 7 Years
A nationwide Gallup survey found the nation’s uninsured rate dropped in 2014, with those states that fully implemented the health law leading the decline in adults without coverage.
First Edition: February 24, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Enrollment Extension; Health Law By The Numbers; Hospital Safety
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
State Highlights: Calif. Attorney General Approves Hospital Sale; N.Y. Fights Fraud With Data
A selection of health policy stories from California, New York, Virginia, Connecticut, Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
Hospital Closures Loom As More Patients Seek Care In Other Venues
More services are being delivered in clinics, at home or in doctors’ offices. Hospitals are being forced to cut back their beds, and some face the prospect of closing down. However, children’s hospitals appear to be doing fine.
Millions Of People Don Scrubs For Health Care’s Many Middle Class Jobs
In 1980, 1.4 million jobs in health care paid a middle class wage: $40,000 to $80,000 a year in today’s money. Now, the figure is 4.5 million, according to The New York Times. But for home health care workers, wages still lag, USA Today reports.
Nursing Home Quality Scores Drop After New Rating System Takes Effect
The ratings of nearly a third of the nation’s nursing homes were lowered on Friday, as federal officials toughened scoring as a result of criticism that the ratings were often inflated. Federal officials said they hoped the changes would make it easier for consumers to compare facilities.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker Reportedly Reconsidering Abortion Stance
The New York Times reports that at a closed-door meeting in Iowa, Walker — who is said to be considering a run at the presidency — highlighted his support for a “personhood amendment,” which defines life as beginning at conception.
UCLA Seeks To Soothe ‘Superbug’ Fears After Bacterial Outbreak, Patient Deaths
Federal officials are also finalizing new instructions on how to sterilize the medical instruments responsible for spreading the drug-resistant pathogens.
Obama Administration Calls For National Food Safety Agency
The move aims to streamline regulation for food, which now falls under the purview of more than a dozen government agencies. Elsewhere, The Wall Street Journal offers five things to know about new federal food guidelines.
Medicare Proposes Slight Cut In Payments To Advantage Plans
Officials said the rate proposal would trim payments an average of 0.95 percent for 2016 but most insurers would see a revenue increase as a result of billing for more intensive services.
Medicaid Expansion Plans Falter In Wyoming, Kansas
A proposal to accept federal money to expand the health program in Wyoming dies in the state House of Representatives, as it already had in the Senate. In Kansas, the lawmaker overseeing the committee with jurisdiction over the issue declines to hold hearings. Medicaid also makes news in Ohio, Georgia and Illinois.
