Latest KFF Health News Stories
Improve Oversight Of Hospital Discount Drug Program, Watchdogs Say
As participation in the federal 340B drug discount program has quickly expanded, officials told lawmakers at a House hearing that new legislation may be necessary to make sure that benefits go to eligible providers and patients.
Even States That Didn’t Expand Medicaid Are Benefiting From Health Law Funds
But news from Louisiana and North Carolina also shows how advocates continue to push for the expansion of the low-income insurance program.
Health Law Worries Include Slowing Enrollment, Fewer Work Hours
The health law is also leaving its mark on new taxes for high-cost insurance plans and may be hindering government transparency. Elsewhere, a Democrat introduces legislation to repeal the medical device tax and Latinos speak about their experiences with the law.
Obama To Push Health Care Quality Over Quantity In Anniversary Speech
The push comes in the form of a new private and public partnership that will include more than 2,800 health care providers. Rite Aid and Cigna are among the partners teaming with the Obama administration on the move.
Ted Cruz — An Anti-Obamacare Crusader — Will Seek Health Law Coverage
A day after the GOP freshman senator from Texas officially announced his presidential bid and pegged it to undoing the Affordable Care Act, he said he would be seeking coverage on the health law’s online insurance marketplace.
House Bill To Revamp Medicare Payments To Doctors Making Progress On Capitol Hill
The bipartisan package, which also includes an extension of health care benefits to low-income children, is picking up interest, although some Senate Democrats still express concerns.
Stakes Are High For Votes On Budget, Medicare Fix
As they seek to show their governing skills, Republican leaders are nearing votes on the House and Senate budget blueprints, which also include a road map for repealing the health law. Separately, a permanent doc-fix measure moving through Congress could likely face partisan challenges.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Study: Half Of Households Getting Subsidies May Have To Repay IRS
The analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation also projects that 45 percent of households getting subsidies would receive refunds from the government after reconciling the tax credits with their 2014 income.
Viewpoints: Obamacare Anniversary Reflections; Rubio’s Replacement Plan; Deep CHIP Divide
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
A selection of health policy stories from Arizona, Kansas, California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Ohio, Montana, Utah and Arkansas.
Maine Lawmakers Change Minds, Will Preserve Medicaid Funding
Elsewhere, Ohio mistakenly sends letters to 4,200 providers telling them they were being dropped from the state’s Medicaid program, and Arkansas readies to notify thousands that they may soon lose their Medicaid coverage.
Experts Call For Reimbursing Doctors For Planning End-Of-Life Care
A forum at the National Academy of Sciences examined these issues. In the meantime, Alzheimer’s patients are sometimes not told they have the disease, a new study says.
VA To Soften Rules That Make It Hard For Some Rural Vets To Get Care
The so-called “40-mile” rule often makes it difficult for those living outside large cities to prove they live far enough away from a VA health center to get private medical care instead. The VA will now rely on driving distance to determine the distance, not a straight line.
Deal Will Make Tenet Nation’s Largest Outpatient Surgery Provider
Tenet Healthcare Corp. announced a joint venture with United Surgical Partners International Inc. that will enable it to fully own the company within five years.
Humana To Sell Occupational Health Provider Concerta
Humana will make about $1.06 billion in the deal. The sale reportedly reflects a narrowing of the big insurer’s focus.
Ted Cruz Launches Campaign With Call To Abolish Health Law
The Republican senator, who announced his presidential campaign on the fifth anniversary of the health law, made his vow to eliminate it a key part of his remarks at Liberty University.
Amended Medicaid Expansion Plan Stalls In Montana Senate
News outlets also report on the latest news on the expansion out of state legislatures in Kansas, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Hospitals Save $7.4 Billion Due to Fewer Unpaid Bills
Hospitals in the U.S. benefited from a $7.4 billion reduction in uncompensated care costs last year, according to a government report. Hospitals in the 28 states, plus D.C., that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare saw $5 billion of that savings, while the cost of unpaid bills declined by $2.4 million in states that did not expand.
Study: Half Of Households Getting Subsidies May Have To Repay IRS
The analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation also projects that 45 percent of households getting subsidies would receive refunds from the government after reconciling the tax credits with their 2014 income.
