Latest KFF Health News Stories
After Health Stock Scandal, Lawmakers Plan Bill Regulating ‘Political Intelligence’
Elsewhere, advocates for the Children’s Health Insurance Program express optimism that the program will be renewed, and scrutiny of the VA continues.
Census Shows Health Insurance Coverage Winners, Losers
Among the 25 biggest cities, uninsured rates last year ranged from almost 25 percent in Miami and 23 percent in Houston to just more than 4 percent in Boston and 7.5 percent in Pittsburgh, according to Census data.
Virginia Lawmakers Expected To Return To Debate Over Medicaid Expansion
The topic will come up during a special session of the Virginia House of Delegates, which is dominated by Republican lawmakers who are on record opposing the approach. A poll released Wednesday, however, found the majority of Virginians support the expansion.
Viewpoints: Many Beneficiaries Of Health Law Don’t Vote; Reboot For Healthcare.gov
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
States’ Customized Efforts To Expand Medicaid Could Complicate Reform
Some conservative states have won concessions from the administration in exchange for moving forward on expansion, and other states are carefully weighing those choices.
State Highlights: L.A.’s New Mental Health Program; N.Y. Nurses Push For More Staff
A selection of health policy stories from California, North Carolina, New York and Texas.
Many See Health Law Coverage As Affordable, Survey Finds
That’s most true among low-income consumers who receive subsidies to help pay their premiums, according to the Commonwealth Fund survey.
Health Law’s Ripple Effects On Hospitals, Schools, Uninsured
The Kansas City Star reports that some uninsured patients fall through the cracks as hospitals cut back on charity care to persuade people to sign up for coverage. Some schools, meanwhile, are turning to private substitutes to avoid having to pay for their health coverage next year. In Colorado, Denver Health is back in the black, partly due to a dramatic decrease in uninsured patients.
Longer Looks: Lithium In The Water; Controlling Cancer; Recovering From Brain Injury
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
First Edition: September 18, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including details of a report by the Institute of Medicine on how end-of-life care should be overhauled.
GAO Warns of Security Risks In Healthcare.gov
Despite improvements, the federal health insurance website has continuing security holes that put consumers’ personal information at risk, the nonpartisan watchdog agency said in a report Tuesday.
Exchange News: Md. To Stagger Rollout; Vt. Temporarily Shuts Website
Maryland officials are planning a gradual rollout of the state’s health insurance website to avoid problems, and Vermont officials cite security concerns as part of the reason for taking down Health Connect. Developments in Minnesota, Connecticut and Oregon are also covered.
Scientists Suggest Ways To Fund Medical Research
With the continuing downward trend of federal funding for biomedical research, top scientists offer their own ideas.
UCLA Health System Promotes Virtual Doctor Visits
The health system will allow patients to see doctors using their cell phones, computers or tablets. Meanwhile, the American Medical Association proposes an action plan to boost the quality of electronic health records and asks the Obama administration to abandon its “all or nothing approach” to the shift to digital records.
Senate Hearing Previews Upcoming Debate About Future Of CHIP
And, on the House side, Ways & Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, expresses displeasure with a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plan to clear a hospital appeals backlog.
Hillary Clinton Urges Congress To Reauthorize 9/11 Compensation Fund
The former secretary of state and member of the Senate pressed union members at a fundraiser to mobilize and push for an extension of the legislation that supports compensation for first responders who got sick at ground zero.
Parties’ Disputes On Health Law Fading To ‘Background Noise’ In Campaign
Republicans are moving beyond their criticisms of the law in the midterm fights. Also, news outlets examine what a Republican-controlled Senate might focus on and how expanded health coverage is not working to the Democrats’ advantage in Kentucky.
Medicaid Expansion, Uninsured Coverage Issues Continue To Simmer In Virginia
Meanwhile, Michigan’s expansion of the health insurance program for low-income people is a topic in the gubernatorial campaign, and in Ohio, Medicaid picks up some inmate health care costs.
Calif. Hospitals, Insurer Join Forces To Make New Health System
Some say the move, which will include UCLA Health and Cedars-Sinai, is aimed at Kaiser Permanente and is being made to hold down health costs.
A selection of health policy stories from New Jersey, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Illinois, California and Wisconsin.
