Latest KFF Health News Stories
House Panel Begins Hearings On Suit Against Obama
The Rules Committee hearing highlighted bickering between Republican lawmakers and constitutional law experts. The committee is expected to vote next week on a resolution authorizing a lawsuit.
UnitedHealth, HCA See Profits From Obamacare
The giant insurer saw revenue growth from its Optum unit, which helped fix the federal health insurance website and has since been hired by several states. Meanwhile, the hospital company HCA Holdings Inc. said the health-care reform law contributed to sharply stronger results.
Acting VA Chief: Fixing Problems Will Cost Billions
Sloan Gibson, the acting secretary, told lawmakers that the agency needs $17.6 billion over the next three years to hire about 1,500 doctors and 8,500 other staff and to create more space in clinics and hospitals.
State Highlights: Georgia Hospitals Brace For Broader Gun-Carry Law
A selection of health policy stories from Washington, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Florida.
Questions Surround How Insurers Are Disclosing — Or Not — Their 2015 Proposed Rates
News outlets from Florida and Iowa report on recent developments in these states.
N.C. Senate Plan To Overhaul State Medicaid Program Draws Fire From Doctors And Hospitals
The North Carolina plan was presented by state senators during a Wednesday meeting of the Senate Rules and Operations Committee. Also, Arkansas Medicaid officials have reportedly said they are restricting access to an expensive cystic fibrosis drug because data don’t support its use as a first-line option — highlighting a wave of drug-coverage questions playing out across the country.
Va. Gov. To Visit Free Medical Camp Set Up For Uninsured
Gov. Terry McAuliffe will fly to southwest Virginia to draw attention to the uninsured as he continues his campaign to expand Medicaid. In Wisconsin, officials release data showing that about one of three people who lost coverage when Gov. Scott Walker changed BadgerCare health insurance later bought plans on the federal health exchange.
Viewpoints: GOP’s ‘Cynical’ Lawsuit Against Obama; Debt Crisis Is Not Over
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Insurers Seek Rule Change That Would Boost Profits
The industry wants to exclude brokers’ fees from being factored into administrative costs, which would reduce consumer refunds under the health law’s medical loss ratio rule. Currently, the rule requires plans in the small group market to spend at least 80 percent of premiums on medical costs and no more than 20 percent on administrative costs. Other stories look at access to specialty care and predicted Obamacare disasters that never happened.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how Capitol Hill politics are impacting health care policy.
CBO: Slowed Federal Health Spending Yields Savings
Federal spending on health care has slowed sharply, partly as a result of the federal health care law, reports the Congressional Budget Office. But the changes are not sufficient to resolve the nation’s long-term debt, the report finds.
California Vows To Cut Medi-Cal Backlog To 350,000
Responding to federal pressure, state officials said they would slash the number of waiting applicants nearly in half over the next six weeks. Kansas, meanwhile, promised to fix its computers so they can communicate with the federal system.
Study Finds No Sign That Health Law Has Created Crush Of Medical Demand
The industry study finds that visits to doctors are down slightly over 2013. Another study looks at how nurses could do more in managing chronic illnesses to relieve stress on doctors.
Senate Dems Aim To Reverse Hobby Lobby Decision, Undermine State Abortion Restrictions
Democrats have scheduled a Senate vote Wednesday on legislation offered to respond to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling. And, on Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony about another measure that would void some state abortion restrictions.
More Insurers Want You To See A Doctor Virtually
Insurers like WellPoint and Aetna are offering patients the option of e-visits with doctors as a way to cut costs, but some see problems with that, reports Bloomberg. Other media outlets explore the controversy over Sovaldi, an expensive new drug for hepatitis C.
North Carolina Lawmakers Move Closer On State Medicaid Funding
In a major move, Senate negotiators have backed away from proposed cuts in eligibility for many aged, blind and disabled people.
Texas Medicaid Rolls Grow Even Without Expansion
More than 80,000 Texans have enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program since the rollout of the Affordable Care Act last fall, despite the state’s decision not to participate in the health law’s expansion of eligibility. Enrollment and marketplace developments in Colorado and Maryland are also tracked.
House GOP Launches Effort Today To Sue Obama On Health Law
Despite many confrontations with the White House, Republicans have decided the best strategy is to focus this legal challenge on actions President Barack Obama has taken on the health law.
The statutes, known as Laura’s Law in California, have become popular in various states after the recent wave of mass shootings.
State Highlights: Health Insurance Changes Catch Detroit Teachers Off Guard
A selection of health policy stories from Michigan, Tennessee, California, Wisconsin, New York and North Carolina.
