Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: Lower Health Spending Is Welcome News; Media Bias Against Health Law Success
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the Congressional Budget Office’s latest estimate on federal health care spending.
North Carolina Gov. Leaves ‘Door Open’ To Medicaid Expansion
The Republican governor said he wants to fix the current system first but would consider expansion if federal officials allow the state to craft its own plan. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that sign-ups for coverage in North Carolina beat those in nearly every other red state.
Survey: More Than 10 Million People Received Help From ‘Assisters’
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 28,000 assisters nationwide were involved in helping as consumers explorde their new health insurance options under the ACA.
HHS Offers $100 Million In Funds For States Medicaid Programs To Improve Payment Systems
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is offering the assistance in hopes that states will be able to streamline processes in ways that will ultimately lead to better patient care.
VA Makes Disability Payments Without Evidence To Cut Backlog
The Department of Veterans Affairs is making disability payments to thousands of veterans without adequate medical evidence they deserve the benefits as the agency attempts to cut a huge backlog of claims, a department watchdog says.
Help Wanted: CEO For Hard-To-Manage Federal Insurance Website
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell is expected to name someone to oversee the operations of healthcare.gov to keep it from becoming a joke again on late night TV. Also in the news is an examination of the small business marketplaces.
Fact Checker Finds Dems’ Rhetoric On Hobby Lobby Decision Overheated
The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler says in some cases the response from Democrats “has gotten way ahead of the facts.” Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., says the House Republicans push to sue President Barack Obama has no legal merit.
Florida Hospital To Pay $1M Settlement In False Claims Case
The settlement comes in what has been a closely watched Medicare overbilling case filed against Halifax Hospital. The Department of Justice still must sign off on the settlement. Advocate Health and Hospitals Corp. swatted away a class-action suit over last summer’s data breach, but more are pending. Also in the news, a possible health worker strike in New York, and a North Carolina mayor walks to Washington to focus attention on the difficulties of rural hospitals.
Viewpoints: ‘Tradeoffs Among Access, Quality And Costs’; Obamacare As A Political Issue
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Feds Scrutinize Medicaid Backlogs
In two recent letters, Health and Human Services officials have demanded remediation plans from a handful of states to resolve application backlogs.
Mass. Measure Introduced To Restore Some Protections After High Court Decision
The bill, which was filed by state Sen. Harriette L. Chandler, seeks to buttress existing laws and add new protections for women entering and leaving abortion clinics. It would do so within the confines of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on abortion clinic “buffer zones.”
A selection of health policy stories from Illinois, Maryland, Colorado, Oregon and others.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how some states are planning to address their backlogs of new Medicaid enrollees.
VA Struggles With Sharp Rise In Disability Claims
Also in the news, efforts continue to unravel the scandals related to delayed care at veterans’ facilities.
Senate Finance Committee Probing Prices For Hepatitis C Drug
Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, send letter to the drug’s maker requesting information about how it set the price, which runs about $84,000 for a standard three-month regimen.
Governors’ Races Are Ground Zero For Health Law Politics
In November, Republicans will defend 22 of 36 governors’ seats. Last time around, the health law appeared — in many cases — to work in GOP candidates’ favor. Meanwhile, at the National Governors Association summer meeting, the health law also was a hot topic for at least one state executive eyeing a run for the White House.
Lawmakers Seek Lower Price For Bill On Vets’ Care
Members of Congress are scrambling to lower the cost of a bill to fix veterans’ health care amid a growing uproar over long waits for appointments. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that congressional inaction is threatening a program for brain-damaged vets.
Battle Of The Medicare Ads In Kentucky Senate Race
Media organizations parsed ads by both Democratic challenger, Alison Lundergan Grimes, and GOP incumbent, Sen. Mitch McConnell, and found both sides making inaccurate claims about Medicare.
Hospitals, Consumer Groups Object To Medicare Rule On Observation Care
They say the government’s effort to set rules for when someone is considered an admitted patient compromises care and still leaves many seniors with costly bills. In other Medicare news, a look at the unraveling of one scam and coverage of sex-reassignment surgery.
