Latest KFF Health News Stories
Medicaid Expansion: Maine Looks At Another Plan; Advocates Lobby N.H., Missouri Lawmakers
States wrestle with the issue of expanding their Medicaid programs under the federal health law.
State Highlights: Mo. Gov. Worried Tax Cut Bill Raises Prescription Drug Sales Tax
A selection of health policy stories from Missouri, the District of Columbia, Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, California and Oregon.
Next Battles Over Obamacare Predicted To Be Ugliest Yet
CNN reports that the White House and Republicans are preparing for an epic fight over the selling of Obamacare tied to the opening of online insurance marketplaces Oct. 1. Other media outlets describe how GOP lawmakers are escalating calls for an independent probe of fundraising appeals by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
Health Care Questions: Do Medical Homes Improve Outcomes? Is High Tech Worth The Cost?
MedPage Today and KHN exmined two different aspects of the changing health care landscape.
Viewpoints: Scalia’s ‘Boost’ To Obamacare; California Small Biz And Insurance Exchange
Today’s opinion and editorial roundup features Bloomberg, the New York Times, California Healthline, the Tampa Bay Tribune, Health Policy Solutions,the Sacramento Bee and the Los Angeles Times.
Administration Says Online Insurance Marketplaces Will Have Robust Competition
About 90 percent of consumers who go onto the online exchanges to buy health insurance will be able to choose from at least five plans, federal officials say.
Miss. Governor Gives $1M to Health Law Call Center
Despite his opposition to the law, Gov. Bryant supports a new facility that will be located in Hattiesburg. Also, in state exchange news, websites look at the seven plans competing in Georgia and the 13 plans that have submitted proposals in Colorado.
Research Roundup: Questioning Money-Saving Value Of Kids’ Preventive Dentistry, Weight Loss
This week’s studies come from the journals Pediatrics, Medical Care, the Annals of Emergency Medicine and JAMA Ophthalmology.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports from the administration about the number of insurers that will be offering policies on the new online marketplaces.
New Rule Allows Employers To Increase The Use Of Wellness Incentives
The final regulation gives businesses more leeway to tie workers’ premium costs to efforts to get them to use more healthy behaviors, such as increasing exercise or quitting smoking.
Current Policies For Small Businesses, Individuals May Not Meet Health Law Standards
Officials fear that when these plans are cancelled, it could cause confusion. Also, The Wall Street Journal offers a look at the issues confronting small business owners.
Calif.’s High Court Weighs Who Can Administer Insulin Shots In School
The justices appear cool to the idea that only licensed nurses should be able to give the shots, despite arguments by the state nurses association.
Republicans Double Down On IRS Role In Carrying Out Health Law
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said he plans to focus on the need to repeal Obamacare in light of the IRS targeting scandal, while witnesses at an IRS hearing Wednesday posed sometimes ticklish questions about how the health law’s individual mandate will be enforced.
Viewpoints: Obamacare Is Already Working; George W. Bush On ‘Personal Responsibility’
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
Competition, Narrow Networks Key To Exchange Premiums
California Healthline reports that among the reasons for Covered California’s lower-than-expected insurance rates are the inclusion of plans that exclude some of the state’s best-known providers, while the Washington Post wonders how competition can work in New Hampshire’s online marketplace where only one plan may sell policies.
Immigrants Help Medicare Stay Solvent, Study Finds
Immigrants to the U.S. contributed $115.2 billion more to Medicare’s Hospital Trust Fund during the past decade than they withdrew, casting doubt on criticism they overburden the health plan for the elderly and disabled, according to a study by researchers from Harvard and the City University of New York.
For Family Caregivers, Older Americans Act Provides Help
PBS reports on this legislation, which is not well known.
A selection of health policy stories from California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Idaho, Oregon and Florida.
Study Finds Health Law Is Helping Protect Young Adults From High Bills
The RAND Corp. research finds that the law’s provision allowing children up to the age of 26 to stay on their parents’ health plans resulted in $147 million in hospital bills to be covered by insurance.
Longer Reads: How To Choose A Hospital; Empowered Patients Cost More; The ‘War On Sleep’
This week’s articles come from The Atlantic, Time, The New Yorker, Forbes and Slate.
