Latest KFF Health News Stories
Romney’s Stance On The Health Law Tax Is Blasted By Democrats, Scrutinized By GOP
GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s reversal on whether the mandate is a tax has made him the target of intense Republican and Democratic scrutiny as the Supreme Court ruling on the health law proves a boon for the campaign bankrolls of both Romney and President Obama.
A selection of editorials and opinions on health policy from around the country.
Airline Files Suit To Stop Providing Health Benefits To Current Retirees
As part of a bankruptcy case in federal court, American Airlines and its parent company, AMR, are suing for the ability to stop providing health and life insurance benefits to retirees as a means to cut costs.
Consumer Reports Investigates Hospital Safety
The magazine offers its rankings of the safest and most dangerous hospitals based on six criteria.
Nurses Complain About Underemployment
Markeplace reports on the current state of the job market for new nurses.
Proposed Medicare Fee Schedule Includes Pay Increase For Primary Care, Family Docs
The proposed rule also would provide payment for care that helps patients make the transition back into the community following a discharge from a hospital or nursing facility.
For States, High Court’s Medicaid Ruling Creates Choices, Makes Waves
States are responding to the court’s decision in varying ways. Some interpretations are leading states to pare back their existing Medicaid programs, according to the Wall Street Journal. Others find themselves in limbo.
Roundup: Calif. Insurers To Lower Rate Hikes For Small Businesses
A selection of health policy stories from California and Massachusetts.
Medicaid News: La. Preps Managed Care Cuts; Fewer Texas Docs Accept New Patients
The Medicaid program in Louisiana is preparing to cut payments to providers who run its managed care program. In Texas, only 31 percent of doctors take new Medicaid patients, a survey says.
Federal Judge To Decide Wednesday On Miss. Abortion Law
The Republican-appointed judge is expected to rule this week whether to block a law that could effectively shutter the state’s only abortion clinic. Abortion politics could also affect the availability of services in Indiana and D.C.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about this week’s planned House vote to repeal the health law — the 31st such attempt.
Medicare Cuts, Competing Views On Overhaul Keep Health Issues Hot In Campaign
The New York Times looks at the “delicate pivot” for Republicans on Medicare funding cuts while the Los Angeles Times examines the bounty of new campaign donations that followed the Supreme Court ruling on the health law.
Hospitals Concerned About States’ Interest In Opting Out Of Medicaid Expansion
As Republican-led states mull the possibility of not expanding their programs under the health law, news outlets look at who would be affected.
Obama Assails Romney For Shift On Mandate
President Barack Obama questions whether Republican Mitt Romney’s view that the mandate is a tax is “abandoning a principle” because of pressure from critics. Romney’s campaign says he hasn’t changed his views, and that the mandate is different on a federal level.
Obama, On Campaign Swing, Says Health Law ‘Here To Stay’
On a bus tour in Ohio, the president touts his health overhaul, adding he was willing to work with critics to improve the legislation that requires most Americans to purchase health care.
Congressional GOP Planning Rollback Of Individual Health Law Provisions
As the House Rules Committee schedules a hearing on the bill to repeal the full 2010 health law, Republican members and staff examine how to target individual provisions through budget reconciliation.
Proposed Rules Would Bar Aggressive Medical Debt Collection Tactics From Nonprofit Hospitals
New proposed rules from the IRS would require nonprofit hospitals to avoid the most aggressive debt collection methods against lower-income patients.
New HIV Test Results Are ‘Preliminary’ And Need Doctors’ Confirmation
In reports on two major public health issues, experts seek to remind people that the new HIV test offer only a preliminary result, so a confirmation from a physician is necessary, and a Kentucky health veteran works to stem the diabetes epidemic there.
Roundup: Feds Rank Texas Last In Health Care Delivery
A selection of health policy stories from Texas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Colorado, Minnesota, California, Florida and Oregon.
Research Roundup: Crowded Emergency Departments, Expensive HIV Drugs
This week’s studies come from the Rand Corp., the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Annals of Emergency Medicine and other media reports.
