Latest KFF Health News Stories
State Roundup: Mass. Doctors Not Keen On New Payment Methods
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy options.
Medicaid Payments In N.Y., Kentucky Questioned
New York auditors says nursing homes were overpaid, while a Kentucky state senator says doctors at the University of Louisville misused Medicaid funds.
Viewpoints: Rising Health Costs And The Health Law
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
Jails Are Holding Increasing Numbers Of Mentally Ill
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that in Georgia more mentally ill people are locked away than are treated in state psychiatric hospitals. In other state news about mental health, Florida seeks to recoup $4 million from a company that managed Medicaid mental health services, and Milwaukee considers bolstering services.
Initiative Pays Primary-Care Docs For Coordinating Medicare Patients’ Care
The Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday a new initiative created by the health law that will ask physicians to focus on patients with chronic conditions. The program will be tested in five to seven markets across the country.
First Edition: September 29, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that a Supreme Court ruling on the 2010 health law is now likely before the 2012 presidential election.
Administration Seeks Quick Supreme Court Health Law Ruling
This Justice Department step is being viewed as a signal that the Obama administration wants the high court to decide the question of the health law’s constitutionality before the 2012 presidential election. KHN summarizes today’s news coverage.
NFIB Asks High Court To Strike Down All Of The Health Law
The National Federation of Independent Business, a small-business advocacy organization, will file an appeal today. In it, the group will ask the Supreme Court to move beyond the law’s individual mandate and strike down the entire measure.
Costs Of Premiums For Employer-Provided Health Insurance Jump
A study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the average annual premium for family coverage was 9 percent higher in 2011 than in the previous year. Although many benefit analysts say the federal health law’s requirements played only a small part in the rise, the results could provide political fodder for the law’s supporters and opponents.
State Roundup: D.C. Facing Doctor Shortage
News outlets report on a variety of state health policy issues.
NPR: What Boomers Think About Health And Retirement
A new poll finds a switch from previous years in which most baby boomers recognize the threat of long-term care costs to their future financial wellbeing.
WSJ: Federal Judge Advances Medical Records Case
The lawsuit, brought by the newspaper’s publisher, seeks to overturn an injunction that keeps the public from being able to see Medicare billing records. In related news, the Fiscal Times examines Medicare waste and improper payments.
Post-Soviet Economic Breakdown May Have Contributed To Re-Emergence Of NTDs In Central Asia
A Public Library of Science press release highlight’s Central Asia’s “hidden burden” of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), writing that, according to an article written by Peter Hotez, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, and Ken Alibek of Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan and published in the PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases journal on Tuesday, “the region continues to suffer from a post-Soviet economic breakdown that may have contributed to a re-emergence of several NTDs in the area, especially among its most economically disadvantaged groups.” According to the press release, “[t]he five mostly landlocked Central Asian countries created after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — became increasingly vulnerable to NTDs due to a deterioration of health care services and infrastructure” (9/27).
Viewpoints: Blocking, Replacing Health Law; A Doc’s HPV Advice; County Wellness Plan Working
A selection of opinions and editorials from around the country.
Hospitals Fall Short In Efforts To Curb Readmissions
A Dartmouth Atlas report that studied Medicare beneficiaries concluded that hospital readmission rates are largely static. Facilities will face financial penalities next year if they do not improve their statistics.
ACOs: Will Feds Be Ready For The Start Date?
Politico Pro reports that many observers are convinced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will not be ready for the Jan. 1 deadline to launch this program.
Calif. Bill Could Affect Out-Patient Surgery Centers
Also in news about local hospitals, the Mayo Clinic announces plans to develop a new medical school branch in Arizona and a Minn. hospital is accused of dumping a patient.
HHS Awards Prevention Funds With Community Transformation Grants
News outlets report on local winners, how they will use these new resources to promote healthy living and disease prevention and how the funding is sometimes at odds with leaders’ opposition to the health law.
Ryan Proposes ‘Comprehensive ‘ Plan To Replace Health Law
His approach, which he describes as “comprehensive,” would take away incentives for people to seek employer-provided coverage to create a more market-driven system. This plan is an updated approach to the budget blueprint he offered earlier this year that would have revamped Medicare and Medicaid.
Senate Gives Nod To Autism Bill
In legislative action, the Senate on Monday approved a bill to reauthorize autism-related research and screening. It was passed by the House last week. Without action, the program would have expired at the end of the month.
