Home Health Agencies Get Medicare’s Star Treatment
For the first time, the government is assigning one to five stars to the agencies that care for seniors in their homes. Nearly half of 9,000 agencies rated captured average scores.
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For the first time, the government is assigning one to five stars to the agencies that care for seniors in their homes. Nearly half of 9,000 agencies rated captured average scores.
Marilyn Tavenner, a former head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will lead America's Health Insurance Plans, becoming the most prominent insurance industry lobbyist in the nation.
The two states are the first in the country to allow pharmacists to directly prescribe “the pill” and similar contraceptives.
Under the comprehensive law, patients are generally protected from owing more than their in-network copayment, coinsurance or deductible on bills they receive for out-of-network emergency services or on surprise bills.
A number of doctors and professional organizations are calling for clear rules on whether and how health care professionals can use cell phones while in the operating room.
The proposed rules, released in advance of the White House Conference on Aging, cover wide-ranging topics, from meals to roommate selection to staff training.
The researchers found wide disparities in how hospitals handled young patients believed to have been abused. About half of those younger than 2 who were identified as abused were not checked out for other injuries.
Only 10,700 employers nationwide have enrolled their workers in coverage through the Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOP exchanges.
Requirements to prove infertility for two years and to use sperm from the husband have been eliminated for same-sex couples.
A third of adults say they have gone online to get help diagnosing symptoms, but a study shows the results are often inaccurate.
The agreement sets up expectations for the woman and covers a wide variety of contingencies to help protect her from unexpected problems.
The state is proposing to require people to pay a premium of up to 2 percent of their income, but the Obama administration has generally insisted that people earning under the poverty level not be charged a fee.
This former member of Congress wants to change how the nation views mental illness – both in terms of streamlining research for new treatments and improving the mental health care system.
The new loan forgiveness program seeks to alleviate the state’s shortage of mental health professionals by luring them to communities that might otherwise be unattractive to new graduates.
Across the country, hospitals are offering seniors social activities and other benefits to help them stay healthy and out of the hospital, while also encouraging them to come back to visit.
Supporters said they will continue to work with Assembly members to build support for the bill, which would allow doctors to write lethal prescriptions for some terminally ill patients with less than six months to live.
The health law requires insurers to cover most prescription contraceptives with no additional out-of-pocket costs, which may spur some women to use more effective methods.
The budget deal announced by Gov. Jerry Brown last month grants Medicaid coverage to young Californian immigrants who are in the state without legal permission. Now comes the push for coverage of their parents and other adults.
Doctors often opt to forego aggressive care for terminal illnesses but fail to talk to their patients about their preferences.
With the Supreme Court decision, it appears the Affordable Care Act will stand, but that doesn't mean the law's troubles are over. NPR's Renee Montagne talks to KHN's Julie Rovner.
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