Half Of Nation’s Hospitals Fail Again To Escape Medicare’s Readmission Penalties
By Jordan Rau
August 3, 2015
KFF Health News Original
The fines, in their fourth year, are assessed on hospitals that have patients frequently return and will cost nearly 2,600 hospitals $420 million in total.
New Preventive Health Services Approved For No-Cost Coverage
By Michelle Andrews
June 5, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Two new procedures have been added to the list of what should be covered by insurance without charge to consumers under provisions of the health law.
Too Soon To Deride High Obamacare Rate Hikes
By Eric Whitney, Montana Public Radio
June 12, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Prices for plans sold on the health law exchanges won’t be final until the fall, and some of the highest rate increases may be for plans that do not have very many people enrolled in them.
‘$1B Here We Come’: Congressional Memos Expose Shkreli’s Emails About Price Hikes
February 3, 2016
Morning Briefing
Ahead of Thursday’s House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on drug costs, congressional Democrats release documents from former Turing CEO Martin Shkreli and others that reveal how the company planned to maximize profits and control public perception.
Medicare Part B Premiums On The Rise But Could’ve Been Higher For Many
November 16, 2015
Morning Briefing
Health News Florida and USA Today round up the changes beneficiaries will face next year to their Part B premiums and deductibles.
When Turning 65, Consumers With Marketplace Plans Need To Be Vigilant In Choosing Health Coverage
By Susan Jaffe
June 25, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Seniors can opt to stay in their marketplace plans when they become eligible for Medicare, but most lose their access to subsidies and failing to move into Medicare promptly results in premium penalties.
Ouch! Vaccination Rates for Older Adults Falling Short
By Phil Galewitz
September 15, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Millions of Americans over 60 are risking illnesses by skipping their shots.
Clinton Reveals $20B Plan To Cure Alzheimer’s By 2025
December 23, 2015
Morning Briefing
About 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and by 2050 that number is expected to grow to 15 million, disproportionately affecting women and minorities. By then, if the government’s spending on the disease stays the same, it would cost Americans $1 trillion a year.
Heart-Attack Patients More Likely To Die After Ambulances Are Diverted
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
August 31, 2015
KFF Health News Original
A study finds patients who suffered heart attacks in California were more likely to die within a year if their ambulances were diverted from the closest emergency room.
Shire-Baxalta $32B Merger Would Create Powerhouse Rare-Disease Drugmaker
January 12, 2016
Morning Briefing
Big companies used to steer clear of rare-disease drugs because there aren’t enough patients to make them profitable, but that has changed as the market has sustained high prices. In other pharmaceutical news, drug companies launch a cooperative effort to fight cancer, the Supreme Court lets a ruling on deceptive marketing of an anti-psychotic drug stand, and states look at ways to combat high prices.
House Panel Turns Down $1.8B Zika Request, Saying HHS Should Use Left Over Ebola Funds
February 19, 2016
Morning Briefing
The Health and Human Services Department still has about $1.4 billion, but the White House says that money should go toward following through on their efforts to fight Ebola. In other Zika news, the administration is making a push to help Puerto Rico deal with the crisis and the World Bank has calculated the monetary cost of the outbreak.
How Much Is That Eye Exam? Study Probes The Elusive Quest For Health Care Prices
By Martha Bebinger, WBUR
August 14, 2015
KFF Health News Original
A study done in Massachusetts highlights the difficulties consumers face in trying to find out how much health care services cost.
In Freddie Gray’s Neighborhood, The Best Medical Care Is Close But Elusive
By Jay Hancock
February 16, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Last year’s Baltimore unrest highlighted deep distrust between police and poor African-Americans. Dozens of interviews and little-seen data show a similar gap between that community and the city’s renowned health system.
In Ohio, New Abortion Clinic Opens, Bucking National Trend
By Sarah Jane Tribble, Ideastream
August 31, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Since the Roe v. Wade decision, Ohio has been a trendsetter in passing laws that restrict abortion. That’s why it is especially unusual that in a small Ohio town just south of Cleveland, a new clinic that performs abortions opened its doors.
Republicans Spearhead $2B Bump For NIH Funding In Spending Bill
December 17, 2015
Morning Briefing
A letter to GOP leadership, signed by more than 100 Republicans in the House of Representatives last month, advocated for an even higher increase of $3 billion. And public health groups celebrate the boost in funding to medical research programs and agencies.
Detailing New Medicare Part B Premium Help
November 30, 2015
Morning Briefing
Changes signed into law by President Barack Obama will help shield some 17 million Americans from steep premium hikes. Elsewhere, longer wait times — and administrative appeals — make some with Social Security disability benefits wait.
How Vandalism And Fear Ended Abortion In Northwest Montana
By Corin Cates-Carney, Montana Public Radio
July 23, 2015
KFF Health News Original
When Zachary Klundt broke into All Families Healthcare he destroyed the only clinic providing abortions in the Flathead Valley of Montana. More than a year later, the clinic remains closed.
How Four Words In Huge Health Law Divide The Supreme Court
By Stuart Taylor Jr.
June 17, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Here’s a breakdown of the King v. Burwell arguments that challenge and support whether the health law’s tax subsidies can be used to buy insurance through the federal government’s online marketplace.
How Will The Health Care Subsidies Decision Affect Everyday Americans?
June 18, 2015
KFF Health News Original
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on healthcare subsidies soon. As the country awaits the decision, NewsHour interviewed people who would be personally affected by the ruling, and Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News answers their concerns.
5 Challenges Facing Medicaid At 50
By Phil Galewitz
July 27, 2015
KFF Health News Original
The federal-state health care program covers nearly half of all births, one-third of children across the country and two-thirds of people in nursing homes.
