How Getting Married Affects Health Insurance Tax Credits
By Michelle Andrews
April 28, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Kaiser Health News consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers readers’ questions about cost and coverage.
Staffing An Intensive Care Unit From Miles Away Has Advantages
By Michael Tomsic, WFAE
May 8, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Some hospitals are using a remote command center to keep an eye on ICU patients. This brings the expertise of a major medical center to rural hospitals — and may help keep the rural centers open.
In Sunlit Paradise, Seniors Go Hungry
By Sarah Varney
May 26, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Even in what look like middle class enclaves in Florida, a growing number of seniors are having trouble keeping food on the table. The rate of food insecurity across the country more than doubled among seniors between the years 2001 to 2013.
758 Hospitals Penalized For Patient Safety In 2016: Data Table
By Jordan Rau
December 10, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Medicare is lowering its 2016 payments by 1 percent for 758 hospitals with high rates of potentially avoidable infections and complications such as blood clots, bed sores and falls. This is the second year of the Hospital-Acquired Conditions Reduction Program, which was mandated by the federal health law to reduce patient injuries. Below are the […]
FAQ: Congress Passes A Bill To Fix Medicare’s Doctor Payments. What’s In It?
By Mary Agnes Carey
April 15, 2015
KFF Health News Original
A rare bipartisan effort will scrap the troubled physician payment formula and transition to a system focused on new quality measures.
Consumers Drawn To Low Prices Of Temporary Health Plans Despite Risks
By Julie Appleby
June 3, 2015
KFF Health News Original
The policies offer a stopgap for people between jobs, but enrollees still pay a federal tax penalty because the policies fall short of health law standards.
Researchers Try New Approach To Getting Patients To Take Their Medication
September 8, 2015
Morning Briefing
In other public health news, colleges push meningitis B vaccinations, whooping cough is likely more spread from siblings than from mother to child, some cucumbers are recalled over a salmonella outbreak and the FDA examines caffeine overdoses.
Errors Can Turn Affordable Care Benefits To Customer Torment
By Ann Doss Helms, The Charlotte Observer
March 23, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Pairing federal payments with private insurance brings benefits to many but creates dueling bureaucracies for some customers caught between them.
Hillary Clinton Targets ‘Quiet Epidemic’ Of Drug Abuse With $10B Plan
September 3, 2015
Morning Briefing
Funding for addiction treatment, prevention programs and criminal justice reforms are part of her proposal. “Plain and simple, drug and alcohol addiction is a disease, not a moral failing,” the Democratic candidate wrote in an op-ed.
FRONTLINE CHAT: “How Would You Spend Your Final Days?”
February 12, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Kaiser Health News staff writer Jenny Gold co-hosted a live chat,“How Would You Spend Your Final Days?” with Frontline documentary maker Tom Jennings. They discussed Being Mortal, the film based on the book by Atul Gawande. You can watch the documentary online and check out other KHN stories about end-of-life issues.
Hospital-Acquired Condition Penalties By State
By Jordan Rau
December 19, 2014
KFF Health News Original
Medicare is reducing payments to 721 hospitals with high rates of infections or other medical complications. About 1,400 hospitals, including all in Maryland, are excluded from the program and Medicare did not assess their rates of patient harm.
Report: Ohio’s Medicaid Costs $2B Below Estimates
August 14, 2015
Morning Briefing
The report found that Medicaid costs, even with the state’s expansion and increase in eligible beneficiaries, were 7.6 percent less that projected for the fiscal year ending in June. Meanwhile, Georgia’s health care agency has all but rejected Grady Health System’s proposed waiver to cover more uninsured people. News outlets in Kansas, Maine and Iowa also report on Medicaid-related developments.
Obamacare Ruling Could Kill Coverage For 413,000 In Georgia
By Misty Williams, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
June 17, 2015
KFF Health News Original
No tax credit means no health insurance at all for tens of thousands of Georgians.
Online Doctor Appointment Service ZocDoc Valued At $1.8B
August 21, 2015
Morning Briefing
The company is raising money to expand. Elsewhere in health care technology news, Google Glass finds a place in the doctor’s office and startups aim at giving second opinions on expensive surgery.
Medicare Itemizes Its $103 Billion Drug Bill
By Jordan Rau
April 30, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Federal officials release data showing prescription histories of hundreds of thousands of doctors and identifying the most common and costly drugs.
Measles Outbreak Sparks Bid To Strengthen Calif. Vaccine Law
By Jenny Gold
February 5, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Two California lawmakers have introduced a bill to eliminate a “personal belief exemption” used by parents to sidestep a school vaccination requirement.
Rural Indiana Struggles With Drug-Fueled HIV Epidemic
By Sarah Varney
May 4, 2015
KFF Health News Original
In response to an HIV outbreak of historic proportions, Indiana’s legislature passed a bill permitting drug users in areas with disease outbreaks to trade used needles for clean ones. Sarah Varney reports for KHN and PBS NewsHour from Austin, Indiana.
Teva Agrees To Allergan Purchase; Price Tag Set At $40B
July 28, 2015
Morning Briefing
The Israeli company will acquire Allergan’s generic drug business and, if approved, the deal will place Teva among the largest drug companies in the world.
For Many Patients, Delirium Is A Surprising Side Effect Of Being In The Hospital
By Sandra G. Boodman
June 2, 2015
KFF Health News Original
The problem, which is often preventable, is estimated to cost more than $143 billion annually and disproportionately affects people older than 65. It is often misdiagnosed as dementia.
Medicare Part B Still A Target For Fraud, Federal Watchdog Says
June 24, 2015
Morning Briefing
Two reports from the HHS Office of the Inspector General highlight the program’s questionable billing patterns and urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to do more to protect Medicare Part B.
