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.
State Highlights: Geisinger Health Finalizes Deal With N.J.’s AtlantiCare Health System; Diabetes Annual Medicaid Tab Tops $1B In N.Y.
October 5, 2015
Morning Briefing
Health care stories are reported from New Jersey, New York, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Illinois.
Patent Rule Change For Generics Reportedly Could Increase Federal Health Care Costs By $1.3B Over Decade
September 1, 2015
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, as the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs grab attention from lawmakers and government officials, Politico reports that disease advocacy groups have been conspicuously quiet in the debate.
Patient Safety Advocate Sees ‘Hope And Hype’ In Digital Revolution
By Michelle Andrews
April 14, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Dr. Robert Wachter says medicine’s move to a computer age can improve care but patients still face serious challenges in adapting to the new technology and the prospect of overcoming a fragmented health system.
How California Can Improve Oversight of Home Caregivers
January 7, 2015
KFF Health News Original
In California, hundreds of thousands of low-income elderly and disabled people receive daily care in their homes from their children, spouses, relatives and others. And, through a program called In-Home Supportive Services, the state pays many of those caregivers about $10 an hour to do the job.
Pentagon’s $4.3B Electronic Health Records Contract Awarded To Leidos, Cerner And Accenture Team
July 30, 2015
Morning Briefing
The work will include overhauling the Pentagon’s health records for about 9.5 million active military and veteran beneficiaries at about 1,000 sites worldwide. The contract starts at 10 years but could extend to 18 years and $9 billion.
Drug And Device Makers Paid $6.5B To Doctors, Hospitals In 2014
July 1, 2015
Morning Briefing
About 80 percent of the dollars went to doctors for consulting, speeches, research and other activities. Nearly 610,000 doctors received payments, as well as some 1,100 teaching hospitals, according to government data. The effort to highlight potential conflicts of interest is mandated by the Affordable Care Act.
The Extra Cost Of Extra Weight For Older Adults
By Sarah Varney
March 2, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Obese people are far more likely to become disabled as they age, and researchers say this burgeoning demographic will strain hospitals and nursing homes.
Awake, And Safe, All Night Despite Dementia
By Rachel Gotbaum
March 9, 2015
KFF Health News Original
A special “daycare at night” program in the Bronx cares for Alzheimer’s patients whose internal clocks mistake night for day.
$49B Federal Price Tag For 10 ‘Breakthrough’ Drugs
June 8, 2015
Morning Briefing
The drugs include several to treat hepatitis C and breast cancer. Elsewhere, the Food and Drug Administration is speeding new cholesterol drugs to trial, a closer look at kids drugs in the “Cures” bill and painkiller abuse still worries some officials, despite efforts to stem their abuse.
Congress May Act Soon To Shore Up VA Budget With $3B Injection, VA Secretary McDonald Says
July 24, 2015
Morning Briefing
The Department of Veteran Affairs’ $2.5 billion budget shortfall has raised the risk of some VA hospitals closing as well as employee furloughs. The beleaguered agency has also made little progress decreasing vets’ wait times for health care or in hiring for 41,500 open medical positions.
CDC Panel Urges Expanding Pool Of Young People Who Receive Meningitis B Shot
June 29, 2015
Morning Briefing
An advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that all 16- to 23-year-olds to consider the vaccine. Previous guidance was limited to those at high risk of exposure to the disease, like lab workers and students at colleges with outbreaks.
Rural Hospitals, One Of The Cornerstones Of Small Town Life, Face Increasing Pressure
By Guy Gugliotta
March 17, 2015
KFF Health News Original
For people in Mount Vernon, Texas, the loss of their hospital means longer trips for treatment and uncertainty when a medical crisis hits.
What’s At Stake As Health Law Lands At Supreme Court Again
By Sarah Varney
March 3, 2015
KFF Health News Original
With a $400 tax credit, Julia Raye of North Carolina has been able to afford health insurance and keep her diabetes under control. She is one of 8.2 million people who could lose that subsidy in a case that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday.
VA Threatens To Shut Down Hospitals Next Month If Congress Doesn’t Help With $2.5B Budget Shortfall
July 17, 2015
Morning Briefing
In other news on military health care, the Pentagon is narrowing the finalists for a multibillion-dollar contract to overhaul the military’s health IT system, and a Florida lawmaker calls for a former naval hospital in Lake Baldwin to be repurposed as housing for elderly and homeless veterans.
Government May Pay $50B For New Breakthrough Drugs, Study Estimates
June 9, 2015
Morning Briefing
According to a report by Avalere Health, a consulting firm, Medicare would bear the majority of the cost, spending $31.3 billion over the next 10 years on improved treatments for diseases like Hepatitis C and breast cancer. Medicaid is estimated to spend $15.8 billion on the drugs. Meanwhile, another report finds that health care costs may go up 6.5 percent next year.
Surprises And Standing: Breaking Down Today’s Supreme Court Arguments
March 4, 2015
KFF Health News Original
Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments Wednesday in a case challenging some of the health law’s insurance subsidies, but not before considering whether the plaintiffs had standing in the case. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Julie Rovner discuss surprises from the hearing.
Advocates Worry That Funding Boost For Kids’ Health May Be Used For Other Things
June 23, 2015
Morning Briefing
States are free to use the $5.6 billion increase for the Children’s Health Insurance Program over the next 11 years as they see fit, reports CQ Healthbeat. Meanwhile, a CDC advisory committee is expected to decide later this week whether to recommend a new vaccine for teenagers to prevent meningitis strain B.
Millions Of Medicaid Kids Missing Regular Checkups
By Phil Galewitz
November 13, 2014
KFF Health News Original
Administration improves screening rates, but needs to do more to ensure that poor children get recommended health care, says HHS inspector general.
State Highlights: Study Finds Nearly $2B In Minn. ER Visits Could Have Been Avoided; Georgia Survey Notes Gap In Rural Health
July 23, 2015
Morning Briefing
Health care stories are reported from Minnesota, Georgia, Kansas, California, North Carolina, Washington, Michigan, North Dakota, Virginia and Montana.
