Viewpoints: Capitol Hill Antics On Budget; A Mom’s Concern About Plan B Decision
May 8, 2013
Morning Briefing
A selection of editorials and opinions on health care from around the country.
Federal Retiree Weighs Whether To Keep FEHB Or Switch To Medigap
By Michelle Andrews
October 8, 2012
KFF Health News Original
Insurance columnist answers readers’ questions about federal workers’ best deal on supplementing Medicare and signing up for Medicare if you’re living abroad.
Obama’s $3.7T Spending Plan Would Cut $370B From Medicare
April 10, 2013
Morning Briefing
Despite the White House’s effort to find middle ground, news outlets report that its proposal to raise $580B by limiting tax benefits for top earners is angering some Republicans, while cuts to entitlement programs are angering some Democrats.
FDA OKs Over-The-Counter ‘Plan B’ For Women And Girls Older Than Age 15
May 1, 2013
Morning Briefing
The move, regulators said, was made independent of a recent federal district judge ruling that called for the emergency contraceptive to be made available over-the-counter to women of all ages without restriction.
Plan B Ruling Raises Political, Practical Questions About Next Move
April 8, 2013
Morning Briefing
A federal judge’s ruling on Friday that the Food and Drug Administration has to lift age restrictions on emergency contraception has set up choices for pharmacists, consumers and the Obama administration about whether this is the end of the controversy.
‘The Matrix’ Meets Medicine: Surveillance Swoops Into Health Care
By Michael L. Millenson
January 9, 2013
KFF Health News Original
The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society is testing how using technology to monitor seniors’ health can save money on medical costs and help seniors feel secure enough to “age in place.”
How To File A Medicare Appeal
By Susan Jaffe
December 17, 2012
KFF Health News Original
A basic guide and resources if you want to get Medicare to reverse a coverage decision.
Obama ‘Comfortable’ With Morning-After Pill Sales At 15
May 3, 2013
Morning Briefing
President Barack Obama said he is “very comfortable” with the Food and Drug Administration rule announced this week to make the so-called morning-after pill available without a prescription to women and girls who are at least 15 — younger than the current policy of 17. He also defended the Justice Department’s decision to appeal a judge’s ruling to make the Plan B pill available to all ages.
Oklahoma Dentist Called ‘Menace To The Public Health’
March 29, 2013
Morning Briefing
Dr. W. Scott Harrington faces an April 19 hearing over unsanitary conditions that may have exposed patients to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV infection. Health inspectors went to his practice after a patient with no known risk factors tested positive for both hepatitis C and the virus that causes AIDS.
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 17, 2012
By Stephanie Stapleton
October 17, 2012
KFF Health News Original
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including health policy highlights from last night’s presidential debate. The New York Times: Rivals Bring Bare Fists To Rematch President Obama and Mitt Romney engaged Tuesday in one of the most intensive clashes in a televised presidential debate, with tensions between them spilling out in interruptions, […]
Roundup: Feds Cut N.Y. Medicaid Payments $1.2B; 93,000 Fewer Kids Enroll In CHIP In Pa.
April 2, 2013
Morning Briefing
A selection of health policy news from New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey, Georgia, Minnesota, Kansas, Connecticut, Maryland, Oregon and California.
Report: Calif. Could Save $110B By Better Coordinating Health Care
February 26, 2013
Morning Briefing
In addition, state lawmakers and others consider what changes the health law could have in store for coverage in California — and not all of them are good.
Pressure From Insurers, Government Cuts Radiology Use And Spending
By Jay Hancock
September 10, 2012
KFF Health News Original
Here’s another reason health care inflation is down: The slowing growth in MRI scans, CT sessions and other diagnostic imaging that began in the mid-2000s has continued, paired with sharply lower Medicare reimbursements. The end of the MRI boom may not rank with the poor economy, high-deductible health plans and expiring blockbuster drug patents as a factor in slowing cost trends — scans make up about 5 […]
Report: Medicare Paid $5.1B To Nursing Homes That Provided Substandard Care
February 28, 2013
Morning Briefing
The Associated Press reports on this development.
Today’s Headlines – Dec. 4, 2012
By Stephanie Stapleton
December 4, 2012
KFF Health News Original
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including coverage of the GOP counteroffer in the fiscal talks, as well as the White House reaction to it. The New York Times: Initial Deficit Cuts Are Sticking Point In Negotiations For all the growing angst over the state of negotiations to head off a fiscal […]
Not Your Typical Presidential Debate Forum For Obama, Romney
By Peggy Girshman
September 27, 2012
KFF Health News Original
There’s nothing unusual about the way The New England Journal of Medicine displays the “Perspective” section this week: In dueling columns, under an original article on a “novel androgen-receptor blocker” for prostate cancer. But the authors of two of the perspectives are far from typical: B. Obama and M. Romney. The introduction to both is basic: […]
Today’s Headlines – Dec. 7, 2012
By Lexie Verdon
December 7, 2012
KFF Health News Original
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations includes articles on the talks between President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner on the “fiscal cliff.” The Washington Post: Some In GOP Urge Lawmakers To Back Tax Hikes For Changes In Safety-Net Programs A growing chorus of Republicans is urging House leaders to abandon […]
Health Law Provisions Saved Seniors $5.7B On Rx Drugs
February 7, 2013
Morning Briefing
USA Today reports that the Obama administration will announce this figure today.
As More Employers Drop Coverage, Retirees Turn To Specialized Insurance Exchanges
By Michelle Andrews
October 15, 2012
KFF Health News Original
Counselors help consumers who are eligible for Medicare enroll in plans that replace their old workplace benefits.
