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Today’s Headlines – Oct. 18, 2011

By Stephanie Stapleton October 18, 2011 KFF Health News Original

Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the emerging strategies to undo the 2010 health law. Politico: Olympia Snowe Breaks From GOP On Health Care Sen. Olympia Snowe, the most moderate Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, parted ways with her GOP colleagues over their calls for tighter Medicare eligibility […]

Living Wills Help Curb Costs Only In High-Spending Areas, Study Finds

By Christian Torres October 4, 2011 KFF Health News Original

Patient’s advance directives, such as living wills, could be a powerful tool for controlling costs in end-of-life care, researchers reported Tuesday, but only in parts of the U.S. where those costs already run relatively high. In those areas, a patient’s treatment for the last six months of life ran more than $39,500, on average, without […]

Medicare Cuts Home Health Pay

By Phil Galewitz November 1, 2011 KFF Health News Original

Medicare will cut payment rates to home health agencies by 2.3 percent in 2012 — the sixth consecutive annual decrease in fees to the industry. The decision, which will lop off an estimated $430 million from the program next year, follows concerns by a congressional advisory panel that the agencies are overpaid. Home health advocates […]

Palliative Care More Common At Some Hospitals, Study Finds

By Jordan Rau October 5, 2011 KFF Health News Original

What do Vermont and the District of Columbia have in common? The two are the only jurisdictions in the country with palliative care teams in all their major hospitals, according to a new survey. Palliative care teams are devoted to easing the symptoms, stress and pain from serious illnesses, both chronic and terminal. The new […]

Today’s Headlines – August 16, 2011

By Stephanie Stapleton August 16, 2011 KFF Health News Original

Good morning! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how the influence industry is jockeying for position with the ‘super committee’ as well as details of how Medicaid payments for prescription drugs stack up against those made by Medicare. Politico: Lobbyists Get An Early Jump On The Debt Committee Now that […]

Hospice Companies Focus In On Nursing Home Patients

By Jordan Rau July 20, 2011 KFF Health News Original

Dying patients in nursing homes are an increasingly lucrative market for hospice companies, which have expanded rapidly into these facilities, according to a new federal audit. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General found that Medicare spending on hospice care for patients in nursing facilities grew by 69 percent over just four […]

Are Rising Hospice Costs A Concern?

By Jordan Rau July 1, 2011 KFF Health News Original

KHN’s story on concerns about the rising costs of hospice to Medicare, which ran Tuesday in The New York Times, has stirred up passionate debate among palliative care blogs and advocates. The story reported that the fourfold increase in hospice costs over the last decade has heightened worries that Medicare’s flat fee method of payment […]

Today’s Headlines – August 8, 2011

By Stephanie Stapleton August 8, 2011 KFF Health News Original

Happy Monday Morning! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the impact of Standard & Poor’s downgrade on the challenge ahead for ‘super committee’ when it tries to take on entitlement spending. The New York Times: S & P Downgrade Seen As Adding Urgency To Debt-Cutting Panel The downgrade of the […]

For-Profit Hospices Get New Scrutiny As Costs Grow

By Jordan Rau June 28, 2011 KFF Health News Original

Are for-profit companies driving up the cost of Medicare’s hospice benefit? After a decade in which most new hospices were started by corporations, half of Medicare-certified hospices are now for-profits. Concurrently, Medicare’s hospice costs have increased from $2.9 billion in 2000 to $12 billion in 2009, making it one of the fastest growing segments of […]