Today’s Headlines – December 20, 2011
By Stephanie Stapleton
December 20, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Good morning! Here are your morning headlines to get you up and at ’em: The New York Times: House Set To Vote Down Payroll Tax Cut Extension A core group of conservative House members … have balked all year at short-term spending agreements, including proposed legislation to raise the debt ceiling and bills to increase […]
Health Law May Accelerate Growth In Urgent Care Centers
By Phil Galewitz
December 7, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Crowded emergency rooms and a lack of primary care doctors have fueled recent expansions. But the drive to lower costs is also a factor and could bring more customers under the overhaul.
A Health Insurance Plan President Gingrich Might Support
By Marilyn Werber Serafini
December 23, 2011
KFF Health News Original
He’s done with mandates, but Newt Gingrich likes John Goodman’s idea for helping people who buy insurance and paying for care for those who don’t.
Honduras Becomes First LAC Country To Launch National Plan To Combat NTDs
April 19, 2012
Morning Briefing
“A major milestone was achieved on April 12, when Honduras became the first country in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region to officially launch an integrated national plan to combat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs),” the the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases’ “End the Neglect” blog reports. “Mirian Yolanda Paz, vice minister of health, led the activities and laid out the path to end nine NTDs endemic to Honduras (soil-transmitted helminths, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, leptospirosis, cysticercosis, neonatal and nonneonatal tetnus, congenital syphilis and rabies),” the blog writes, noting, “The plan includes a budget for proposed activities and is estimated at $20 million over a five year period” (4/17).
Study: Big Employers Could Dump Sickest Employees On To Exchanges
By Elizabeth Stawicki, MPR News
November 30, 2011
KFF Health News Original
A loophole in the health law could allow employers to game the system by dumping their sicker employees onto health insurance exchanges.
A Texas-Sized Medicaid Deal
By Carrie Feibel, KUHF
December 15, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Both Perry and Obama can claim political victories with the Medicaid waiver the feds granted to the Lone Star state. But public hospitals have the most to gain from the new system.
India’s Proposed Food Security Program Will Face Infrastructure Challenges, Farm Minister Says
February 8, 2012
Morning Briefing
“India’s plan to roll out an ambitious food security program to give cheap foodgrains to the poor and malnourished won’t succeed unless the government revamps a creaky distribution network and boosts other infrastructure such as storage and transport, Farm Minister Sharad Pawar said Wednesday,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Unconventional Clinic Providing Safety Net For Women
By Andy Miller, Georgia Health News
November 30, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Marilyn Ringstaff’s clinic fills a void for low-income uninsured women in Rome, Georgia.
AARP, Iowa Hospitals On Air To Defend Medicare, Medicaid
By Karl Eisenhower
October 17, 2011
KFF Health News Original
While some organizations are turning to social media to get their message out about possible Medicare and Medicaid cuts, others are relying on old-fashioned paid media on television and radio. AARP and the Iowa Hospital Association are among the first on the air with messages for Congress and the super committee. AARP AARP’s ad focuses […]
Survey: Consumers Face Higher Health Care Costs
By Merrill Goozner, The Fiscal Times
May 18, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Employees will be experiencing higher co-pays and deductibles in their health insurance next year as employers continue to reduce their overall coverage to deal with rapidly rising costs.
Premiums, Deductibles And Cost Sharing In Employer Health Plans Keep Rising
By Michelle Andrews
October 25, 2011
KFF Health News Original
As they shoulder more health care expenses, workers in some plans can reduce their costs by participating in company wellness programs.
Little-Noticed Change Could Cause Higher Costs For Out-Of-Network Care
June 20, 2011
Morning Briefing
The Wall Street Journal reports on a develop that may cause consumers to face higher bills.
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 31, 2011
By Stephanie Stapleton
October 31, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Happy Halloween! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a key medical group’s take on accountable care organizations and how a “merger wave” is hitting the health care sector. Los Angeles Times: Deficit Reduction Panel Reaches Crucial Juncture The super committee has until Thanksgiving to reach an accord. A deal to […]
Forget HMOs And ACOs, Oregon Is Pushing CCOs To Save Medicaid
By Phil Galewitz
October 4, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, wants to prove his state can contain soaring Medicaid costs without reducing services to recipients or slashing fees to doctors and hospitals. And when he’s done, he wants to apply this same strategy to saving Medicare. Kitzhaber is in Washington this week meeting with top federal health officials about his state’s […]
N.C. Employers Embrace Medicaid Medical Home Network
By Julie Appleby
August 29, 2011
KFF Health News Original
North Carolina employers are trying to find out if there really is no place like home. As in medical homes, that is. For the first time, people with job-based insurance in the state will soon be offered a chance to tap into a well-known medical home network that has primarily served Medicaid enrollees since 1998. […]
Medicaid Advocates Seek Recognition Of Safety Net’s Value
By Sarah Barr
September 14, 2011
KFF Health News Original
It’s good news for Medicaid advocates that the program will be spared from cuts if the deficit reduction “super committee” is unsuccessful in its effort to squeeze about $1.5 trillion in savings from the federal budget. But failure to reach consensus on cuts is hardly an ideal scenario, according to an advocate for cancer patients. […]
Nixon’s HMOs Hold Lessons For Obama’s ACOs
By Phil Galewitz
October 21, 2011
KFF Health News Original
The Obama administration acknowledges its highly touted accountable care organization program will have a modest early impact on the U.S. health system — with only 4 percent of Medicare beneficiaries affected by 2015 Perhaps the Obama White House is taking a lesson from the last time a U.S. president kicked off a major new program designed […]
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 16, 2011
By Stephanie Stapleton
November 16, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Good morning! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including more analysis of Supreme Court’s upcoming consideration of the health law, and the latest developments regarding the Super Committee. The New York Times: News Analysis: Insurance Mandate May Be Health Bill’s Undoing As Barack Obama battled Hillary Rodham Clinton over health care during the […]
Tips To Cope With Health Benefits ‘Open Season’ Decisions
By Andy Miller, Georgia Health News
October 13, 2011
KFF Health News Original
While insurance companies are required to accept all applicants of any employer, no matter what pre-existing health conditions are present, there may be some sticker shock on what your premium will be in January.
