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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 […]

Poll: Americans Receptive To New Options For Affordable Dental Care

By Jessica Marcy October 5, 2011 KFF Health News Original

Many of us dread visiting the dentist, but a new survey suggests that Americans are concerned about access to affordable dental care and that a majority support the use of alternative dental providers. More than 52 million people live in 4,675 federally qualified dental shortage areas where many face obstacles to receiving care because of […]

Today’s Headlines – August 11, 2011

By Stephanie Stapleton August 11, 2011 KFF Health News Original

Good Thursday Morning! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including details about the GOP selections for the deficit deal’s ‘super committee’ and speculation about what the panel’s chances might be for success. The New York Times: 6 Republicans Named To Deficit Panel The top Republicans in the House and the Senate appointed six […]

Poll: Employees Don’t Want Changes In Their Health Insurance

By Jordan Rau August 29, 2011 KFF Health News Original

Employees love to gripe about rising health care costs, but a new poll finds most are not willing to sacrifice to pay less for their insurance. Only 27 percent of people with insurance provided through their employer said they would  accept a more restricted list of doctors and hospitals in their networks, according to the latest […]

HHS Sponsors Contest To Develop Emergency Public Health Facebook Apps

By Shefali S. Kulkarni August 23, 2011 KFF Health News Original

UPDATED at 3:52 p.m. — After the Virginia earthquake. The first thing East Coasters did when the ground began to shake this afternoon was not duck under their desks, but to turn to their smart phones. The 5.8 magnitude earthquake that was felt from Durham to Toronto was immediately documented through social media like Facebook […]