To Friend Or Not: The Facebook Challenge For Doctors
By Shefali S. Kulkarni
July 6, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Two years ago, Dr. Gabriel Bosslet received two friend requests from patients on his Facebook page. ”I was kind of taken aback by it. I wasn’t sure how to respond to it,” he said. The requests were a first for the doctor who serves as a faculty member in pulmonary and critical care medicine at […]
Readers Face Multiple Dilemmas About Insurance Coverage, Costs
By Michelle Andrews
August 22, 2011
KFF Health News Original
“Insuring Your Health” columnist Michelle Andrews answers questions from readers, including someone wondering about coverage if you’ve been drinking, talking with your insurer about a family member’s bill and preventive colonscopies.
Younger, Disabled Medicare Beneficiaries Have Trouble Getting Supplementary Insurance
By Susan Jaffe
March 7, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Federal law does not guarantee beneficiaries under the age of 65 the right to buy Medigap coverage and even when they do qualify for a plan, it is often prohibitively expensive.
Today’s Headlines – August 15, 2011
By Stephanie Stapleton
August 15, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Good morning! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about Friday’s ruling on the health overhaul as well as other action related to the law and highlights from the weekend’s health policy developments. The Wall Street Journal: Health Overhaul Is Dealt Setback A U.S. appeals court in Atlanta handed the Obama administration […]
Seeking To Save Money, Calif. Ending Adult Day Health Care Program
By David Gorn, California Healthline Sacramento Bureau
August 29, 2011
KFF Health News Original
The state has said its decision to eliminate adult day health care services as a Medi-Cal benefit — essentially shuttering ADHC centers and moving beneficiaries into managed care — is a cost-saving move. But there are questions about how much money it actually will save.
Louisiana Medicaid Moves To Managed Care
By Christopher Weaver
July 25, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Louisiana health officials announced Monday that five health plans won bids to manage care for 892,000 low-income Medicaid patients — a first for the state that will be worth an estimated $2.2 billion in new revenues for the companies. The announcement is the latest step in a four-year march to managed care. “This has been a long […]
Study: New Coverage Will Boost Demand For Rural Providers
By Julie Appleby
July 27, 2011
KFF Health News Original
The percentage of rural Americans with insurance could grow faster than those in urban areas under the federal health care overhaul law, a boon for the newly insured, but one that will put additional pressure on areas already short of doctors, a study out today says. About 5 million more rural Americans will have coverage […]
Workers Squeezed As Employers Pass Along High Costs Of Specialty Drugs
By Julie Appleby
August 22, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Employers struggling to keep down insurance costs are increasingly requiring workers to pay a percentage of high-cost drugs rather than a modest co-pay.
Head Of Major HMO Sees Openings For Accountable Care Organizations-The KHN Interview
By Joanne Silberner
July 25, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Kaiser Permanente’s George Halvorson says that despite the complexity of ACO regs, some versions have the potential to save money and improve care.
Growing Size And Wealth Of Children’s Hospitals Fueling Questions About Spending
By Gilbert M. Gaul
September 25, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Many of the largest children’s hospitals have grown into big businesses with substantial assets and millionaire CEOs.
Insurers Sometimes Reject Neonatal Intensive Care Costs
By Michelle Andrews
January 4, 2011
KFF Health News Original
In these specialized units for premature infants or babies with special needs, the doctors and other personnel may not be under contract with an insurer’s network even though the hospital is covered.
PlusNews Examines HIV/AIDS In Laos
December 6, 2011
Morning Briefing
PlusNews examines HIV/AIDS in Laos, writing, “Out of a total population of 6.3 million, the national prevalence of 0.2 percent among 15-49-year-olds puts the 8,500 reported HIV/AIDS cases in Laos nearly a decade behind that of its neighbors.” However, the news service notes that, “as the socialist country increasingly opens its borders, health workers are bracing for a potential concentrated, ‘catastrophic’ outbreak in a country where HIV prevention is not yet a priority.” Kinoy Phongdeth, director of the Lao Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, said, “It is true that in Laos there are not so many people living with HIV and AIDS, but we are still people and we need help,” PlusNews reports (12/2).
Aetna Sues N.J. Doctors, Pricing Central Issue
March 25, 2011
Morning Briefing
Bloomberg reports that the lawsuits could help determine the pricing limits insurance companies could place on physicians who remain out of network.
Insuring Your Health
January 25, 2011
KFF Health News Original
In a new KHN feature, Michelle Andrews writes about the coming changes to health care. Please send comments or ideas for future topics to questions@kffhealthnews.org See 2011’s Insuring Your Health stories. Looking At The Changes 2011 Brings December 22, 2010 Michelle Andrews speaks with KFF’s Jackie Judd about changes in lifetime insurance limits, keeping children insured, […]
Doctors Advocating Less Care; Addiction As A ‘Disease’
By Jessica Marcy
August 19, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. The Daily Beast: One Word Can Save Your Life: No! These physicians are not anti-medicine. They are not trying to save money on their copayments or deductibles. And they are not trying to rein in the nation’s soaring health-care costs, […]
Oregon Program Builds On British Model
By Jessica Marcy
July 7, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. American Medical News: HIV In Primary Care: Treating An Aging Epidemic Of the 3,155 U.S.-based members of the HIV Medicine Assn., 45% are older than 50, according to a March 17 Institute of Medicine report on HIV screening and access […]
Hospitals Look For Disney Magic To Make Customers Happy
By Phil Galewitz
July 21, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Medicare payments soon will partly reflect patient satisfaction, so hospitals are seeking advice from the entertainment kingdom.
A Medicare Compromise; Improving Mental Health Policies
By Jessica Marcy
June 30, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. Time: What If There Was A Reasonable Compromise On Medicare? Sen. Joe Lieberman has found an ally for the middle-of-the-road Medicare reform proposal he laid out a few weeks ago. On Tuesday, the independent Senator from Connecticut and conservative Republican […]
Today’s Headlines – July 28, 2011
By Stephanie Stapleton
July 28, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Good Morning! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the ever-growing U.S. health care tab and about the petition filed by a conservative legal center to bring their health law challenge to the Supreme Court. The Washington Post: Boehner, Other GOP Leaders Ramp Up Pressure On Republicans To Pass Debt Plan […]
Managed Care Enters The Exam Room As Insurers Buy Doctor Groups
By Christopher Weaver
July 1, 2011
KFF Health News Original
Large health insurers are trying to curb rising costs by gaining control over those who provide care: doctors.
