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States Detail Questions About Their Exchange Options

By Ankita Rao November 19, 2012 KFF Health News Original

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said Friday that he will build a health exchange in his state – as soon as the Obama administration can explain exactly what that means. The Republican governor submitted 50 questions to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about how the state-built online insurance markets are supposed to be set up. “As […]

Updated: FDA Temporarily Removes List Of Hospitals, Providers That Received Products From Mass. Compounder

By Julie Appleby October 22, 2012 KFF Health News Original

Updated on Oct. 13 at 9:35 a.m. Just hours after posting it Monday, the Food and Drug Administration removed from its website a list of hospitals and doctors that had received products from the compounding pharmacy now at the center of the fungal meningitis outbreak, saying data may be incorrect. The agency said it is working […]

Mississippi Builds Exchange Despite Objections Of Governor, Tea Party

By Jeffrey Hess, Mississippi Public Broadcasting November 16, 2012 KFF Health News Original

The Mississippi Insurance Department officially told the federal government that it will run its own health insurance exchange and plans to file the exchange blueprint Friday. If the state had not set up an insurance exchange, which is an online marketplace for comparison shopping for health insurance called for by the health overhaul law, the […]

For Med Students, How To Define ‘Best’ Residencies

By Jenny Gold October 30, 2012 KFF Health News Original

Attention medical students: When selecting your residency program, there’s more than just geography and the hospital’s reputation to consider. The nation’s 23 top academic medical centers also vary drastically in what researchers are calling “the intensity” of care they provide patients at the end of life, according to a new report from the Dartmouth Atlas Project. And more intense […]

Today’s Headlines – Oct. 16, 2012

By Stephanie Stapleton October 16, 2012 KFF Health News Original

The New York Times: Political Memo: Debt Impasse Shadow Race For Presidency Substantively, any agreement in Congress, which opens a week after the election, could define the terms for how Mr. Obama and lawmakers move next year on efforts to contain the long-term costs of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the programs that are driving […]

Petition Calls For Hurricane Sandy First Responder Health Benefits

By Ankita Rao November 3, 2012 KFF Health News Original

From leading evacuees through flooded streets to carrying a family pet out of a collapsing home, first responders have been dubbed the heroes of Hurricane Sandy. But not all of them had health benefits as they headed into the disaster zones this week. While local, full-time police, firefighters and EMTs have full coverage, first responders […]

Study: Seniors Overspend On Medicare Part D

By Ankita Rao October 11, 2012 KFF Health News Original

Seniors spent on average $368 more than they needed to on drug coverage through Medicare Part D plans in 2009 — their decisions complicated by the sheer volume of plans available and difficulties involved in determining what makes a plan a good choice, a Health Affairs study released Tuesday has found. There are 1,736 plans available to Medicare beneficiaries for purchasing prescription […]

Enrollment Season Opens For Medicare Advantage And Drug Plans

By Susan Jaffe October 15, 2012 KFF Health News Original

Today, Medicare beneficiaries can begin choosing their drug and medical coverage for 2013, and most seniors are expected to stick with the same policies they have already, despite price changes and a rating system that shows some plans may be better than others. Seniors have been reluctant to change plans, even if there are cheaper […]

HHS Secretary Touts The ACA’s Benefits For Older Hispanics

By Shefali S. Kulkarni October 3, 2012 KFF Health News Original

Just hours before the first presidential debate, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius delivered a message about the dire need to protect Medicare and Medicaid funding to a critical electoral constituency. Sebelius was the keynote speaker at the National Hispanic Council on Aging’s National Summit in Washington, an annual meeting of Hispanic health care, housing, aging […]