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Millions of Americans might be eligible for rebates starting in 2012 under regulations released Monday detailing the health care law’s requirement that insurers spend at least 80 percent of their revenue on direct medical care.
Hospitals are using their size and pricing clout to define premiums for people around America, like in the Sutter Health system in California, where hospital prices are among the highest in the nation.
Rep. Paul Ryan, R- Wis., took the courageous step of going first with a bold plan — his Roadmap — to fundamentally restructure the tax and entitlement policies that threaten to push the federal budget past the breaking point. Now others, even some from the other side of the aisle, are joining him in sponsoring similar plans.
What if a Republican governor and a Republican legislature had the ability to implement their version of health insurance reform and the federal government would have to pay for it? It’s a great idea. And I’m thrilled to say that a bi-partisan bill has already been introduced in the Senate by Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Scott Brown, R-Mass., that would help facilitate exactly this end.
Sutter Health, the most expensive health system in California, is expanding at a rapid pace and transforming itself into an “accountable care organization.” Some worry about the nonprofit hospital’s growing leverage.
Republicans in Congress say their priority for next year is to build momentum for an eventual repeal of the new health law. But they could be in for a surprise: While repeal may be popular with Republican voters, the GOP could face pushback from some allies in the health care industry.
A study of four major insurers’ payments to hospitals finds great differences among different parts of the country. San Francisco is the most expensive city among the eight areas in the study.
Withdrawing from Medicaid would be political suicide. Despite post-election bluster, no governor or legislature will seriously attempt such a maneuver because of the related administrative, economic and organizational difficulties.
At the end of November, the most recent “doc fix” will expires. Without congressional action, physicians who see Medicare patients will face an across-the-board 23% reduction in their fees. If nothing happens by January, physicians would face an additional 7 percent reduction.
A new study finds that U.S. consumers report greater access to specialty health care but also have a tougher time seeing a doctor on the day they need help than consumers in many of other Western countries.
Florida Republican leaders said Tuesday they want to overhaul the Medicaid program and don’t want the federal government tying their hands. But their message may fall on deaf ears in Washington.
Facing what could be a tough reelection fight in 2012, Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., is looking for politically safer alternatives to the individual insurance mandate that takes effect in 2014.
In his first appearance before a congressional committee since becoming administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Donald Berwick told the Senate Finance Committee that the health law would help make the delivery of medical care more efficient and reduce its cost. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks about the hearing.
The 11/12 New York Times news article produced in partnership with Kaiser Health News, “Battle Lines Drawn Over Medicaid in Texas” reflects the post-election reality faced by vulnerable populations and the providers who care for them, on a variety of significant levels.
A blue-ribbon bipartisan panel of experts, chaired by former budget director Alice Rivlin and former Sen. Pete Domenici, recommends major changes to the way the government pays for health care.
The Obama administration will spend up to $1.3 billion to extend special payments — meant to reward top-performing insurers — to those that score only average ratings.
The new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation launched Tuesday a series of initiatives aimed at improving care while reducing its cost.
An analysis of Medicare data finds many cancer patients are getting aggressive end-of-life care. The intensive approach might not be best for them and adds to the drain on Medicare’s budget.
Friday was the last day for people with something to say about the new federal health law to file briefs in the huge multistate lawsuit in Florida challenging its constitutionality and supporters as well as opponents chimed in.
Dr. Donald Berwick, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is well-liked and known as a passionate advocate for improving the health care system. Some Republicans accuse him of favoring health care rationing – a charge Democrats dismiss as nonsense.
