When Hospital Checklists Don’t Tell The Whole Story
A new study finds that HHS’ Hospital Compare website isn’t helping Medicare beneficiaries, in need of certain high-risk surgeries, find better facilities.
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Health On The Hill – October 18, 2010
Some Democrats are talking about health care in their elections in a new way: send us to Washington to fix parts of the health care bill that you don’t like. Meanwhile, oral arguments in a Virginia court case challenging the law’s requirement that individuals purchase health care insurance are proceeding in court.
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California Hospitals: Prices Rising Rapidly, But Quality Varies
Prominent hospitals and networks, especially those in the San Francisco Bay Area, can keep raising prices beyond inflation because their sizes or reputations give them clout in negotiating rates with insurers, researchers say. Yet high prices don’t always equate with superior care.
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How KHN Obtained Data For The California Hospital Prices Story
Kaiser Health News’ story on California’s Costliest Hospitals, months in the making, relied on data from a number of sources.
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Opinion Column
What’s the Worst That Could Happen With The New Health Law?
The Heritage Foundation’s analysis of the impact of health reform shows that different assumptions could put a tremendous amount of pressure on an already soaring national debt.
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Hospitals, Inc., A Kaiser Health News Series
Hospitals play an enormous role in the health care system; they’re a crucial part of the public health safety net and an important community resource. But they are expensive. Hospital costs make up the largest portion of the health spending in this country.
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Should Health Law Be Repealed? Not A Simple Question
Would the public like to see the new health overhaul law repealed? A lot of pollsters have been asking that question lately. And they’ve been getting a lot of different answers.
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Hispanics Living Longer Than Whites, Blacks. But Why?
For the first time, the statisticians over at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figured out how to estimate the life expectancy of Hispanics in this country.
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In Campaign Ads, Democrats Mostly Silent About Health Law
When Democrats passed their health overhaul bill back in March, they hailed it as the biggest domestic achievement since Medicare. But seven months later, most of the noise about the new law on the campaign trail is coming from opponents
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Opinion Column
The Health Reform (Almost) Everyone Loves
Come with me to the land of happy health reform. It is a place where Republicans and Democrats find common ground, a place where physicians, hospitals and health insurers sit together as partners, a place where criticism is respectful, not rancorous. It is the world of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).
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HHS Issues New Guidance On Kids’ Insurance Policies
Health insurers can’t have different rules for when individual policies for children with medical problems than for healthy kids are sold, the Department of Health and Human Services said today.
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Fear + Worry = Fewer Kids Getting Vaccinated
After years of steady progress, the percentage of 2 year olds in private health plans being immunized dropped last year, while it went up for Medicaid patients.
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Women’s Health Groups Call For Free Rx Birth Control
Planned Parenthood and other groups are launching a campaign to include prescription contraception as part of the preventive services required in the new health law.
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Opinion Column
Changes Wrought By Health Reform? Well, Maybe Not
The Obama administration has issued McDonald’s (among others) a waiver on some regulations in the health law. But that hasn’t stopped the McDonald’s story from becoming propaganda in the campaign to discredit and, eventually, repeal health care reform.
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Hospitals Lure Doctors Away From Private Practice
One in six doctors works for a hospital, and the number is quickly growing. Both sides benefit: hospitals get a steady stream of patients and doctors say they can practice medicine without worrying about the hassles of running a private practice.
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Studies Highlight High Medicare Costs For People In Nursing Homes
People who live in long-term care are much more likely to be sent to the hospital, sometimes unnecessarily, which can harm patients and drive up Medicare costs.
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A Hole In The Safety Net: Texas Medicaid Cuts Threaten Services For Disabled
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services’ baseline budget request eliminates financing for some disabled people who are waiting to receive services in private homes, group homes or other community settings.
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Open Insurance Season May Bring Sticker Shock
Workers are likely to see increases in premiums, deductibles and co-payments, as well as changes in dependent coverage and wellness options.
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Transcript: Health On The Hill – October 11, 2010
The Department of Health and Human Services has granted approximately 30 waivers to employers, insurers and unions that will allow them to offer limited benefit, or “mini-med,” health insurance plans.
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Health On The Hill – October 11, 2010
The Department of Health and Human Services has granted approximately 30 waivers to employers, insurers and unions that will allow them to offer limited benefit, or “mini-med,” health insurance plans.
