The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
Seriously ill patients, even when not facing death, can benefit from better pain and symptom management, care coordination and help setting goals from specially trained teams, which typically include a doctor, a nurse, a social worker and a spiritual counselor.
If eligibility went up to age 67, the federal government would save $7.6 billion but total costs would rise more than that for seniors, employers and states.
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Politico Pro’s David Nather report on lawmakers’ return to Washington to wrangle over health law funding.
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Politico Pro’s David Nather about developments on the Hill. This week: As Congress returns to Washington, funding for implementation of the health law is expected to pay a major role in the debate over funding the federal government beyond April 8 when the current continuing resolution expires. Separately, House and Senate lawmakers remain at odds over how to finance the repeal of a paperwork provision in the health law known as the “1099” that has drawn criticism from small business groups.
Today, much of the dialogue related to Medicare payment refers to the need to infuse value into the system. Confusion persists, however, regarding how values are assigned to physician services under the current Medicare payment system, as well as the impact that this process actually has on payment levels for physicians of different specialties.
Pediatric palliative care is for children who are living with very serious and complex illness. They do not have to have a life expectancy of only a few months.
Palliative care takes an interdisciplinary approach similar to hospice
The health overhaul law is spurring a major expansion of programs that will benefit ex-offenders and other indigent people in California beginning this summer.
Dr. Joanne Wolfe, of Children’s Hospital Boston, talks about her approach to helping children live with serious or life-limiting illness and how many need an interdisciplinary approach to care to make sense of the maze of medical treatment.
About 1.3 million children live with serious or life-limiting illness and many need an interdisciplinary approach to care to help their families make sense of the maze of medical treatment.
As property tax revenues have fallen, many cities and counties have been forced to cut health services.
Officials say they will revise the requirements to deal with objections raised by insurers.
As governors across the land pepper the federal government with requests to scale back Medicaid
Providers criticize health law requirement targeted at curbing wasteful spending.
The truth about the health law is being drowned out by fear-mongering talk-radio hosts and lawmakers with political agendas. Lichtman’s message to her peers is that they should be more discerning, separate fact from fiction and set an example with clear-eyed analysis about how this measure helps them.
We asked 12 players from across the nation what they thought they would have accomplished by next year’s anniversary of the health law, or what issues they expect to be central in the ongoing debate.
The early provisions that have taken effect in the past year have slowly triggered understanding among more Americans about the law’s valuable patient protections, and consumers will oppose having those taken away.
A fresh take from two pollsters on how the politics of health reform have played out in the first year of the new health law and how public opinion has evolved.
The early provisions that have taken effect in the past year have slowly triggered understanding among more Americans about the law’s valuable patient protections, and consumers will oppose having those taken away.
The health law provides a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs and 7 percent for generics once beneficiaries reach the doughnut hole.
