Latest KFF Health News Stories
Doctor-Owned Hospitals Are Not Cherry-Picking Patients, Study Finds
The newest research goes against a variety of studies that have shown these facilities owned by physicians take some of the most profitable patients while leaving other hospitals with more complex and costly cases.
Texas Strives To Lure Mental Health Providers To Rural Counties
Over a hundred counties in Texas don’t have a mental health worker, affecting about 3 million Texans. A new loan repayment program may not be enough to recruit them to rural areas.
Answering Your Questions On The ‘Cadillac Tax’
The excise tax will be levied on health insurance plans costing more than $10,200 for an individual or $27,500 for a family. Any value over those thresholds will be taxed at 40 percent, and that’s likely to affect consumers’ benefits, share of health care costs or their coverage entirely.
Patience, Persistence Serve Alaska’s Health Commissioner Well In Government – And In Fishing
Valerie Davidson, an advocate who became Alaska’s top health official, still loves spending her time fishing for salmon and cooking for her Yup’ik family.
Medicaid Drives Historic Coverage Gains In Colorado
A surge in Medicaid enrollment drove down the uninsured rate in Colorado from 15.8 percent to 6.7 percent.
A Third Of Ga. Pediatricians Join Together To Form Network To Improve Care
The new physician-led network will allow pediatricians to improve care for Georgia children by sharing best practice standards and expand their billing options for insurance, advocates say.
In Ohio, New Abortion Clinic Opens, Bucking National Trend
Since the Roe v. Wade decision, Ohio has been a trendsetter in passing laws that restrict abortion. That’s why it is especially unusual that in a small Ohio town just south of Cleveland, a new clinic that performs abortions opened its doors.
Heart-Attack Patients More Likely To Die After Ambulances Are Diverted
A study finds patients who suffered heart attacks in California were more likely to die within a year if their ambulances were diverted from the closest emergency room.
American Academy Of Pediatrics Recommends Individualized Counseling For Parents Of Premature Infants
The pediatric academy suggests that decisions on whether to resuscitate extremely premature infants be based on the particular child’s chance of survival and the family’s goals – not simply gestational age.
Few Health Savings Accounts Owners Choose To Invest That Money, Study Finds
Many people who have high-deductible insurance plans and own health savings accounts to help pay for their medical expenses opt to keep the money in low-return savings accounts instead of investing in the financial markets, according to new research.
Private Money Saves Colorado IUD Program As Fight Continues For Public Funding
A dozen foundations contributed a total of $2 million to help more low-income teens and women obtain IUDs and other long-acting contraceptives.
Why Don’t We Have Mental Health Parity?
The law says insurance companies must pay for mental health benefits the same as they do everything else. Addiction as much as diabetes. Depression as much as cancer. But around the country, consumers are taking their insurers to court saying the companies are refusing to pay up. The insurance providers say mental health is complicated, […]
When Prisons Need To Be More Like Nursing Homes
By 2030, nearly one-third of all inmates will be over 55, the ACLU says, and caring for aged prisoners often costs twice as much as caring for younger ones. Some states – New York, California and Connecticut — are confronting the problem, however, with innovative programs meant to improve care and save money.
Rest Assured, Surgeons’ Late-Night Work Doesn’t Cause Patients Harm, Study Says
Findings from Canada challenge earlier research on sleep deprivation’s effects on physicians.
Katrina Shut Down Charity Hospital But Led To More Primary Care
When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, many health facilities were destroyed or shut down, including urgent care centers, nursing homes, pharmacies and hospitals. But a new network of renovated and newly built primary care health clinics has opened, which many hope will bring stability to the health care of the city’s low-income residents.
As Legal Marijuana Expands, States Struggle With Drugged Driving
As more states make medical and recreational marijuana use legal, they increasingly are grappling with what constitutes DUID, or driving under the influence of drugs, and how to detect and prosecute it. And they’re finding it is more difficult than identifying and convicting drunken drivers.
States Looking For More Effective Ways To Encourage Vaccinations
A new study finds that state policies that require officials to sign off on nonmedical exemptions or impose punishments for students or parents reduce efforts to evade vaccinations.
A Racial Gap In Attitudes Toward Hospice Care
Hospice use has been growing fast in the United States as more people choose to avoid futile, often painful medical treatments in favor of palliative care and dying at home surrounded by loved ones. But some African-Americans have long resisted the concept, and their suspicions remain deep-seated.
Why Your Doctor Won’t Friend You On Facebook
Facebook is a part of everyday life – both professionally and personally – and doctors and patients are wondering how it best works between them.
NIH analysis quantifies who is in pain and when, including more than 25 million people who say they have pain every day.