Latest KFF Health News Stories
California To Launch Medicaid-Funded Teledentistry
California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill that would require Medi-Cal, the state’s insurance program for the poor, to pay for dental services delivered by teams of hygienists and dentists connected through the Internet. California is among the first states to launch such teledentistry services, which are intended to increase the options for […]
Texas and Florida Expand Medicaid
They were among 21 states required by Obamacare to broaden eligibility for school-age children.
Scrambling To Prove He’s Eligible For Obamacare
Fabrizio Mancinelli is among thousands of people in California facing a Sept. 30 deadline to prove they are in the country legally, as required to receive coverage through insurance exchanges.
New Insurance Coverage Gives Tech Entrepreneur A New Flexibility
Once deemed ‘uninsurable,’ a businesswoman suffering from a chronic condition now has coverage — and it’s not tied to a job or a boyfriend.
Calif. Governor Vetoes Bill To Protect Assets From Medi-Cal
This story is part of a partnership that includes Capital Public Radio, NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. (details) With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Jerry Brown rejected an effort to protect the estates of Medicaid beneficiaries in California, the San Jose Mercury News reported Friday. The bill, which […]
After Glitch, CVS Gives 11,000 Birth Control Refunds
CVS Health will pay refunds to about 11,000 women whom it accidentally charged co-payments for generic prescription birth control – a violation of the federal health law – due to a price coding glitch affecting Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. The company found that the charges resulted from an error that affected people […]
California Program Trains Young Men To Change Their Lives By Saving Others
On Thursday’s PBS NewsHour, KHN’s Sarah Varney reported on an innovative program in Oakland, Calif., that trains at risk youths to be emergency medical technicians. Watch the video below and read more on the NewsHour website.
Debate Grows Over Employer Plans With No Hospital Benefits
Some insurance pros say the administration intended such coverage to meet Obamacare’s “minimum value” standard. Others disagree, and the government stays silent.
DEA: Vicodin, Some Other Pain Meds Will Be Harder to Get
The regulation, slated to take effect Oct. 6, is a response to the widespread misuse of these prescription medicines.
For Gay Men, Gaps In HIV Knowledge And Treatment Persist
This KHN story can be republished for free. (details) Saturday is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, but the news about knowledge and treatment of HIV in the gay community is dispiriting. Just 30 percent of gay and bisexual men say they were tested for HIV within the last year as recommended; another 30 percent […]
Consumer Group Sues 2 More Calif. Plans Over Narrow Networks
This KHN story can be republished for free. (details) Insurers Cigna and Blue Shield of California misled consumers about the size of their networks of doctors and hospitals, leaving enrollees frustrated and owing large bills, according to two lawsuits filed this week in Los Angeles. “As a result, many patients were left without coverage in the course […]
Personal Attention Seen As Antidote To Rising Health Costs
Some of a hospital’s income now depends on keeping patients healthy. Kevin Wiehrs seeks to save hospitals money by keeping former patients out of the hospital.
Administration Says Hospitals Will Save $5.7B From Unpaid Bills Due To Health Law
About three-quarters of the savings will go to hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid.
Report: Difficulties Likely To Persist In Enrolling Asian-Americans, Pacific Islanders
Language and cultural issues, along with immigration concerns, could still pose major barriers to enrolling Asian-Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in health insurance plans this fall, according to a report released Wednesday by Action for Health Justice, an advocacy coalition that aims to educate these populations about the health law. The report argues that […]
Win-Win? CVS Joining Forces With Hospitals, Doctors
The pharmaceutical giant’s latest deal is with MedStar Health, in the Washington, D.C., area.
Insurance Brokers Key To Kentucky’s Obamacare Success
More than 40 percent of the people who signed up for insurance on Kynect, Kentucky’s exchange, used an insurance broker.
Number Of Marketplace Insurers To Rise 25 Percent, HHS Says
More companies will likely mean more competition and lower prices for consumers, HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said Tuesday.
How To Fix Medicare? Ask The Public
This KHN story can be republished for free. (details) Washington is full of ideas to overhaul Medicare. Some would increase the program’s eligibility age, others would charge higher-income beneficiaries more for their coverage. There’s movement to link payment to the quality — rather than the quantity — of care delivered. Marge Ginsburg decided to ask ordinary […]
Insurers Hesitant To Cover Many Proton Beam Therapy Treatments
Supporters of the controversial — and high-priced — therapy say more routine coverage would help propel necessary research.
Caring for His Elderly Dad With No Insurance Of His Own
In the remote reaches of California, a doctor’s son says coverage has nearly always eluded him, and his initial efforts to enroll in the state’s new insurance exchange were unsuccessful.