Latest KFF Health News Stories
Rx For Clarity: Calif. Considers Bilingual Drug Labels
Every Saturday morning, a steady stream of Chinese and Vietnamese patients line up at the Paul Hom Asian Clinic in Sacramento, Calif. Most of them speak little to no English. Patient assistance director Danny Tao says people come here to get free medical consultations and drug prescriptions. But, he says that when patients take those […]
As Ballet Stretches Her Body’s Limits, Insurance Brings Peace of Mind
When you pirouette for a living, injury is nearly certain. But one veteran says coverage under the nation’s health law provided some relief.
California Makes Significant Progress In Enrolling Previously Uninsured, Survey Finds
But more than 40 percent of those who lacked coverage last fall still don’t have insurance.
Survey Finds 1 In 5 Uninsured Don’t Want Coverage
Though millions of people gained health coverage this year as a result of the Affordable Care Act, millions more remain unaware of their options or have no interest in getting insured, a new survey has found. Among those who were uninsured last year and remain uninsured, only 59 percent were familiar with the new Obamacare marketplaces […]
Moving Children From CHIP To Exchange Plans Would Increase Costs: Study
Cost sharing would increase and the number of child-specific services covered would decline if millions of low-income children now enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) were forced to receive coverage through the health law’s insurance exchanges, according to a study released Tuesday. CHIP enrollees in some states could see their cost sharing increase 10-fold […]
Expert Panel Recommends Sweeping Changes To Doctor Training System
Overhauling financing is seen as key to reforms.
Medicare Experiment Could Signal Sea Change For Hospice
What happens when hospice patients can keep getting life-extending treatment? Palliative care expert Diane Meier discusses the new program.
Good News For Boomers: Medicare’s Hospital Trust Fund Appears Flush Until 2030
But the fund that pays disability benefits needs help fast.
Limitations Of New Health Plans Rankle Some Enrollees
Consumer groups complain people have been misled about the narrow networks of hospitals and doctors in their plans. Insurers say they are trying to hold down prices.
Pitfalls Emerge in Health Insurance Renewals
Automatically renewing your Obamacare policy could cost you thousands.
A Reader Asks: How Can I Get Health Coverage For My Grandchildren?
KHN consumer columnist Michelle Andrews points out various options through Medicaid, CHIP and the online insurance marketplaces.
Study Estimates 10 Million Americans Gained Health Coverage
About 10.3 million Americans gained health coverage this year, primarily as a result of the Affordable Care Act, according to a study by the federal government and Harvard University, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The estimate of newly insured adults — the largest to date — is the first published in a […]
Advocacy Groups Say Medicare Should Negotiate With Drugmakers
Medicare could save billions if Congress overcame its reluctance to anger the drug industry and allowed the program to demand rebates or negotiate prices, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said Wednesday. He added that’s something polls show many Americans support. Expensive new blockbuster drugs, such as a $1,000-a-pill hepatitis C treatment called Sovaldi, highlight the need to […]
New Health Law Court Decisions Could Have Limited Political Impact
Analysts say it’s hard to see either party broadly benefiting in the fall elections.
Groups Sue Tennessee Over Medicaid Enrollment Delays
The plaintiffs accuse state officials of depriving thousands of residents of health care coverage.
What’s Next In The Wake Of Conflicting Federal Court Decisions
KHN’s Julie Rovner and SCOTUSblog’s Tom Goldstein joined Gwen Ifill on PBS NewsHour Tuesday to discuss the implications of two federal court decisions that disagreed about the legality of selling subsidized insurance on healthcare.gov. Watch the video below.
King County’s Wellness Plan Beats the Odds
Most employee wellness plans have few participants and little effect on health care costs. A program in King County, Washington, is an exception.
Business Groups, Consumer Advocates Draw Lines In The Sand About Essential Benefits
The essential health benefits (EHBs) countdown is on for 2016. That’s when this provision of the Affordable Care Act, which sets out 10 specific health services that must be covered by plans sold on the exchanges, will likely be reviewed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Business interests and consumer advocates are already making their […]
California Nurses Union Braces For Contract Battle
The powerful California Nurses Association is threatening to strike as it begins negotiations with Kaiser Permanente on a new four-year contract.
Appeals Courts Split On Legality Of Subsidies For Affordable Care Act
The D.C. circuit struck down the administration’s decision to offer financial help for lower-income consumers buying coverage on the federal insurance marketplace. But the 4th Circuit court in Richmond, Va., said the subsidies were valid.