Latest KFF Health News Stories
Medicare Fines 2,610 Hospitals In Third Round Of Readmission Penalties
Although fewer patients are now returning to the hospital within a month, the fines reached a record level this year.
Readmissions Penalties By State: Year 3
Medicare evaluated the readmission rates of the nation’s hospitals in determining the third year of penalties in the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. This table lists the average impact on hospitals in each state.
A Guide To Medicare’s Readmissions Penalties And Data
The methodology behind KHN’s analysis of the third year of the Medicare penalty program.
Canceled Health Plans: Round Two
Those who held onto plans that didn’t comply with the health law may have to choose new ones for 2015, and they could cost more.
Long-Acting Contraceptives Help Reduce Teen Pregnancy Rates, Study Finds
Teenage girls who are given access to long-acting contraceptives such as IUDs or hormonal implants at no cost are less likely to become pregnant, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine released Wednesday. The findings come just two days after the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that health providers should consider […]
Hospitals React To Proton Therapy Questions
Three hospitals react to KHN’s story on proton therapy with the statements.
Proton Center Closure Doesn’t Slow New Construction
A proton beam therapy center in Indiana is closing, and insurers are reluctant to cover the expensive treatment for common cancers. But plans for three new proton therapy centers for the D.C. area are still moving forward.
As Payments Database Debuts, Doctors Urge Caution
Consumers can look up their doctors and see if they were paid in any way by the health industry.
‘The Health Care System Falls Apart When You’re A Complex Patient’
Jeffrey Brenner, a 2013 MacArthur Fellow and executive director of the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, is betting that coordinated care for “super utilizer” patients will reduce health costs.
Deadline Today For 300,000 To Prove They Should Get Subsidies
KHN’s Julie Rovner was on WBUR’s Here and Now Tuesday morning to talk about the 300,000 people who stand to lose their health law subsidies if they don’t prove by today that they are eligible to get them. Listen to audio of the interview below:
Medicare Open Enrollment Is Fast Approaching — Here’s What We Know So Far
Kaiser Health News consumer columnist gives readers some basic information to help them weigh their Medicare options.
Many Rural Hospitals Are Excluded From Government’s Push For Better Quality
A quarter of the nation’s hospitals are exempt from penalties, quality bonuses and other payment reforms.
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.