Latest KFF Health News Stories
Doors To Treatment Opening For Poor Illinoisans Struggling With Mental Illness
Federal and state laws expand psychiatric coverage, but some experts fear care will be in short supply.
Study: Supplemental Plans Raise Medicare Costs 22 Percent
A new study takes the closest look yet at the relationship between Medigap coverage and Medicare spending.
More Shoppers, Including Young Ones, Showing Up At Health Exchanges
The road to enrolling Americans in the online health exchanges has been fraught with glitches and a rich source of political fodder. But a new survey says there are signs of improvement. Seventeen percent of people potentially eligible for coverage visited the marketplaces when they opened in October, according to a survey of 622 people conducted […]
Survey Finds Wealthier Patients In California More Satisfied With Their Health Care
Money may not buy happiness, but patients with more money to spend tend to be happier with their health care providers, a statewide survey sponsored by the Blue Shield of California Foundation found. Based on responses from 1,500 California residents, researchers found that among those whose household incomes fell below 200 percent of the federal […]
Former HHS Head Offers His Take On Health Law’s Problems
Former Health And Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt says officials could learn from similar, albeit smaller, problems he and his staff had implementing the Medicare Prescription Drug Program in 2006, and that he doubts the Obama administration will meet its goals for enrollment in the health law’s insurance marketplaces.
Texas Democrats Say Navigator Rules Are Politically Motivated
Democratic legislators on Monday pushed Texas Department of Insurance officials to justify their proposed regulations for navigators.
Health Law Inspires Hope But Also Worry Among Those With HIV
People with HIV and AIDS can get private insurance, but advocates say that doesn’t guarantee access to high quality care.
Readers Ask: Are Premium Subsidies Permanent; Do I Have To Meet An Asset Test For Medicaid?
KHN’s consumer columnist answers questions about provisions of the health law.
Nonprofit Health Centers Go Into For-Profit Insurance Business
A growing number are starting managed care plans to boost revenue and gain more control over patient care.
Detailed Report Delivers Good News On Health Costs, But Will It Last?
Definitive 2012 numbers show continued, historically low increases in medical prices and the use of medical services. Health spending rose 3.7 percent, up slightly from 2011 but far below the 8 percent increases of the early 2000s, according to figures released Monday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Health spending has grown faster than incomes and […]
How Much Does A New Hip Cost? Even The Surgeon Doesn’t Know
What will a gallon of milk set you back? How about a new car? You probably have a rough idea. But what about a medical device — the kind that gets implanted during a knee or hip replacement? Chances are you have no clue. And you are not alone: The surgeons who implant those devices probably […]
364 Hospitals Have High Rates Of Overall Readmissions, New Medicare Data Show
Medicare’s new comprehensive measure of hospital readmissions shows that at least 20 percent of the hospitals in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island have higher rates of patients returning than the national average. Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah and Washington led the states with the highest proportion […]
Thousands Waiting For Medicaid Coverage Are Stuck In Limbo
State Medicaid programs have not received data on many applicants because of healthcare.gov’s software problems.
Millions Of Lower-Income People Expected To Shift Between Exchanges And Medicaid
“Churning” may cause gaps in coverage and require switching doctors and hospitals.
Maryland Plan Offers Retroactive Coverage Due To Sign-up Problems
Dr. Peter Beilenson may be the only health insurance CEO who picks up the phone when reporters call. So Kaiser Health News bothers him a lot. We caught up with the boss of Maryland’s Evergreen Health Co-op late last week to learn how one insurer moved from Obamacare theory to Obamacare practice. “They have their […]
New Year Brings Many Key Provisions Of Health Law
KHN’s Julie Appleby appeared on PBS NewsHour Thursday to discuss the status of the health law rollout as of Jan. 1, a date that marks the start of many of the Affordable Care Act’s most important provisions. Watch video of the segment below:
Are There Enough Doctors For The Newly Insured?
With the health law bringing newly insured consumers as of Jan. 1, experts wonder whether some will have trouble gaining access to timely treatment.
Many Spanish Speakers Left Behind In First Wave Of Obamacare
Enrollment of key group is hampered by language, cultural and technological barriers.
A Reader Asks: If I Don’t Use All My Subsidy Credit, Will I Get It When I Do My Taxes?
You can take all the health law’s tax credit up front to pay your premium or wait until tax time to get it, KHN’s consumer columnist advises.
Missouri Governor Pushes GOP-Led Legislature On Medicaid Expansion
This story was produced in partnership with the Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, is intensifying his effort to persuade Republican lawmakers to expand Medicaid with a pitch that uses some of the same themes that Republicans favor. At a news conference in his Capitol office this week, Nixon praised states such as Iowa and Arkansas […]