Latest KFF Health News Stories
Letters to the Editor is a periodic KHN feature.
What Consumers Can Learn From Medicare Payment Data
Wednesday the federal government published details on Medicare’s $77 billion in payments to physicians, drug testing companies and other medical practitioners during 2012. KHN’s Jordan Rau, who reported on what can be learned from the newly-released data, discussed Medicare payments to providers with NPR’s Melissa Block on “All Things Considered” Wednesday night. Audio of that conversation […]
Alzheimer’s Disease Support Model Could Save Minn. Millions
As states eye strategies to control the costs of caring for Alzheimer’s patients, a New York model is drawing interest, and findings from a study of Minnesota’s effort to replicate it shows it could lead to significant savings and improved services. The New York University Caregiver Intervention (NYUCI) program offers caregivers six sessions of individual […]
Barriers Remain Despite Health Law’s Push To Expand Access To Substance Abuse Treatment
A decades-old Medicaid restriction prevents treatment centers with more than 16 beds from billing the program for residential services for low-income adults.
Doctors’ Billing System Stays Stuck In the ’70s For Now
Last week Congress delayed the upgrade of codes that govern the U.S. medical system. Some say this will waste billions of dollars and make cost-saving and life-saving research more difficult.
Medicare Records Provide Tantalizing New Details Of Payments To Doctors
But physicians and database experts caution that the information can be easily misconstrued or misunderstood.
A Call For Pricey Treatment For Millions With Hepatitis C
Authors of the first-ever global hepatitis C guidelines went big Tuesday, advocating for worldwide use of two of the most expensive specialty drugs in the world. The new guidelines, from the World Health Organization, give strong endorsement to the two newest medicines. Gilead Science’s Sovaldi costs $1,000 per pill/$84,000 for a 12-week course of treatment and […]
Nearly 4 Million Seriously Mentally Ill Still Without Insurance
In states that agreed to expand Medicaid, about 3 million people who have those conditions are now eligible for coverage, however the 24 states that refused the Medicaid expansion have nearly millions with severe mental illness without insurance.
Early Drug Claims Suggest Exchange Plan Enrollees Are Sicker Than Average
But experts say it’s too early to draw conclusions about the impact on premiums.
Primary Care Shortage? Not For The Insured, Study Shows
Researchers posing as nonelderly adult patients made nearly 13,000 calls to primary care practices across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and eight other states between fall 2012 and spring of last year. What they found may provide some comfort amid growing concerns of doctor shortages, especially as more people gain coverage through the Affordable Care Act, potentially […]
Oregon Medicaid Plan Sees High Demand
Trillium Community Health Plan is scrambling to take care of many more new customers than it expected in the first months of Affordable Care Act coverage.
Report: Jails House 10 Times More Mentally Ill Than State Hospitals
In 44 states and the District of Columbia, at least one prison or jail holds more people with serious mental illnesses than the largest state psychiatric hospital, according to a report released Tuesday by the Treatment Advocacy Center and the National Sheriffs’ Association. Across the country, an estimated 356,268 people with mental illnesses including bipolar […]
Clients Save, Insurers Get Boost From Affordable Care Act
As enrollment continues for some, insurers like Independence Blue Cross in Pennsylvania are busy trying to show new customers how to use their policies.
Nevada Offers Rare Bet: Year-Round Sales Of Health Plans
It is the only state to mandate that insurers who sell individual plans outside the online marketplace must keep sales open throughout the year. The health law allows insurers to offer individual plans even outside the open enrollment period, but in most areas few companies appear interested.
Obama Administration Retreats On Private Medicare Rate Cuts
But insurers still contest the claim that rates will rise slightly after arriving at their own calculations of the originally proposed cuts.
Kit Bond Works Missouri Capitol’s Halls On Medicaid Expansion
The former governor has been meeting with legislators, some of whom weren’t born when he first came to Jefferson City as state auditor in 1970.
When Connecting With A Dentist Doesn’t Mean An Office Visit
Teledentistry experiment in California aims to bring care to needy patients in schools and nursing homes. Consulting with dentists over the Internet, hygienists and dental assistants offer preventive treatment and education.
Teledentistry Boosts Kids’ Dental Treatments
Teledentistry is changing the dynamics of dental care delivery to children in low-income communities. Mireya Rodriguez, a dental hygienist in alternative practice, conducts dental screenings at Head Start preschool centers in Los Angeles,
Decoding The High-Stakes Debate Over Medicare Advantage Cuts
In high-visibility ad campaigns, insurers maintain that reduced payment rates, which are expected to be announced Monday, will do real harm. What should beneficiaries expect?
Los Angeles County Audit Finds Backlog Of Nursing Home Complaints
The Los Angeles County Auditor/Controller determined that there were more than 3,000 open investigations, including 945 that have been open for more than two years.