Latest KFF Health News Stories
Boston Children’s Hospital Creates ‘Living’ Practice Guidelines
Overuse of some medical treatments – and underuse of others, when patients fail to get recommended care — are two factors linked to high medical spending in the United States. But efforts to set “best practice guidelines” have often drawn criticism from physicians and patients as “cookbook medicine” that could limit doctors’ autonomy or restrict […]
Doctors’ Diagnostic Errors Are Often Not Mentioned But Can Take A Serious Toll
Diagnoses that are missed, incorrect or delayed are believed to affect 10 to 20 percent of cases, far exceeding drug errors and surgery on the wrong patient or body part, both of which have received considerably more attention.
State Spending On Consumer Assistance Could Have ‘Huge Impact’ On Marketplace Enrollment
Some states with high uninsured rates get far less money to help people sign up for coverage under the health law.
Florida Legislative Session Ends Without Deal On Medicaid Expansion
The question of whether Florida would expand its Medicaid program to cover more low-income people has been answered, and it’s a “no” – at least for now.
Bloggers See Own Reflections In Oregon Medicaid Study
This week’s study of Oregon Medicaid recipients has quickly become a Rorschach test for how partisans and health policy wonks view the health care law. To recap, that study compared the health care of the winners and losers of a lottery held by Oregon in 2008 to decide who could enroll in the limited spots in the […]
Call Centers For Health Law Marketplaces To Create 9K Jobs
The federal health law derided as a “job-killer” by critics will create an estimated 9,000 jobs in 14 states this summer to handle consumer inquiries about new online insurance marketplaces. The jobs are through Vangent, a General Dynamics subsidiary, which was awarded a $530 million one-year contract by the federal government to set up call centers to […]
Women’s Health Groups Angered By Administration Morning-After Pill Policies
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. The Obama administration’s actions this week on emergency contraception have left many women’s health groups sputtering with anger. But what really has some of the President Barack Obama’s usual allies irritated is the fact that the moves are in direct contrast to speeches he made in […]
Medicare Seeks To Limit Number Of Seniors Placed In Hospital Observation Care
The proposal, part of the annual payment update, would help ease confusion over when beneficiaries are admitted to the hospital
Advocates Head To Court To Overturn Medicare Rules For Observation Care
Some hospital stays are not considered in-patient care, but seniors often don’t know that until they find they don’t qualify for full Medicare coverage.
Colorado Weighs Reopening A Psychiatric Hospital To Serve The Homeless
A proposal by Gov. John Hickenlooper would bring mentally ill and addicted homeless people to Fort Lyon, a one-time mental hospital, then prison, that’s been shuttered for two years. The patients would voluntarily come to the institution. And the tiny town of Las Animas would welcome the jobs that reopening the facility would create.
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State-By-State: A Progress Report On Medicaid Expansion
As of May 1, 16 states plus the District of Columbia have approved the expansion or are headed in that direction, 27 have rejected it or about to and seven states could still go either way.
Expanding Medicaid Didn’t Lead To Big Health Gains In Oregon, Study Finds
Although expanding Medicaid coverage to some low-income Oregon residents substantially improved their mental health and reduced financial strains on them, it didn’t significantly boost their physical health, according to a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The findings are less upbeat than a preliminary report by the same group, which had found that Medicaid made […]
The Arkansas Medicaid Model: What You Need To Know About The ‘Private Option’
Arkansas has broached what could be a deal-making compromise for states in a stalemate over whether or not to expand Medicaid. The Arkansas model gives Washington the increased coverage for the poor it wants, and Republicans something that looks less like government and more like business.
Yes, Virginia, There Is A Medical Home
Obamacare aims to shift how doctors and hospitals are paid – they’ll be rewarded for taking care of the whole patient, not just for every test or visit. But this is an idea that some practices have already embraced, and they have seen costs decline and patient health improve.
Aetna Cuts Predictions For Obamacare Enrollment
In a new sign that implementing the health law could take longer than expected, insurer Aetna said Tuesday it lowered the number of medical policies it expects to sell through online marketplaces that open for business in October. “This is going to be a slow uptake,” Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini told investment analysts on a […]
Obama: ‘We’re Pushing Very Hard’ To Meet Health Law Deadlines
President Barack Obama said Tuesday he expected some “glitches and bumps” in the road to full implementation of his health care law. “That’s pretty much true of every government program that’s ever been set up,” Obama said. “We’ve got a great team in place, we are pushing very hard to make sure that we’re hitting […]
A Shorter Exchange Application. But Is It Simpler?
Consumer advocates have been complaining for months that the Obama administration’s 21-page application to sign up for health insurance in the exchanges is too long and complicated. The designers of the application estimated it would take 45 minutes to complete. The administration heeded the advocates’ pleas with the introduction Tuesday of a modified application of […]
President on Obamacare: ‘Still A Big Complicated Piece Of Business’
Here is a transcript of President Barack Obama’s remarks on implementation of the health care law during his news conference today.
California Moves To Protect Smokers From Higher Obamacare Insurance Costs
The federal health law allows states to charge smokers up to 50 percent more for a health plan