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Latest KFF Health News Stories

Health Law Covers Breast Pumps, But Not All Moms Get The Best

KFF Health News Original

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans are required to give new mothers equipment and services to enable them to breast feed. What the law doesn’t say, however, is what kind of equipment has to be provided.

States Balk At Enforcing Health Law’s Insurance Protections

KFF Health News Original

Florida regulators won’t penalize insurance companies that violate new health law consumer protections that take effect in January but will report them to the federal government, according to an agreement between the state and federal officials. Citing lack of money and legal authority, Pennsylvania’s top insurance regulator hasn’t decided whether his agency can enforce the provisions, […]

29 States Get ‘F’ For Price Transparency Laws

KFF Health News Original

Wonder why you can’t get a straight answer on how much a health care procedure will cost you? One big reason: State laws which allow hospitals and other providers to keep costs hidden until they send you the bill. A report card on price transparency released today gives 29 states an “F” and seven states […]

Matchmaker, Er, Match Week, Make Me A Doc

KFF Health News Original

Fourth-year medical students have been talking a lot about their perfect match these days:  first impressions, the one who called right after they met, some that were too far away. For many, “match week” — this week — is what they’ve been working toward over the past four years. It’s the week that decides if, and […]

Midnight Drama As Minnesota House Passes Exchange Bill

KFF Health News Original

Landmark health insurance legislation is on its way to the Minnesota Senate after the House approved it shortly after midnight on Friday.  The House passed a conference committee’s proposal to reconcile the differences in House and Senate bills enacting a Minnesota health insurance exchange.  The ever-controversial exchange bill had a bumpy ride in the House, as […]

Small Businesses Pursue Health Law ‘Loophole’

KFF Health News Original

Self-insurance, once the purview of only large companies, is becoming popular with small employers, too. But it could be a threat to the Affordable Care Act, since self-insured companies are exempt from many of the health law’s requirements.

Minnesota Exchange Bill Moves Forward Without Abortion Restrictions

KFF Health News Original

UPDATE, 7 a.m. March 15: The Minnesota House approved the conference committee bill in a dramatic midnight vote after hours of heated debate. Elizabeth Stawicki’s report on the vote will be posted shortly.  ST. PAUL, MINN. — Abortion restrictions have been cut from a final version of Minnesota’s health insurance exchange bill that will impact how more […]

Colorado Sets Its Exchange Fee

KFF Health News Original

The price of policies in Colorado’s health insurance exchange will include a 1.4 percent fee to help fund exchange operations. The state’s exchange board voted to enact the fee Monday. Board Chairwoman Gretchen Hammer characterized it as lean compared with the 3.5 percent fee the federal government is expected to tack on to policies sold […]

Dick And Jane Sign Up For The Exchange

KFF Health News Original

Signing up for health insurance is intimidating — even if you know you might get some help paying for it. The federal government is trying hard to come up with a way to make the process a bit more palatable — about as simple as, say, doing your taxes online. The Centers for Medicare and […]

Democrats, Republicans Clash Over Health Care Savings

KFF Health News Original

Leaders from each chamber of Congress have competing budget proposals that seek savings in health spending. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about what’s next for the proposals and what President Obama could offer.

Letters To The Editor: Readers’ Thoughts On Patient Safety Activist Regina Holliday, Nurse-Staffing Issues, The Role Of Nurse Practitioners

KFF Health News Original

Readers responded to stories including a profile of patient safety advocate Regina Holliday; a story about that gap that often prevents cancer patients from getting rehabilitation services; an interview with the CEO of the American College of Nurse Practitioners; coverage of San Diego Hospice’s bankruptcy; and a piece about a fight brewing in Washington, D.C., over nurse-staffing issues.

Difference In What Medicare Spends On Cancer Care May Not Affect Survival Rates

KFF Health News Original

Although Medicare spending for patients with advance cancers varies regionally, a new study suggests that those differences are not related to survival rates. The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, examined Medicare spending on patients with advanced lung, colorectal, pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancers.  Cancer care costs account for approximately 10 […]

Mississippi Legislature Passes ‘Anti-Bloomberg’ Bill

KFF Health News Original

Mayor Mike and his public health edicts are having a rough ride. On Monday, a state judge in Manhattan knocked down the rule capping soda sizes that Mayor Michael Bloomberg championed. (Here’s a PDF of that ruling.) Lawmakers in Mississippi are taking things one step further. A bill on the governor’s desk would bar counties and […]