Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Care’s ‘Dirty Little Secret’: No One May Be Coordinating Care
Breakdowns in hospital communications are common, with sometimes dire consequences for patients.
For Some People Covered Through Work, An Exchange Might Be A Good Option For The Family
Insurance columnist answers readers’ questions about what might be available on the new insurance marketplaces next year when employer-provided insurance seems too expensive for a family and whether those exchanges will be available to people who are in the middle of a plan contract.
Colorado Medicaid Expansion Moves Forward With One Republican Vote
The only real surprise about Colorado’s bill to expand Medicaid, now that it’s been approved by both legislative chambers, is that it won a vote from a Republican legislator. Sen. Larry Crowder from the San Luis Valley said he couldn’t vote against the bill when hospitals in his district are strained to the breaking point […]
What’s Next In The Senate: In The Coming Weeks And After 2014
Jackie Judd talks with KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey about what’s next for the stalled confirmation of Marilyn Tavenner, and who will fill the void in health policy when three senior Senate Democrats retire in 2014.
Obama Administration Mulls Rule To Give Home Health Aides Better Wages
In 2011, the president called for a change in the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide minimum wage and overtime guarantees for these workers. But the proposal has been strongly opposed by some industry and disability groups.
Oregon’s Dilemma: How To Measure Health
The federal government has allocated $2 billion to Oregon to test ideas for coordinating care given by doctors, nurses, and hospitals. Now, the state has to figure out how it will measure its success
Vangent Gets $28 Million Contract For Health Marketplace Call Center
The federal government has awarded a $28.2 million contract to a General Dynamics subsidiary to run a call center to handle consumer questions about the new online insurance marketplaces that are slated to begin selling insurance policies Oct. 1. The call center will be responsible for all inquiries related to the insurance marketplaces in at least […]
Survey Finds Rate For Young Adult Coverage Improves While Others Decline
While the number of medically uninsured young adults dropped over the past two years, coverage of the overall working age population failed to improve, according to the findings of the Commonwealth Fund’s 2012 biennial health insurance survey released Friday. The survey shows that 11.7 million young adults – ages 19 to 25 – were uninsured […]
Senate President Lays Blame With Sebelius If Florida Fails To Expand Medicaid
Kaiser Health News sat down with Florida Senate President Don Gaetz in his office in Tallahassee last week to discuss the debate over expanding Medicare in the Sunshine State.
With Time Running Out, Florida Medicaid Expansion Is In Doubt
House GOP leaders question whether feds can deliver on $50B promise to cover poor residents.
Bid To Cover Abortion After Rape For Peace Corps Volunteers
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) introduced a bill Thursday that would provide health insurance coverage for abortions to Peace Corps volunteers in the case of rape or incest. The Peace Corps Equity Act of 2013 echoes the Shaheen Amendment, which President Barack Obama signed into law in 2012. That law provides military women coverage for abortions […]
New Guidelines May Drop Birth Control Training Rule
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. One of the more popular provisions of the federal health law requires that women be given much freer access to prescription methods of birth control. That includes not only the pill, but implants and IUDs as well. But what happens if there are not enough doctors to […]
New Health Exchanges Unlikely to End Insurance Monopolies in Some States
In states with a dominant insurance carrier, competition and lower prices envisioned by the health insurance exchanges that open in 2014 may be slow to arrive.
States Spend $28M, Then Leave Exchanges To The Feds
Late last year, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced that her state would not build its own online insurance marketplace, a pillar of the Affordable Care Act, because there were too many unknowns. What Brewer didn’t say was that her state had spent $9 million in federal money to reach that conclusion. Arizona was one of 10 […]
Nurses Fighting State By State For Minimum Staffing Laws
Nurses say understaffing at hospitals should be illegal; hospitals say the laws tie their hands.
Maryland Offers Glimpse At Obamacare Insurance Math
Maryland’s CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield pitches a 25 percent average hike in premiums for individuals, down from 50 percent.
Baucus Vows To Keep Watch On Health Law Rollout Before Leaving Senate
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus stunned his colleagues Tuesday when he announced he would not seek a seventh term next year. But don’t expect him to go quietly. Implementation of the 2010 health care law is a top priority for the Montana Democrat, as is overhauling the tax code, tackling the nation’s debt and pushing […]
Insurer Centene: We Can Do Arkansas-Style Medicaid
Arkansas is the latest and perhaps best hope for those who want states resistant to the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion to reconsider. Last week the Arkansas legislature approved a plan to give Medicaid beneficiaries money to buy individual policies from private insurers on the state’s health insurance exchange — the subsidized, online markeplaces due to […]
Lack Of Competition Might Hamper Health Exchanges
Some supporters of the health law fear that in states dominated by a single insurer, consumers won’t have much choice when health insurance exchanges — a key tenet of the health law — open in October.
New Website Will Disclose Health Industry Payments To Doctors
For the first time, the government will make information about financial relationships between doctors, teaching hospitals and drug manufacturers publicly available. To comply with a provision in the Affordable Care Act, drug and device manufacturers, along with group purchasing organizations, will have to disclose all of their payments and other compensation to physicians and teaching hospitals. Those who […]