Latest KFF Health News Stories
Expert: Hospitals’ ‘Humongous Monopoly’ Drives Prices High
The American Enterprise Institute didn’t plan its panel last week on hospital consolidation to coincide with Steve Brill’s much-talked-about Time magazine article on hospital prices. But the Friday session could have taken the piece, Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us, as its text. Participants mentioned it several times. The basic message, delivered at the pro-markets […]
In New York, Palliative Care Adds A Layer Of Support For The Seriously Ill
A New York law passed last year ensures that everyone with “advanced life limiting conditions or illnesses who might benefit from palliative care” not only be informed of these services but also that the provider facilitate access to that care if they desire it.
Panel Calls For ‘Drastic Changes’ In Medicare Doctor Pay
A panel convened by a major medical group is recommending that Medicare heal its physician payment shortfalls with “drastic changes” in how it reimburses doctors and other providers, rather than seeking more taxpayer money. Medicare needs $138 billion over the next decade to avoid steep cuts in physician pay. Avoiding those cuts has become an […]
Nurse Practitioners Say How They’re Paid Affects Care They Can Provide
Many nurse practitioners say restrictive payment policies impact how they care for patients more than state laws governing what care they can give, according to a new study. In the study, published Thursday by the National Institute for Health Care Reform, researchers found that while so-called “scope of practice” laws did not appear to restrict […]
New Reasons To ‘Like’ Online Hospital Reviews
Millions of dollars and some of the best minds in health care have been devoted to measuring how good a hospital is. But two studies suggest users of two social media giants, Facebook and Yelp, may do a solid job of reflecting quality. The findings are particularly important as more people are turning to the […]
Mass. Weighs Governor’s Plan To Tax Candy And Soda
Are candy and soda food? In Massachusetts, candy and soda are considered food and are exempt from the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax. But Gov. Deval Patrick wants to change that. He’s proposing that the legislature tax every bag of M&M’s and bottle of Pepsi bought in the state. “Half of the people in the […]
Medical Research, FDA And Mental Health Programs Face Budget Bite
Federal funding for Medicaid is untouched but doctors, hospitals and other Medicare providers will see a 2 percent reduction.
Hospital Executive Bracing For Budget Cuts Says ‘We Need To Deal With Medicare’
David Blom, the president of OhioHealth, talks about the effects of sequestration and the need to find a long-term fiscal remedy.
Hospital Consolidation Dance Heats Up In NYC
The health care game of musical chairs is picking up speed in New York City, one of the most competitive markets in the country. The Mount Sinai Medical Center and Continuum Health Partners announced Thursday that their boards of trustees have reached a tentative agreement on a possible merger. The announcement comes less than nine months after Continuum, which […]
Tenet Shows Hospitals Will Cut Prices For Exchange Patients — But Only So Much
How much will hospitals reduce prices in an effort to win what are expected to be millions of newly insured patients under the Affordable Care Act? A little, not a lot, if deals disclosed this week by Tenet Healthcare are any indication. The Dallas-based hospital chain told analysts that its first contracts to treat patients buying policies in the ACA’s online marketplaces […]
Some States Will Rate Health Plans On Quality This Fall
Beginning in October, some states will score health plans on cancer screening rates and flu shot delivery, among other measures, to help consumers make smarter buying decisions.
Messaging Your Doctor? There’s An App For That
Last year Dr. Michael Nusbaum introduced a mobile application in an effort to make scheduling a medical appointment as easy as sending a Facebook message to a friend, and as safe as sharing your medical information in person at the doctor’s office. The New Jersey-based surgeon said he designed MedXCom “to bring doctor-patient communication to the twenty-first […]
FAQ On Medicare Doctor Pay: Why Is It So Hard To Fix?
A bipartisan House bill and an effort by GOP leaders seek to stop the threats of drastic cuts each year.
Ways & Means Chairman Hopes To Move Medicare ‘Doc Fix’ Plan
The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee made clear Tuesday that finding a solution to the vexing issue of setting Medicare physician payment rates is on his to-do list this year, and he got some tepid support from a key Democrat. Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., said that the effort could be helped by a recent reassessment […]
Americans Uncomfortable Around Mentally Ill Despite Acknowledging Discrimination
The public has a contradictory view of mental illness, according to a new poll. While most Americans believe people with such ailments are the victims of prejudice and discrimination, a substantial portion of the public say they have qualms about working in the same place or having their children attend a school where someone with a […]
House Panel Examines Nuts & Bolts Of Changing Traditional Medicare
Outside of the heat of election season, a House subcommittee chaired by GOP Rep. Kevin Brady begins examining options for cost savings in traditional Medicare. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Jackie Judd discuss the proceedings.
Medicaid, Sequester Weighing On Govs’ Minds At Annual Winter Meeting
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. When the nation’s governors gathered in Washington, D.C., over the weekend for their annual winter meeting, the gathering’s official theme was about efforts to hire people with disabilities. But out of the public eye, at the sessions for “governors only,” the discussion reportedly was dominated by […]
Key Long-Term-Care Insurer To Raise Women’s Premiums
Although the Affordable Care Act seeks to end health plans’ use of gender to set prices, the new rules don’t apply to policies for long-term care.
3 Hill Panels Examining Changes To Medicare
Updated at 12:10 p.m. With $85 billion in automatic federal spending cuts set to take effect on Friday and predictions of economic disruption, much of official Washington is focused on the “blame game.” Publicly, there has been no sign that Congress or administration officials has made any progress on averting these cuts or finding common […]
Plans To Expand Florida Medicaid Welcomed And Feared
Doctors, consumer groups cheer expansion, worry that for-profit health plans may cut corners.