Latest KFF Health News Stories
New Coverage May Spur Younger Women To Use Long-Acting Contraceptives
The health law specifies that birth control is a covered service in many plans ending the burden of a high up-front cost for IUDs and hormonal implants.
Cancer Rehab Begins To Bridge A Gap For Patients
STAR, a program designed to offer cancer survivors rehabilitation therapy after treatment, is growing, as is research showing that many of the quality-of-life problems cancer survivors have are physical and can be helped with rehab.
Health Technology’s ‘Essential Critic’ Warns Of Medical Mistakes
“We’re in the midst of a mania right now,” Dr. Scot Silverstein warns, speaking of the race to adopt electronic health records. “We know it causes harm, and we don’t even know the level of magnitude. That statement alone should be the basis for the greatest of caution and slowing down.”
As Hospital Challenges Rise, Their Bond Ratings Fall
Nonprofit hospitals don’t issue stock, so you can’t track their financial health by the ups and downs of share prices. But many sell bonds, and it’s fair to say that hospital bonds haven’t fared as well recently as the Dow Jones average. Last year set a record for hospital-bond downgrades, as debt levels rose and hospitals faced the […]
Federal Government To Run Insurance Marketplaces In Half The States
Friday deadline passes and states largely bypass the option to work with the federal government in setting up new online health insurance marketplaces that open for business Oct. 1.
Feds Increase Costs To High-Risk Pool Members
The Obama administration has increased costs for about 38,000 people enrolled in high-risk insurance pools run under the federal health law to prevent the program from running out of money. The pools, which started in 2010, will expire at the end of the year when new rules prohibiting insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing […]
Valentine’s Day Surprise: Senate Democrats Blast Obamacare Implementation
Senate Democrats on Thursday showed little love to the Obama administration for how it is implementing the federal health law. Testifying before the powerful Senate Finance Committee, the administration’s top regulator on new health exchanges encountered criticism from several Democrats who helped push through the 2010 federal health overhaul — among them Chairman Max Baucus of […]
San Diego Hospice Will Close As Financial Problems Grow
San Diego Hospice, one of the nation’s oldest and busiest, is closing its doors permanently in response to financial problems stemming from an investigation of its practices by Medicare. The hospice announced last week that it planned to file for bankruptcy. On Wednesday, San Diego Hospice said it would cease operating in the next 60 […]
Medicaid Expansion Puts Spotlight On Access To Primary Care
The Affordable Care Act will usher at least seven million more Americans into Medicaid next year, but the question of whether enough doctors will be there to welcome them is keeping some state health policymakers up at night.
California Health Chief Looks Within For Solution To Rising Health Costs
Ex-cop-turned-Scripps Health CEO Chris Van Gorder roots out ‘unnecessary variation’ to make care more cost-effective.
Study: Expanding Medicaid Cheaper Than Not In Colorado
Opponents of the Medicaid expansion called for in the Affordable Care Act say states can’t afford it, even with the federal government picking up most of the tab. But a new analysis says it would actually be more expensive for Colorado to not expand Medicaid. “While Medicaid expansion is not free, the combination of federal […]
California Sets Standard Deductibles, Copays For Insurance Plans
California on Wednesday became the first state to standardize health insurance plans under the federal health law, which regulators say will make shopping for health insurance easier when new online marketplaces begin enrolling customers in the fall. The state has set specific rules governing how much insurers can charge consumers for such things as office visits, […]
The ‘Yawning’ Chart Med School Students Fear
Medical school students call this chart the “jaws of death.” The graph from the Association of American Medical Colleges displays a yawning gap between the increasing number of med school grads looking for residencies and the number of residency slots available to them. “This is the only time in the history of the U.S. that […]
President Obama Calls For ‘Modest Reforms’ To Medicare
Health On The Hill: Jackie Judd and KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey discuss the health care issues in Tuesday night’s State of the Union address — and Sen. Rubio’s Republican response.
Obama Calls For ‘Modest Reforms’ Of Medicare
In his State of the Union address, the president also says he is “open to additional reforms from both parties” to slow the growth of health care costs.
Higher Hospital Readmissions Aren’t Linked To Fewer Deaths, Study Finds
The research bolsters Medicare’s efforts to prompt hospitals to reduce the number of patients who return quickly even though some experts assert that might be a sign of good care.
Health Figures Big In State Of The Union Guest List
Five of the 24 people invited to sit near First Lady Michelle Obama at Tuesday night’s State of the Union have strong health care connections. They included a governor, a business owner and a beneficiary of the health law provision that prevents health plans from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Typically, invited guests at […]
Medicaid Helps Hospitals Pay For Illegal Immigrants’ Care
California gets the lion’s share of funding for a program that critics say leads to ‘anchor babies.’
Need A Price For A Hip Replacement? Good Luck With That
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. Let’s say your 62-year-old granny is feeling creaky. One of her hips has been giving her trouble, and her doctor tells her it’s time to get it replaced with an implant. There’s a catch. Grandma isn’t old enough for Medicare and she doesn’t have health insurance. She […]
Observation Units Can Improve Care But May Be Costly For Patients
Sometimes patients who are kept in the hospital to monitor their condition are not formally admitted and must pick up a bigger share of the cost.