Latest KFF Health News Stories
What To Say When Mom Or Dad Has Cancer
The Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston offer emotional and practical support for families dealing with the disease.
Benefits On Health Marketplace Plans Will Be Similar But Costs Will Vary
In response to readers’ questions, columnist explains that all policies offered on the online exchanges must cover 10 “essential health benefits,” but the plans will be classified according to the proportion of costs that consumers will be responsible for paying.
HHS Inspector General Scrutinizes Medicare Observation Care Policy
The difference between inpatient and observational care status can have a big effect on Medicare beneficiaries — both in terms of the bills they face and the post-hospital options available to them.
Moratorium Targets Houston Ambulance Service Providers
This story was produced in partnership with The federal government has announced a six-month moratorium to halt enrollment of Houston-area ambulance service providers in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program in a bid to combat waste. The moratorium, announced last week, marks the first use of a new law created by the Affordable Care […]
KHN Reporters Answer Health Law Questions
Kaiser Health News’ reporters Mary Agnes Carey, Jay Hancock and Sarah Varney talked about a variety of issues related to the health law’s implementation on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Monday morning. KHN reporters will be returning to C-SPAN’s Washington Journal each Monday throughout the summer. Tune in each week to stay informed about the latest developments […]
Enrolling Healthy, Young Adults Crucial To Success Of New Health-Care Law
For the growing campaign to enroll the uninsured in health insurance as part of the monumental health-care overhaul, signing up healthy young adults – the “young invincibles” – is crucial to success.
How The Other Washington May Hold The Key To The Medicare Cost Crisis
Washington state saves money by ending insurance coverage for medical procedures that are unsafe, unproven or cost too much. Why can’t Medicare do the same?
Obamacare Canvassers Seek Out Florida’s Uninsured
Enroll America volunteers use census data and telephone surveys to identify people without coverage but finding them can still be challenging.
Maryland Regulators Slash Rates For Obamacare Insurance Policies
Consumer advocates praise rates that are more affordable, but others question whether they can be sustained.
Health Law Boosts Status Of Alternative Medicine — At Least On Paper
The Affordable Care Act says that insurance companies “shall not discriminate” against any state-licensed health provider, which could lead to better coverage of chiropractic, homeopathic and naturopathic care. Alternative medicine is also mentioned in parts of the law on wellness, prevention and research.
WellPoint Sees Small Employers Dropping Health Coverage
As the nation prepares to roll out the next phase of Obamacare, the second biggest medical insurer said Wednesday that it expects to lose members in health insurance plans sponsored by smaller employers. At the same time, WellPoint expects membership gains in self-insured employer plans and in the kind of individual plans that will be […]
Schizophrenia, Suicide And One Family’s Anguish
Homer Bell was 54 years old when he committed suicide in April in a very public way — he laid down in front of a bus in his hometown of Hartford, Conn. It was the culmination of three decades of suffering endured by Bell and his family because of his illness, schizophrenia. Harold Schwartz, the […]
GAO: Current Insurance Costs For Individual Policies Vary Widely
Will premiums go up or down under the health law? It’s been one of the most contentious questions in recent weeks, as states examine the rates submitted by insurers applying to sell coverage through new online marketplaces that open for enrollment Oct. 1. Critics of the law have argued that new rules, benefit requirements and taxes will drive […]
Report recommends that Congress use Medicare’s influence to push doctors and other providers to work more closely and share in financial risk for care that is too costly.
Letters to the Editor is a periodic KHN feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection.
Florida Providers Jump On ACO Bandwagon
The health care model encouraged by the Affordable Care Act rewards physicians for coordinating patient care and controlling costs.
Deciphering The Health Law’s Subsidies For Premiums
Tax attorney Cathy Livingston helps explain how consumers with lower incomes will be able to get financial assistance when buying a health insurance policy on the new online marketplaces.
Study: Doctors Look To Others To Play Biggest Role In Curbing Health Costs
When it comes to controlling the country’s health care costs, doctors point their fingers at lawyers, insurance companies, drug makers and hospitals. But well over half acknowledge they have at least some responsibility as stewards of health care resources. In a study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Mayo Clinic researchers […]
State Budget Officials In Alaska For Annual Gathering
It may be the dog days of summer, but it’s peak conference season. And as much of the nation melts under a heat wave, one conference stands out for both its location and its attendees. The National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) — representing the state officials who count the pennies and balance the accounts — is […]
Medicaid Coverage Limits Access To Medications For Painkiller Addicts
Patients face severe limitations on the amount and duration of medicines they take to fight addiction to pain pills.