Latest KFF Health News Stories
Insurance Surcharges Will Fund Most Online Exchanges Created Under Health Law
The fees will make the markets self-supporting, but some state officials and insurers worry they could put coverage out of reach for some consumers.
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 30, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including news about the continuing partisan back and forth regarding “fiscal cliff” negotiations as well as reports on the health law’s implementation. The New York Times: GOP Balks At White House Plan On Fiscal Crisis The proposal, loaded with Democratic priorities and short on detailed spending […]
Insurance Commissioners Reject Calls To Limit Seniors’ Medigap Policies
The group argues that increasing cost-sharing would stop people from seeking necessary care.
Missouri Governor Backs Medicaid Expansion
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon wants the state to expand its Medicaid program, marking the strongest stance the Democratic governor has taken to date on the state’s pending decision. Nixon previously said he was evaluating the issue to see what’s best for Missouri. Speaking to a packed crowd of hospital and clinic leaders in Kansas City […]
Analysis: Health Exchanges And The Litigation Landscape
Health law critics are continuing their fight against the sweeping overhaul with legal challenges that aim to undermine the law’s employer and individual mandates.
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 29, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report detailing why the idea of raising Medicare’s eligibility age always seem to crop up in policy discussions. Politico: Inside The Talks: Fiscal Framework Emerges Cut through the fog, and here’s what to expect: Taxes will go up just shy of $1.2 trillion — […]
More Workers Covered By Bosses’ Self-Insured Plans
The number of U.S. workers covered by self-insured health plans—in which their employer assumes the financial risk for health costs rather than paying insurance companies to do that—has grown steadily in recent years. But such plans are still primarily used by large companies, not small employers, a new study finds. As of 2011, more than […]
Study Questions Benefits Of Many Double Mastectomies
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. It’s a startling trend: Many women with cancer in one breast are choosing to have their healthy breast removed, too. But a study being presented later this week says more than three-quarters of women who opt for double mastectomies are not getting any benefit because their risk of cancer […]
Options For Parents To Cover A Sick Child
Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about how to find affordable coverage for a child with a preexisting medical condition.
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 28, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how party positions on entitlement programs are playing into the ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiations. The New York Times: House Republican Urges Party To Yield On Tax Cuts For Most Earners Democrats said they would not accept cuts to Medicare or Medicaid as part of […]
Hospitals Get New Grades On Safety
Updated at 9:35 a.m. The Leapfrog Group is out with its second round of hospital safety ratings, and what a difference a few months has made. In the results released Wednesday, 103 hospitals that Leapfrog had given a “C” or lower in its first round of ratings in June got an “A” in the updated Hospital […]
Momentum Builds For Hepatitis C Testing Of Baby Boomers
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an influential and often controversial panel of doctors, is moving toward a recommendation for testing that could apply to all baby boomers. The group issued draft advice to doctors saying they should consider giving a hepatitis C test to people born between 1945 and 1965, […]
Hospitals Offer Wide Array Of Services To Keep Patients From Needing To Return
Free scales, diet tips and home visits from nurses all aim to curtail readmissions.
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 27, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how increasing the Medicare eligibility age and making other entitlement program changes are a part of the ongoing “fiscal cliff” discourse. The Wall Street Journal: ‘Cliff’ Wranglers Weigh Medicare Age The fiscal cliff has revived an old idea that long seemed unfeasible: gradually […]
Study: States Face Increased Medicaid Costs Even If They Don’t Expand Program
If state officials think they can escape a fiscal quagmire by refusing to expand Medicaid under the federal health law, they might want to reconsider. State Medicaid costs will jump $76 billion, or nearly 3 percent, over the next decade if all 50 states decide to expand Medicaid eligibility in 2014 under the federal health […]
Effort To Curb Medicare Spending Begins With Crackdown On Hospital Readmissions
The 2010 federal health law calls for penalties for hospitals with high rates of readmissions as the government seeks to trim spending in the the health program for the elderly and disabled.
New Prenatal Blood Tests Come With High Hopes And Some Questions
Insurers remain wary pending more studies, but many pregnant women are trying the tests for fetal abnormalities.
Medical Questions About Gun Ownership Come Under Scrutiny
High-profile law in Florida prohibiting doctors from asking patients about guns was overturned in the courts. But the 2010 federal health law restricts insurers, employers and HHS from asking.
In Juvenile Detention, Girls Face Health Care Designed For Boys
Up to 90 percent of incarcerated girls have experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse, creating a complex set of health problems that the juvenile justice system is ill-equipped to handle. One woman is on a crusade to change that.
Report: Coverage of Smoking Cessation Treatments Is Spotty Despite Health Law
It’s hard to stop smoking. But a new report suggests it’s even harder to decipher how your insurance plan covers the cost of treatments to help you quit. In 2010, the Affordable Care Act required that all new private health insurance plans completely cover preventive services deemed effective by the United States Preventive Services Task […]