Latest KFF Health News Stories
Interactive Chart: Bonuses And Penalties For U.S. Hospitals
This chart shows the effect, by hospital, of Medicare bonuses and penalties based on how well they performed on quality measures.
By State: Hospital Quality Bonuses and Penalties
This chart shows the average effect by state of the value-based purchasing program on hospitals’ Medicare reimbursements per hospital stay for the federal spending year that runs from last October through September 2013.
The Gun Lobby’s Favorite Part Of The Health Law
Updated at 12:00 noon. Did you know the Affordable Care Act stands up for gun rights? The “Protection of Second Amendment Gun Rights” section (page 19 in this PDF) says the health law’s wellness programs can’t require participants to give information about guns in the house. It also keeps the Department of Health and Human […]
Today’s Headlines – Dec. 20, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including news about the efforts to reach a deal on curbing the federal deficit. The New York Times: Obama And Boehner Diverge Sharply On Fiscal Plan Hopes for a broad deficit-reduction agreement faded on Wednesday as President Obama insisted he had offered Republicans “a fair deal” […]
Health Insurance Executive: ‘Incorporating All The New Regulations’ Will Be Challenge In 2013
Blue Shield of California chairman and CEO Bruce Bodaken discusses his views on the health law and the current state of the insurance industry.
Today’s Headlines – Dec. 19, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the “fiscal cliff” negotiations. The New York Times: Hospitals Fear They’ll Bear Brunt Of Medicare Cuts As President Obama and Congress try to thrash out a budget deal, the question is not whether they will squeeze money out of Medicare, but how much […]
Colorado Gov Pitches Plan To Mend Mental Health Safety Net
In a grim coincidence, just days after the mass killing in Newtown, Conn., Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is proposing an $18.5 million plan to strengthen the state’s mental health system. The proposal is the result of five months of work by a group of advisors convened by Hickenlooper in the wake of a mass shooting in July at an […]
Spending, Taxing Remain Sticking Points As ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Looms
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey speaks with Jackie Judd about negotiations on Capitol Hill to avoid the “fiscal cliff” and just how close — or far apart — Democrats, Republicans and the White House seem to be on cutting spending and letting some tax cuts for the rich expire.
‘If I’d Had To Wait Until 67 For Medicare, I’d Be Dead’
Those approaching retirement, employers pan proposals to raise the Medicare eligibility age.
Today’s Headlines – Dec. 18, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about some of the health program specifics involved in offers traded in the ongoing fiscal cliff negotiations. The New York Times: Obama’s New Offer On Fiscal Crisis Could Lead To Deal The offer is close to a plan proposed by the speaker on Friday, […]
After Newtown Shootings, Questions About Mental Health Insurance Coverage
Gaps in insurance coverage for mental health treatment persist despite new laws — including the health law and the Mental Health Parity Act of 2008 — expanding such coverage. Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about mental health care in America.
Study Finds Coverage To Help Kick Smoking Can Be Tricky
A recent review of 39 health plans finds details about who is covered to smoking-cessation treatments and who pays for them can be confusing and inconsistent.
A basic guide and resources if you want to get Medicare to reverse a coverage decision.
Seniors Need To Be Tenacious In Appeals To Medicare
Consumer advocates say that efforts to get Medicare to reverse a decision denying coverage of care are frequently rejected at first, but the chances of success are much better for beneficiaries who keep appealing until they reach the level handled by an administrative law judge.
Today’s Headlines – Dec. 17, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including weekend updates regarding the fiscal cliff negotiations as well as news regarding states’ decisions on health exchanges. The Associated Press/Washington Post: Movement Seen In ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Talks As Boehner Offers Revenue Boost In return, Boehner is asking for $1 trillion in spending cuts from government […]
Med Students Switch Gears After Sandy KO’s Training Hospitals
After completing a medical rotation in pediatrics, Hannah Kirsch was looking forward to starting another one in psychiatry at New York City’s Bellevue Hospital – but then Hurricane Sandy hit. Kirsch is among about 170 third-year and fourth-year medical students at NYU School of Medicine who were required to change their plans after two of NYU’s […]
Tax Exclusion For Health Benefits Could Be Part Of ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Talks
As the deficit debate continues, some policy wonks think it’s inevitable that negotiators will address a loophole that allows workers to avoid paying taxes on the value of their job-based health insurance. “The No. 1 tax expenditure is employer-provided health insurance,” said G. William Hoagland, a senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center, who […]
Facing Deadline, Most States Say No To Running Their Own Insurance Exchanges
Updated at 5:35 p.m. The Obama administration will have to build and operate online health insurance markets for more than 30 states, something few expected when the federal health law was approved in 2010. With today’s deadline hours away, only 18 states and the District of Columbia had proposed running their own insurance markets, also known […]
Today’s Headlines – Dec. 14, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, featuring the latest reports on the fiscal negotiations — including how proposals to raise the Medicare eligibility are playing. The New York Times: With Gap Wide And Time Short, Obama And Boehner Meet With time running short to work out a deal to avert a year-end […]
Health Law Could Help Low-Income Mothers With Depression
Maternal depression can make it more difficult for women to breastfeed, keep up with doctors’ appointments and interact with their babies. But some health care researchers are hoping the Affordable Care Act will improve treatment for a condition that affects 11 percent of infants’ mothers on average, but which is more prevalent among low-income mothers. “Low-income mothers were […]