Latest KFF Health News Stories
GOP Plan Would Cut Medicaid By $1.7 Trillion, Study Says
The House Republican plan to repeal President Barack Obama’s health law and turn Medicaid into a block grant program would save the federal government $1.7 trillion from 2013 to 2022, a 38-percent spending reduction, according to a report today by the Urban Institute for the Kaiser Family Foundation. It would also result in 31 million […]
The Stakes Are High For Physicians In This Election Year
Despite varying political backgrounds, three health care experts are advising physicians that the presidential election will be crucial in deciding the way they practice and how it can be financed. Discussing some of the prickliest issues at stake in the health care delivery system, Dr. David Blumenthal, previously a director of health IT for the […]
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 23, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports from the campaign trail as well as the latest news about current meningitis outbreak. The New York Times: Check Point: Looking Closely At Statements From Candidates On Foreign Policy Who knew that fact-checking the sole foreign policy debate of the presidential campaign would include […]
Updated on Oct. 13 at 9:35 a.m. Just hours after posting it Monday, the Food and Drug Administration removed from its website a list of hospitals and doctors that had received products from the compounding pharmacy now at the center of the fungal meningitis outbreak, saying data may be incorrect. The agency said it is working […]
Wis. Senate Candidates Spar Over Health Issues
Former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and Rep. Tammy Baldwin bring an unusual level of health care expertise to the campaign.
Insurers Are Again Selling Child-Only Health Policies After Interventions From States, Study Finds
Many companies stopped selling the plans that cover just children after the federal health law prohibited them from rejecting kids with preexisting medical conditions.
Nursing Home Patients Returning To The Community
A federal program is helping thousands of elderly and disabled patients transition from nursing homes to more independent living.
Revised Medicare Penalties Hit Some States Hard
Medicare’s readmissions penalties are falling hardest on hospitals in New Jersey, New York, Arkansas, Mississippi and the District of Columbia, a Kaiser Health News analysis of updated government data shows. Medicare revised its penalties from the new Readmissions Reduction Program at the end of September after discovering it had made small errors in its calculations […]
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 22, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the latest reports about how health policies are playing on the campaign trail as candidates move into the home stretch. Los Angeles Times: Obama, Romney Launch Closing Barrage Of TV Ads Apart from the clash on the economy, the most striking aspect of the campaign’s […]
Tennessee Plan Would Help Medicaid Families Keep Health Coverage
Faced with the strain Medicaid “churn” places on families in Tennessee, officials there are asking for federal approval of a project that would offer special health plans to families with at least one member on Medicaid to help maintain health coverage for the entire family.
Voters’ Voices: Three Reagan Democrats Talk Medicare
The Reagan Democrats of the 1980s are older and and many are on Medicare, a program that the GOP wants to alter dramatically. Do they still hold true to the Gipper’s smaller government ethos, even if it might mean big changes to the program for seniors and the disabled?
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 19, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how Medicare and women’s health issues are playing in a number of House and Senate races. The Wall Street Journal: Candidates Flock To Florida, Coveting Electoral Votes Polls show Mr. Romney doing well among some key groups. In a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC […]
Seeking Treatment For Binge Eating Disorder
Even though the DSM will soon recognize binge eating disorder, many patients have trouble getting coverage for treatment.
Patients Often Find Getting Coverage For Eating Disorders Is Tough
Treatment can involve medical care, mental health treatments and nutritional therapy, but insurers say there is little research to show what is the best course of action.
Seniors Satisfied With Medicare, Anxious About Future, Survey Finds
Although most seniors appear to be at least somewhat satisfied with their Medicare coverage, many are deeply worried about what the future may hold for the program, according to a national survey released this week. More than 60 percent of seniors surveyed said they are concerned about changes the program may undergo. The poll, commissioned by […]
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 18, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organiztions, including resports about how the presidential candidates are crafting messages on women’s health issues in order to appeal to female voters. Politico: Boehner And Obama Haven’t Talked Fiscal Cliff It’s a striking admission from the nation’s top elected Republican and clear evidence that the most urgent […]
Accountable Care Explained: An Experiment in State Health Policy
ACOs are among the most ambitious of the new Medicaid cost containment and quality improvement schemes that have arisen in response to the federal health law and state fiscal pressures.
Video: Weighing The Impact Of Health Issues On Campaign 2012
KHN hosts a discussion on the Obama and Romney plans with former Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle and conservative health care analyst Avik Roy, followed by a reporters’ roundtable with KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Sarah Varney, Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post and Politico’s Jonathan Allen.
Trinity Health, Catholic Health East Announce Plans To Merge
Big news today in the land of hospital mergers and acquisitions. The boards of two leading Catholic health systems, Trinity Health and Catholic Health East, have announced plans to join forces in 2013. The consolidated Catholic health system would include 82 hospitals and 89 continuing care facilities, home health and hospice programs. The two health […]
Today’s Headlines – Oct. 17, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including health policy highlights from last night’s presidential debate. The New York Times: Rivals Bring Bare Fists To Rematch President Obama and Mitt Romney engaged Tuesday in one of the most intensive clashes in a televised presidential debate, with tensions between them spilling out in interruptions, […]