Latest KFF Health News Stories
In South Jersey, New Options For Primary Care Are Slow To Take Hold
A clinic in a Camden, N.J., apartment building makes slow progress persuading patients not to use hospital emergency rooms for primary care.
Why You May Want To Reconsider That Plan With A Health Savings Account
Health plan deductibles keep getting higher — the proportion of workers with a deductible that topped $1,000 for single coverage nearly tripled in the past five years, to 34 percent. Since high-deductible plans often mean you pay more out of pocket for medical care, it might seem like a no-brainer to sign up for a plan that […]
Death Rates Rise At Geographically Isolated Hospitals, Study Finds
These critical access hospitals, which are often in rural areas, get paid more generously by Medicare and are exempt from some federal reporting standards. But those exemptions may be hiding quality issues at the facilities.
At Health Law Anniversary, Even Bigger Changes Loom
Health policy reporters weigh in on what’s changed since the Affordable Care Act became law three years ago for consumers, businesses, state governments, and what’s next for expanding Medicaid and launching exchanges.
Despite Fears Of ‘Sticker Shock,’ Young Adults Should Have Reasonable Plan Options On Exchanges
Insurance columnist answers readers’ questions about the premium prices for young adults, pre-tax contributions to health savings accounts and choosing between work-provided coverage and buying a plan on their own.
New Med School Aims To Train Primary Care Docs
Quinnipiac University in Connecticut is recruiting its first class for the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, with an eye toward meeting the coming demand for more primary care physicians.
No Rate Shock Seen In Proposed 2014 Premiums In Vermont
After years of anticipation, Vermont became the first state Monday to publish proposed 2014 individual health insurance rates under the federal health law. Despite Republican and insurers’ predictions, there was no “rate shock” in the new premiums, according to the Vermont governor’s office and insurance representatives. That state may not be the best barometer of the impact […]
IG Report Slaps Medicare For Not Recouping More Overpayment For Equipment
Medicare has made nearly $70 million in overpayments to suppliers of consumers’ medical equipment, and more than half of that money is unlikely to be recovered, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General. Since 2009, Medicare has required suppliers of such durable medical equipment, which includes wheelchairs, walkers […]
Why Uninsured Might Not Flock To Health Law’s Marketplaces
Florida programs show that convincing people to sign up for even low-cost coverage is no cinch.
Maryland’s Tough New Hospital Spending Proposal Seen As ‘Nationally Significant’
State officials want to limit hospital spending to the growth rate of the state’s economy, a huge challenge for hospitals.
Oregon Shows Costs Of Putting Medicaid Enrollees In Private Coverage
The Arkansas plan to expand Medicaid by paying for enrollees to buy private health insurance has been billed as a new option for states led by Republicans who are leery of the federal health overhaul. And it’s getting attention from Republican leaders in Florida and Ohio, among other states. However, the strategy is not new. […]
Obamacare Is No Stumbling Block For Taxpayers This Year
If you haven’t done your taxes yet, this ad from H&R Block might make you feel even more anxious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w-zoseqxUw Meg Sutton, H&R Block’s senior advisor for tax and health care services, offered some details on what the big changes are. “So the big changes are, really, just filing that return,” she explained. “And so, getting into […]
Can They Do That? Rules For Pricing Spousal Coverage
Michelle Andrews answers a reader’s question about employers who charge a different premium to cover a spouse who has coverage available through his or her own job.
FAQ On The Latest Study: Obamacare’s Impact On Insurance Claim Costs
The Society of Actuaries is predicting that because of the health law, on average, insurers will have to pay 32 percent more for claims by 2017. What does that mean for consumers?
Tight Medicaid Eligibility Leads To More Adults Delaying Care
Hidalgo is a county in southern Texas just across the Rio Grande from Mexico. It’s also home to the highest prevalence of U.S. adults – about 40 percent of the population– delaying necessary medical care because of cost, according to data in the March 28 New England Journal of Medicine. The research letter in the March 28 […]
Audit Finds Shortcomings In Minn. Verifications Of Income, Other Information
An audit released Tuesday shows Minnesota’s Department of Human Services has not been adequately verifying the eligibility of participants in some of its public assistance programs. Such verifications are a requirement of state and federal law, and the legislative auditor says his office first alerted the department to some of the problems more than a decade ago. […]
A Bridge To Health — And Away From ER Overuse
There are patients in almost every hospital emergency room who do not need urgent care. They are there because they don’t have health insurance or a regular physician, or they didn’t know what else to do. Often, they are repeat visitors. It’s a problem that leads to emergency department overuse and contributes to spiraling health […]
Economic Changes Hurt The Bottom Line For Rural Ga. Hospitals
To save money, some cut procedures, such as labor and delivery services, but a growing number are forced to close.
Arkansas Medicaid Plan, Born Of Necessity, Shakes Things Up
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. Since the Supreme Court made the Medicaid expansion under the federal health law optional last year, states’ decisions have largely split along party lines. States run by Democrats have been opting in; states run by Republicans have mostly been saying no or holding back. But now Arkansas – at the […]
Slow Progress On Efforts To Pay Docs, Hospitals For ‘Value,’ Not Volume
Consortium of large employers says that only 10.9 percent of employers’ health spending is based on value-based payment.