Latest KFF Health News Stories
Meet A New Breed Of Medical Professional: The Health Coach
Health coaches are becoming more popular as chronic and often preventable diseases like Type 2 diabetes consume more and more health care dollars.
‘Child Life Specialists’ Help Sick Kids Be Kids
Child life specialists help sick children and their families navigate difficult medical situations emotionally and psychologically while in the hospital.
States Efforts To Outsource Prison Health Care Come Under Scrutiny
The cost cutting measures have raised concerns among state unions and prisoners’ rights groups.
Abortion Back On The Front Burner For Congress
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. It’s not just states where abortion is heating up as an issue this election year. Congress is getting back into the fray, too. On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee approved, on a party-line vote of 18-14, a bill that would ban abortions in the District of Columbia after 20 weeks of […]
Texas Advocates Push Insurance Rate Review
The Perry Administration’s Department of Insurance has nine reviews pending on insurers that are raising premiums more than 10 percent.
Physicians And Assisted Suicide; Avoid Getting Sick In July
KHN’s Matthew Fleming selected these interesting articles from around the Web for weekend reading options. ABC News: Assisted Dying: Experts Debate Doctor’s Role Peggy Sutherland was ready to die. The morphine oozing from a pump in her spine was no match for the pain of lung cancer, which had evaded treatment and invaded her ribs. … Sutherland, 68, […]
Today’s Headlines – July 20, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports from the presidential campaign trail and from the health care marketplace. The New York Times: Obama Visits Florida To Win Over Older Voters After weeks of focusing on Mr. Romney’s private-sector business deals, Mr. Obama turned to another front by attacking Republican plans to […]
Hospitals’ Readmissions Rates Not Budging
Medicare data show little improvement in curbing the number of beneficiaries who are readmitted despite threats of financial penalties to hospitals.
Today’s Headlines – July 19, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a variety of stories exploring public opinions about the health law, the upcoming election and the Supreme Court. NPR: A Majority Of Voters In NPR Poll Favor Amending, Not Repealing, Health Care Act A new poll done for NPR by a bipartisan polling team shows […]
Q&A: Upfront Payment For Medical Procedures
Michelle Andrews answers a consumer question about providers requesting advance payment for medical tests and other services.
Bill Frist To GOP Governors: Get Cracking On Exchanges
A former GOP power player is urging Republicans to rethink their rejection of the health law and to implement state insurance exchanges – and to do it now. Bill Frist, a former Republican Senate majority leader and heart transplant surgeon, today argued in a column that state officials should not pass up the opportunity to build […]
Notre Dame On-Campus Retail Clinic Opens, But Without Birth Control
Retail clinics are spreading across the country, offering their services at an increasing number of locations in stores and business offices. But a just-opened clinic at the University of Notre Dame could signal a new direction: setting up shop at academic centers. Walgreens partnered with Notre Dame to open an on-campus wellness center for employees last week. […]
Today’s Headlines – July 18, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including coverage of a new report that offers a gloomy fiscal forecast for states as they confront rising health care costs, underfunded pensions and a range of other economic challenges. NPR: Could The Health Law End Up Back In Court? Opponents Think So If you thought […]
Businesses Will Push Perry to Rethink Medicaid Expansion
Though Texas Gov. Rick Perry likens the Medicaid expansion to adding people “to the Titanic,” insurer WellPoint is grabbing for a piece of the business it thinks will grow in that state by buying Medicaid managed care provider Amerigroup. The move could mean an extra $1 billion in annual revenue for the insurer.
Once Focus of Health Law, Some In Poverty May Be Left Out
Mississippi family’s insurance problems could remain if state decides to follow Supreme Court’s option to decline Medicaid expansion.
Health Insurance Prices For Women Set To Drop
Any woman who has bought health insurance on her own probably didn’t find herself humming the old show tune, “I Enjoy Being a Girl.” That’s because more than 90 percent of individual plans charge women higher premiums than men for the same coverage, a practice known as gender rating. Women spend $1 billion more annually […]
Report: Higher Payments Are No Cure For Doctor Shortage
Medicare should not try to address the shortages of doctors and health care providers in some areas of the country by raising reimbursements to lure practitioners there, the Institute of Medicine recommended Tuesday. The committee concluded that while “there are wide discrepancies in access to and quality of care across geographic areas, particularly for racial […]
Today’s Headlines – July 17, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report that concludes that few Americans will pay more as a result of the health law. USA Today: Few Will Pay More Under Health Care Law Though the law is projected to raise more than $800 billion in taxes, fees and penalties over a […]
Safety Net Hospitals Could Lose Money In Medicare Changes, Study Warns
When Medicare begins adjusting hospital payments in October based on quality, one of the primary metrics will be patient experience ratings that cover everything from the communication skills of doctors and nurses to their promptness in responding to complaints about pain. A new study finds that this change may add to the financial troubles of […]
Even After Changing Policies, Some Consumers May Get A Rebate
Readers ask for guidance on questions involving health insurance rebates, coverage for same-sex spouses and benefits for pregnancy.