Latest KFF Health News Stories
Today’s Headlines – July 27, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a new effort launched by the Obama administration and insurers to fight health care fraud. The New York Times: Hospitals Are Worried About Cut In Fund For The Uninsured President Obama’s health care law is putting new strains on some of the nation’s […]
Letter To The Editor: The Role For Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis In The Fight Against AIDS
KHN periodically shares readers’ comments on recent original stories.
Olympians Face Unique Health Insurance Options
U.S. Olympic athletes have a number of health insurance options, including the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Elite Athlete Insurance Program.
Tiffany West: The Role Of Local Health Departments
The chief of strategic information on HIV/AIDS for the D.C. Department of Health tells Joanne Silberner that innovative tools and strategic spending can cut into DC’s epidemic.
Former Obama Adviser Chosen As Commonwealth Fund President
The Commonwealth Fund, one of the nation’s largest health care philanthropies, has named Dr. David Blumenthal as its new president. Between 2009 and February 2011, Blumenthal led President Barack Obama’s effort to expand the use of electronic medical records and other health information technology. After that job he returned to Harvard Medical School, where he […]
From Zambia To Kansas City: One Woman’s AIDS Odyssey
More than 6,000 people in the Kansas City region are living with HIV/AIDS, including Bester Seemani, who says an AIDS diagnosis twelve years ago completely changed her life and her journey back home to Zambia.
Today’s Headlines – July 26, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including coverage of a new study that finds Medicaid may help people live longer. Politico: White House Tailors Minority Health Care Pitch The message: Blacks and Hispanics, among whom uninsured rates are significantly higher than among whites, stand to benefit disproportionately under the health law, gaining […]
Words Can Wound: How The Media Describe The Mentally Ill And Disabled
Despite gains, outdated or demeaning language still crops up in everyday speech and in the media.
Medicaid Expansion Reduces Mortality, Study Finds
As states decide whether to expand their Medicaid programs to cover low-income childless adults, the impact of their choices became clearer today in a study showing a reduction of mortality in states that have already made that move. The research published in the New England Journal of Medicine found a 6.1 percent reduction in mortality […]
Michael Weinstein: ‘We Have A Long Way To Go’ In The U.S.
The president and co-founder of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation tells Joanne Silberner that it is important to keep public policy focused on proven methods for controlling AIDS.
Today’s Headlines – July 25, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about new Congressional Budget Office health law estimates that reflect the Supreme Court’s decision on the Medicaid expansion. The Washington Post: CBO: Court Ruling Cuts Cost Of Health-Care Law, But Leaves 3 Million More Uninsured President Obama’s signature health-care initiative will cost a bit […]
CBO Reports On Impact Of Medicaid Ruling, Health Law Repeal Effort
Federal spending under the health care law is likely to be $84 billion lower over the next 11 years than previously projected now that states can opt out of the law’s Medicaid expansion, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis released Tuesday. The CBO estimated that 6 million fewer low-income Americans will gain coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s […]
Minnesota Wants Outside Audit Of Medicaid HMOs
The Minnesota Department of Human Services announced Monday that it is seeking bids for an outside audit of Medicaid payment rates for fiscal years 2003 through 2011. The move follows months of controversy over whether the state’s contracts have been too generous. The move means the administration of Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, is seeking […]
Phill Wilson: ‘Advances Have Not Benefitted All Populations Equally’
AIDS in 2012: The founder and executive director of the Black AIDS Institute tells Joanne Silberner that the AIDS epidemic can be combated by making policy choices based on science and by ensuring that the health law’s essential benefits package provides for both HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention.
States Cut Medicaid Drug Benefits To Save Money
Illinois is the latest state to act, imposing a limit of four drugs.
13 States Cut Medicaid To Balance Budgets
Provider cuts may limit care for poor people and make it harder to expand the program in 2014.
GAO: Proposed Rule May Leave Some Children Ineligible For Subsidies
While most uninsured children will qualify for coverage under the federal health law, a small percentage — 6.6 percent of the total, or at least 460,000 — may be shut out because of how the government proposes to define “affordable” coverage, says a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The proposed Treasury Department rule […]
To help balance their budgets, 13 states are cutting Medicaid either by lowering fees paid to medical providers, reducing benefits, or tightening eligibility for the health insurance program for the poor and disabled. Most changes went into effect July 1, though some take effect later this year and some are pending federal approval. Kaiser Health News surveyed the 50 state Medicaid programs:
When Going Back To The Hospital Is Good News
No one wants to be readmitted to a hospital, but it does beat one alternative: death. As Medicare prepares to start punishing hospitals with higher than expected readmission rates, new government data show that some hospitals with high readmissions are actually doing a better job than most in keeping Medicare patients alive. Beth Israel Deaconess […]
Today’s Headlines – July 24, 2012
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including news from the campaign season as well as reports from the international AIDS conference currently taking place in Washington, D.C. The Wall Street Journal: Deloitte: One In 10 U.S. Employers To Drop Health Coverage Around one in 10 employers in the U.S. plans to drop […]