Latest KFF Health News Stories
How Many Will Remain Uninsured if States Don’t Expand Medicaid?
Since the Supreme Court ruled that states won’t be required under the health law to expand Medicaid, Washington has been buzzing with estimates about the numbers of poor people who could be left uninsured. But the numbers so far have been inflated, because they included both those who would become eligible for the first time […]
Medicaid Expansion Already An Issue In Some Gubernatorial Races
Hours after the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama’s health law but made its Medicaid expansion optional, Missouri Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Randles said the state would be foolish to expand the health insurance program for the poor — even it means passing up hundreds of millions of federal dollars. “States that accept this new […]
Today’s Headlines – July 5, 2012
Good morning! Hope you had a great holiday. Here are your headlines: Politico: Romney Shifts, Says Mandate’s A Tax Directly contradicting his senior adviser, Eric Fehrnstrom, presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney told CBS that the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate is “a tax.” Earlier this week, Fehrnstrom said in a TV appearance that Romney […]
Marketing Mavens Offer Advice On Handling Health Law Messaging
By Sarah Barr, Matthew Fleming, Shefali S. Kulkarni, David Schultz and Christian Torres The reviews and polls are already starting to come in: The Supreme Court’s ruling last week did not have an immediate significant effect on public opinion of the health law. But that doesn’t mean that supporters and opponents won’t continue to try to shape […]
Tax Or Penalty? Individual Mandate Haunts Romney
Updated 4:15 p.m. on July 4 The Massachusetts health care law, Mitt Romney’s signature achievement as governor, is adding more pressure to the expected GOP presidential nominee’s campaign. Romney’s support for the requirement that all residents have health insurance, known as the individual mandate, is at the heart of his predicament. The issue is whether […]
Report: Spending On Children’s Care Rose Because Of Higher Prices
Health care spending is growing significantly faster for children than for adults, and a new report finds that that’s largely because of price increases. From 2007 through 2010, per capita spending for children covered by an employer-sponsored plan increased 18.6 percent to slightly more than $2,100 a year. Also during the four years, the average cost of […]
States Could Cut Medicaid Rolls In 2014 As A Result Of Court Ruling
Some low-income adults could be thrown “into a black hole with nowhere to turn for coverage.”
Doc Payments Show Underbelly Of Pill Marketing
How do pharmaceutical companies boost sales and drive up health costs? Pay celebrity doctors to talk about their pills. Take doctors on lavish junkets. Misrepresent research. Push pills for unapproved uses. None of which comes as news, given previous revelations. Documents unsealed as part of GlaxoSmithKline’s settlement with federal prosecutors, however, offer a rare look […]
Today’s Headlines — July 3, 2012
Good morning! Have you caught your breath yet? Here are today’s headlines … Los Angeles Times: Poll Shows Americans Want Battles Over Healthcare Law To Stop In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to largely uphold President Obama’s healthcare law, a majority of Americans now want to put the fight over the Affordable Care […]
Webcast: Your Questions Answered About The Supreme Court Ruling
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey moderates a panel discussion with KHN’s Marilyn Werber Serafini, Politico’s Jennifer Haberkorn and the L.A. Times’ Noam N. Levey. The reporters field your questions and break down Thursday’s landmark Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the health law.
Rating Doctors Is Tricky, But Consumer Reports Does It In Mass.
Physicians are often nervous about patient reviews but they supported this effort.
Broad Implications For Court’s Ruling On Medicaid Expansion
Although the Supreme Court’s validation of the health law’s individual mandate dominated the reports on the decision, the court’s ruling on the Medicaid expansion could have just as broad an impact. The court said that if state leaders decide to forgo the infusion of federal money to extend Medicaid – a joint federal-state financed program […]
States Balk At Expanding Medicaid
A growing number of Republican lawmakers and state Medicaid officials say they may pass up the nearly $1 trillion federal pot to expand the program. Politics is a factor, but cash-strapped states also have legitimate budget concerns.
Wash. State Insurer, Official Clash Over Drug Coverage Cutbacks
A fight between the Washington State insurance commissioner and the state’s largest seller of individual health insurance is spotlighting problems in that increasingly troubled market. The spat arose over insurers’ efforts to curb soaring premiums by restricting or eliminating prescription drug benefits. Experts say they haven’t yet seen similar moves by insurers in other states to […]
Court Ruling Doesn’t Quell Partisan Feelings On Health Law
A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll done immediately after Thursday’s ruling shows the public remains split on the law along party lines.
Today’s Headlines – July 2, 2012
Good morning! Reuters/Chicago Tribune: Support For Obama Healthcare Law Rises After Ruling Voter support for President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul has increased following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling upholding it, although majorities still oppose it, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday showed (Zengerle, 7/1). The New York Times/Bloomberg News: Letter From Washington: Next Battleground Of […]
Health Law Deadlines Under Pressure
The Supreme Court ruling shifts the focus to states. But between 20 and 40 may be unable to set up new online insurance markets by fall 2013.
Grassley Worries Ruling Hurts ‘Poorest Of The Poor’
In a floor statement that threads the needle very carefully, Iowa’s senior Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican, blasted the Supreme Court’s decision that makes the Medicaid expansion optional for the states. Grassley laments that the ruling leaves the “poorest of the poor” with “all or nothing,” depending on which state they live in. But, he doesn’t […]
Native American Rehab Facility Helps Families In Ore.
Every week, KHN reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni selects interesting reading from around the Web. The Oregonian: Native Americans Strive For Health Against Alcohol, Chaos And Trauma Pearl Scott lifts the baby from the crib and balances the child on her hip, just as someone did with her when she was a baby 20 years ago. Her […]