Latest KFF Health News Stories
In Victory Speech, Romney Goes After Health Law
As Mitt Romney celebrated his primary night wins in Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and New York, he attacked the Affordable Care Act and the president.
Medicare To Add Hospital Efficiency, Patient Safety To Payment Formula
Medicare is proposing a significant change in how it decides on hospital reimbursements, adding two measures of patient safety and a financial assessment of whether hospitals are careful stewards of Medicare’s money. The changes represent a broadening of the way Medicare plans to pay hospitals through its value-based purchasing program, which is set to begin in October. Medicare […]
An Even Bleaker Prognosis For Medicare?
If readers can bear the first 276 pages of bad news in the annual Medicare trustees report, released Monday, they will come to several pages in which Medicare Chief Actuary Richard Foster argues the program’s financial future is even bleaker than what the trustees suggest. Foster acknowledges the trustees did exactly the job they were asked […]
Los Angeles Is Betting On One Crusading Doc To Turn Public Health System Around
Los Angeles has some 2 million uninsured residents. It has long had one of the most disorganized public health systems, too. Now, Dr. Mitch Katz is looking to reshape the system and match patients with their own doctors.
Today’s Headlines – April 24, 2012
Good morning! Here is your morning news roundup. The New York Times: Social Security’s Financial Health Worsens The Obama administration reported a significant deterioration in the financial outlook for Social Security on Monday, while stating that the financial condition of Medicare was stable but still unsustainable. … One of the trustees, Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary […]
If The Health Care Overhaul Goes Down, Could Medicare Follow?
A growing number of health experts are warning of potential collateral damage if the Supreme Court strikes down the entire 2010 Affordable Care Act: potential chaos in the Medicare program.
Poll: Doctors Fall Short In Helping Many Seniors
Large numbers of seniors aren’t receiving recommended interventions that could help forestall medical problems and improve their health, according to a new survey from the John A. Hartford Foundation. Notably, one-third of older adults said doctors didn’t review all their medications, even though problems with prescription and over-the-counter drugs are common among the elderly, leading to over […]
Survey: Court Hearings Don’t Move Public Opinion On Health Law
The three days in March that the Supreme Court devoted to debating the health law didn’t change many minds among the public. But the debate, and related media coverage, appear to have increased awareness about the law and made Republicans more supportive of the justices, according to a new survey. As it has for two years, […]
Travel Insurance Can Protect Your Health Or Wallet On Vacation
For a few dollars you can buy travel health insurance coverage that protects you if you have to cancel or shorten a trip if you, your traveling companions or even a family member not traveling with you becomes ill and requires care.
Medicare Trustee Has New Personal Stake In Program
As a nationally known expert on federal health policy, Robert Reischauer has for decades had more than a passing interest in Medicare. But this week his passion for the program — and concern for its future viability — turned more personal. “I applied for Medicare yesterday,” Reischauer said Monday at a media briefing where he and […]
Today’s Headlines – April 23, 2012
Good Monday morning! Here are your headlines to get you back in the swing of things: The Associated Press/Washington Post: Social Security, Medicare Strained By Slow Economic Recovery, Aging Workforce An aging population and an economy that has been slow to rebound are straining the long-term finances of Social Security and Medicare, the government’s two […]
States Consider Limiting Patient Costs For Physical, Speech, Occupational Therapy
Advocates want curbs on what consumers pay toward physical, occupation and speech therapy visits. Insurers say that could raise premiums.
Rushed Medicine; Exercising Your Way To A Smarter Brain
Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. Newsweek: The Doctor Will See You–If You’re Quick Something in the world of medicine is seriously amiss. Unhappy patients gripe about their doctors’ brusque manner and give them bad marks on surveys and consumer websites like HealthGrades and Angie’s List. […]
Maryland’s First Green House Project Nursing Home Aids Low-Income Seniors
What was once a novel idea for longterm care for the elderly — small, homey facilities of 10 to 12 residents each — is now a model cropping up around the country. On Thursday The Green House Project— an alternative to senior institutional care created by Dr. William H. Thomas, a geriatrician and self-described ‘nursing […]
Today’s Headlines – April 20, 2012
Happy Friday! Here are your morning headlines: Los Angeles Times: House Passes 20% Tax Cut For Businesses Despite a veto threat from President Obama, the Republican-led House approved a 20% election-year tax cut for most companies intended to entice them to pick up the pace of hiring and, thus, boost the economy. Democrats, though, said […]
Q&A: Can I Be Denied Coverage For My Daughter Who Is Returning To College?
The health law allows parents to enroll their adult children in their insurance plan until they are 26. A reader asks Michelle Andrews if that applies to individual plans.
Growth In Health Costs Limited As Americans Avoid Hospital Stays
Americans continued to seek moderate amounts of medical care in the first quarter, helping insurer UnitedHealth Group beat profit expectations amid signs of continued restraint in health-care spending. In an early look at medical-cost trends for 2012, the nation’s biggest private insurer said today that an increase in outpatient treatments from January through March was partly offset by a lack of growth […]
Today’s Headlines – April 19, 2012
Good morning! Here are your a.m. headlines … The New York Times: In A Shift, Medicare Pushes Bids The Obama administration said Wednesday that it would vastly expand the use of competitive bidding to buy medical equipment for Medicare beneficiaries after a one-year experiment saved money for taxpayers and patients without harming the quality of […]
Survey: Key Groups Unaware Of Health Law Benefits
Despite the millions of people who have gained insurance coverage as a result of the health law, a survey released Thursday shows outreach efforts for two popular provisions are missing key parts of their target audience. TABLE.khntable { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; WIDTH: 300px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; PADDING-TOP: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; […]
Some Women’s Groups See Another Agenda In Attacks On Contraceptive Coverage
Opponents of the Obama administration’s contraception coverage mandate emphasize religious freedom, but others say the real issue is birth control.