Latest KFF Health News Stories
In Kansas, No Consensus On How To End ‘Dental Deserts’
In an ongoing disagreement over how to solve dental care access problems in rural parts of the state, there is one thing no one disputes: the great need.
Arizona Gets OK To Expand Health Coverage To Kids
Nearly 22,000 poor kids in Arizona will gain health insurance coverage under a Medicaid deal the state has reached with the Obama administration, federal officials said Friday. The agreement lets Arizona use a combination of county dollars, money from the University of Arizona Health System and a small amount of state money gained from Indian gaming operations to draw down […]
Obama Ties Women’s Economic Future To Health Law
President Barack Obama brought together Friday two of his biggest campaign issues, health care and the economy, in an appeal to women voters, who have favored the president over GOP rivals in recent polls. During remarks at a White House forum on women and the economy, Obama described how provisions of the 2010 health law […]
Berwick Calls For Leaders To Rise Above ‘Political Catechism’
Every week, reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. Rolling Stone: Don Berwick On The Fate Of ‘Obamacare’ Between July 2010 and December 2011, Dr. Donald Berwick was head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency that runs the government’s health insurance programs. In a sane world, he would […]
Today’s Headlines – April 6, 2012
Good morning, and happy Friday. Hope you have a great weekend, but first, here are your morning headlines: The New York Times: Administration Concedes Courts’ Review Power The Obama administration stipulated the incontestable to a disgruntled federal court on Thursday, formally declaring that “the power of the courts to review the constitutionality of legislation is […]
Health Care Hiring Boom Projected To Continue, Regardless Of Law
Health-care employment will continue to grow much faster than employment generally, with the number of jobs in home care and other ambulatory settings projected to jump more than 40 percent by 2020, a new study suggests. New figures from the Labor Department highlight an expected hiring shift away from hospitals, as the system puts greater emphasis on preventive […]
Q&A: Should You Have Access To Your Lab Results?
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader about patient access to test results. The reader asks: In order for patients to take more responsibility for their care shouldn’t the lab be required to send them results unless specifically precluded by the doctor?
Today’s headlines – April 5, 2012
Good morning! Today’s headlines look at the implications a Supreme Court decision could have on the November elections: The New York Times: Court’s Potential To Goad Voters Swings To Democrats Now strategists in both parties are suggesting this could be the Democrats’ year to make the court a foil to mobilize voters. The prospect arises […]
2010 Insurance Rebates Would Have Hit $2 Billion, Study Says
Consumers would have received rebates of nearly $2 billion — in some cases as much as $300 a member — if the health-law cap on insurance profits and overhead had been in place in 2010, estimates a new study. The paper, published Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund, makes no predictions about the rebates that insurers will be required to pay this year for […]
Mississippi Legislature Passes Abortion Clinic Bill
The bill will require any doctor performing abortions in the state to be a board-certified OB-GYN with admitting privileges at a local hospital, which could make staffing the state’s sole abortion clinic very difficult.
Study: Chemo Costs Less In Doctors’ Offices
Chemotherapy costs significantly more at a hospital than at a physician’s office, and patients might have decreased access to the cheaper option, according to reports out this week. The first report, by Avalere Health, found that chemotherapy received in a hospital outpatient setting costs, on average, 24 percent more than when received at a physician’s […]
Minnesota Medicaid HMOs Refund $73M To State, Feds
Four big Minnesota managed-care plans will repay state and federal taxpayers an estimated $73 million as part of a deal the HMOs made with Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration last year.
Today’s Headlines – April 4, 2012
Good morning! Here are your early a.m. headlines to get your day started: The New York Times: Obama, In Talk, Calls House GOP Budget The Work Of Rightist Radicals President Obama opened a full-frontal assault on Tuesday on the federal budget adopted by House Republicans, condemning it as a “Trojan horse” that would greatly deepen […]
Video: Santorum Still Swinging At Romney About Health Care Record
After his primary victories in Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia, Mitt Romney attacked President Obama on a variety of social and economic issues, briefly mentioning health care. Meanwhile, challenger Rick Santorum went after Romney by reprising his theme that the former Massachusetts governor would be a weak candidate against Obama on health care.
Physicians Wade Into Efforts To Curb Unnecessary Treatments
Nine groups list 45 practices they say are overused and may harm patients.
Hospitals Urge Peers To Ditch Fast Food, Turn Down The Lights
Eleven of the nation’s largest hospital systems –including Kaiser Permanente, HCA Healthcare and Boston-based Partners HealthCare — today called on their industry to be better environmental stewards. The Healthier Hospitals Initiative challenges hospitals to reduce energy use and waste, purchase environmentally friendlier products and serve healthier foods. The effort is as much about reducing health risks and environmental […]
Video: Obama Blasts GOP Medicare, Medicaid Plans
President Barack Obama today attacked the Republican 2013 budget as a “Trojan horse” and “thinly veiled social Darwinism” — and defended the constitutionality of the health law. Watch excerpts from the speech.
Feds Reject Hawaii’s 10-Day Medicaid Hospital Limit
Updated at 4:15 p.m. The Obama administration has rejected Hawaii’s proposal to limit most adult Medicaid recipients to 10 days of hospital coverage per year, which would have been the strictest in the nation. Instead, Hawaii has been approved to implement a 30-day hospital coverage limit starting July 1, state and federal health officials say. […]
Revamping Medicare: A Guide To The Proposals, Politics And Timeline
Competing ideas and election-year politics will thwart major legislation in 2012, but look for budgetary action at year’s end.
Today’s Headlines – April 3, 2012
Good morning! Here’s what the health policy news looks like this morning: The Associated Press/Washington Post: Obama Calls House GOP Budget Plan A Trojan Horse For ‘Radical’ Change Obama, in a speech to newspaper executives, is sharply criticizing a $3.5 trillion budget proposal pushed by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., which passed on a near-party-line vote […]