Latest KFF Health News Stories
Mississippi Builds Insurance Exchange, Even As It Fights Health Law
Mississippi, a deeply red Southern state that is part of the Supreme Court case against the health law, is moving full speed ahead with one of the key provisions of that law: an online health insurance exchange.
Personal Views Color Public Opinion Of Health Law Court Case
Half the country hopes the Supreme Court will throw out the health law’s mandate that Americans carry health insurance, according to a new poll released Wednesday. In what may be a sign of political wish fulfillment, half of Americans expect that the court will take that course when it takes up the case later this […]
Today’s Headlines – March 14, 2012
Good morning! Middle of the week and the health headlines don’t stop, here you are: The Wall Street Journal: Health-Law War Heats Up As Court Review Nears Democrats and Republicans are reviving their competing campaigns over the health-overhaul law in advance of the Supreme Court’s review of the measure this month. After largely avoiding the […]
Study Finds High-Spending Canadian Hospitals Do Better
Canada has long been a favored talking point for debates over the quality of America’s health system, alternatively cast as either Eden or Gomorrah. A new paper adds a shade of gray into the understanding of Canadian hospitals — and the ongoing debate here about whether when it comes to medical spending, less is more. […]
Timing Of Birth Control Coverage May Differ For Students, Profs
Could Georgetown University students like Sandra Fluke have to wait an extra year for free birth control? There’s a reason to ask the question. Fluke, in case you missed it somehow, is the law student who testified before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee last month about the importance of providing free contraceptive services […]
Connecticut Weighs Its ‘Nurses Only’ Medication Policy For Homebound Seniors
Gov. Malloy has proposed letting supervised home health aides give medication to Medicaid patients.
Today’s Headlines – March 13, 2012
Good morning! Here are your A.M. headlines to get you going: The Associated Press/Washington Post: Ambitious Health Care Blueprint Stresses State Flexibility, Sets Up Huge Logistical Challenge Democratic state officials are praising the flexibility in federal rules issued Monday, a long-awaited blueprint for state health insurance markets where millions of consumers will shop starting in […]
Winners And Losers In Medicare Advantage Extras: Avalere Report
State Weighted Average Rebate 2010 AK $0 AL $60 AR $52 AZ $59 CA $94 CO $50 CT $35 DC $77 DE $25 FL $154 GA $31 HI $51 IA $32 ID $44 IL $48 IN $40 KS $44 KY $34 LA $143 MA $33 MD $49 ME $41 MI $27 MN $25 MO $79 […]
Premium Rebates, Coverage Labels, Reduced Medicare Drug Costs Highlight 2012 Health Law Changes
Despite deep political division about the health overhaul, implementation marches on.
Off-Label Use Of Risky Antipsychotic Drugs Raises Concerns
The expensive medications, designed for people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders, are being prescribed regularly for common problems such as anxiety and attention-deficit disorder and are being used on children and the elderly.
Rules For New Insurance Marketplaces Give Insurers Clout
The long-awaited rules may disappoint consumer groups which had sought to reduce the clout of insurers on the governing boards.
Today’s Headlines – March 12, 2012
Happy Monday. We hope you had a good weekend and that you’re ready to read your morning headlines! Politico: On Health Care, Supreme Court’s Final Word May Not Be Final In two weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court takes up the case that could lead to the biggest “I told you so” of 2012. The challenge […]
The Hardest Job To Fill (And Keep) In Washington: CMS Chief
The revolving door at the top of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services raises questions about the key agency implementing the health law.
Santorum’s Pro-Government Record
Every week, reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. Mother Jones: Santorum In ’93: More Government Needed in Health Care If elected president, Santorum vows, he will end the “tyranny” of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Yet as an up-and-coming congressman in the early 1990s, Santorum took a much different line. Then—like […]
Forget The Robots: Venture Capitalists Change Their Health Care Investments
This story is part of a reporting partnership that includes KQED, and Kaiser Health News. It wasn’t that long ago that money flowed steadily to entrepreneurs who dreamt up whiz-bang medical devices. Hospitals souped up their surgical suites with robots or high-tech radiation machines for cancer treatment. Cost wasn’t an issue: They just got passed along […]
Today’s Headlines – March 9, 2012
Good morning and happy Friday! Here are your morning headlines to get your day started: The New York Times: White House Works To Shape Debate Over Health Law The White House has begun an aggressive campaign to use approaching Supreme Court arguments on the new health care law as a moment to build support for […]
Farzad Mostashari: Man On A Digital Mission
An eBay merchant who sells funny barbecue aprons out of his living room is better equipped to send information electronically than many physicians. Farzad Mostashari is the guy trying to change that.
N.Y. Governor Raps Insurers, Health Providers For ‘Unacceptable Opaqueness’ In Billing
Too often patients who thought they had all the right approvals from their insurers get hit with surprise bills for out-of-network medical costs, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says in a report that calls on insurers, doctors and hospitals to help craft reforms. Complaints about out-of-network costs were among the most common found in a state […]
New Insurer-Hospital ACO Touts Early Success
Illinois’ largest hospital system and biggest health insurer agreed in late 2010 to form an accountable care organization, a network in which the organizations would cooperate to boost quality and restrain cost increases, sharing in any savings. Chicago-based Advocate Health Care gambled that its portion would compensate for the lost revenue from the resulting empty beds. Now, with six months of operating […]
House Republicans Find Democratic Allies In IPAB Repeal Effort
Later this month, just as the Supreme Court is hearing arguments on the 2010 health law, the House is expected to pass a measure that would repeal an advisory board created in the law to curb Medicare spending if it exceeds specific targets. But the debate is not shaping up like the usual House legislative fight […]