Latest KFF Health News Stories
Romney Outlines How He Would ‘Replace Obamacare’
Mitt Romney, who is expected to be the Republican nominee for president, doesn’t usually talk about health care in his campaign stump speeches. Tuesday, at Con-Air Industries in Orlando, Florida, he blasted the 2010 federal health law and outlined what he would do if elected president.
Today’s Headlines – June 13, 2012
The Wall Street Journal: Health-Care Law Or Not, Insurance Is Set To Change As the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the federal health overhaul, health insurers are in the spotlight. The law has been reshaping the health insurers’ business—requiring, for instance, that they spend a set share of premium dollars on health care, or […]
Report: Health Spending Will Climb To Nearly One-Fifth Of GDP
National health spending will account for nearly one-fifth of the U.S. economy in 2021, according to updated estimates from the federal government. Actuaries from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported their annual projections in the journal Health Affairs on Tuesday. The actuaries estimate that health spending will account for 19.6 percent of the […]
Medicare Drug Discounts At Risk If Court Strikes Health Law
The pharmaceutical industry agreed in the health debate to reduce brand-name drug costs by 50 percent for Medicare beneficiaries who reach the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole.
Kaiser Permanente’s Ross: There’s No Effective Substitute For The Mandate
Murray Ross, a vice president in the part of the company that sells health plans, says the law’s individual mandate is needed to attract healthier participants, which balances risks and costs.
Taking A Risk To Secure Health Insurance
A southern California writer explains why he chose to go without coverage for six months so he could secure a better health plan for 18 months. But his strategy is not a sure thing.
Medicaid Costs Loom Over States’ Tepid Economic Recovery
Updated at 4:45 p.m. on June 13. States continue to struggle with Medicaid costs, a factor that looms over their tepid economic recovery, according to a report released Tuesday. The economic outlook for the states is starting to brighten, but growth is slow and budgets still are tight, said the National Governors Association and the […]
Today’s Headlines – June 12, 2012
Good morning! Here are your morning headlines: The Wall Street Journal: Insurers Stand Firm On Benefits Three of the biggest U.S. health insurers said they plan to keep offering some benefits now required under the federal health overhaul legislation, even if the Supreme Court strikes down the entire law. Humana Inc., Aetna Inc. and UnitedHealth […]
Seniors Missing Out On Some New Medicare Benefits
Next time President Obama vacations in Hawaii– his usual Christmas destination –he might want to tell seniors there about how his health law provides free annual wellness visits for people enrolled in Medicare. So far, just 1 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who live there, or 890 people, have used the benefit this year, the lowest percent of any […]
Biggest Mass. Insurer Tightens Rules On Some Painkillers
Blue Cross Blue Shield will require a review after 30 days to reduce addiction risks and keep the drugs from teenagers and others for whom they weren’t prescribed.
Secrets And Electronic Health Records: A Privacy Concern
Does your orthodontist or opthamologist need to know what you tell your psychotherapist in order to provide you with quality care? In the age of electronic medical records, a whole range of health care providers may have access to this information whether you want them to or not. The issue of how to ensure that […]
3 Large Insurers Promise To Keep Many Popular Features Of Health Law If High Court Strikes It Down
UnitedHealthcare, Aetna and Humana said no matter how the Supreme Court rules on the health law, they would continue to allow young adults coverage on their parents’ plans and offer no-copayment preventive services.
Health Care Decision Hinges On A Crucial Clause
The case could be a turning point in the Supreme Court’s 200-year history with the Commerce Clause.
Today’s Headlines – June 11, 2012
Good morning! Here are your headlines: NPR: Health Care Decision Hinges On A Crucial Clause All of Washington is breathlessly awaiting the Supreme Court’s imminent decision on the Obama health care overhaul. Rumors circulate almost daily that the decision is ready for release. As usual, those rumors are perpetrated by people who know nothing, but […]
State Medicaid Head: Uncertainty, Legislative Politics Have Slowed State Implementation
Andy Allison, Arkansas Medicaid director and president of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, is adamant that cash-strapped states won’t be able to do much to expand coverage to the uninsured if the Supreme Court strikes down the law.
Stakes High For Consumers And Industry As Court Weighs Health Law
If the Supreme Court strikes down part or all of the 2010 federal health law, millions of Americans – including the uninsured, young adults and the chronically ill – could be affected.
Health Insurance Exchanges In Many States Held Up By Uncertainty About Supreme Court
State-based health insurance exchanges – a centerpiece of the law designed to expand coverage to millions of people – are on hold as many states delay implementation of the federal health law.
Ex-Medicare Chief Vladeck: Deaths Will Increase If SCOTUS Strikes Health Law
Bruce Vladeck, who ran Medicare and Medicaid under President Clinton, forecasts “chaos” in the health care delivery system if the Supreme Court strikes down the health law.
Toobin’s Tips On SCOTUS Decision
Every week, KHN reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni selects interesting reading from around the Web. ABC News: Health Scare: How Much Will You Pay For Health Care? When the nurse calls my name, I head up to the check-in desk. “I’m sorry,” she says as she lowers her eyes and hands me the phone. On the […]
‘Health Reform Bracketology’ Offers Roadmap To ACA’s Future
When is the Supreme Court like the NCAA? When health care consultant Mike Leavitt works up an interactive PDF bracket to lay out many of the possible scenarios that could result from the upcoming Supreme Court decision on the health law, combined with the outcome of November elections. It comes with all the tension and […]