Latest KFF Health News Stories
Some Patients Can Choose To Be Hospitalized At Home
These innovative programs — available in only a few areas — allow some chronically ill patients to skip the hospital and opt instead for similar care at home.
Psychiatric Manual May Soon Include ‘Gambling Disorder’
Can someone actually be hooked on a behavior, like gambling? Problem gambling isn’t considered a true addiction in medical circles. But that may change as psychiatrists revise the diagnostic manual that spells out criteria for more than a dozen varieties of mental disorders. The proposed revisions to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, […]
Today’s Headlines – May 29, 2012
Los Angeles Times: Insurers Forcing Patients To Pay More For Costly Specialty Drugs Thousands of patients in California and across the nation who take expensive prescription drugs every month for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and other ailments are facing sticker shock at the pharmacy. Until recently, most of these patients typically paid modest co-pays for the […]
Proposed Changes To Psychiatric Manual Could Impact Addiction Diagnosis
Supporters say the new guidelines will make it easier to address drug or alcohol problems before they become serious. But others worry that one of the tools to evaluate such problems falsely suggests there is a natural escalation from non-use to occasional use to risky use to addiction.
Louisville’s Strategy For The Future: Stick With The Old Folks
The Kentucky city hosts the largest concentration of nursing-home and extended-care companies in the world.
When Is A Life Too Long?; The Rising Cost Of Children’s Health Care
Every week, KHN reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni selects interesting reading from around the Web. New York Magazine: A Life Worth Ending I will tell you, what I feel most intensely when I sit by my mother’s bed is a crushing sense of guilt for keeping her alive. Who can accept such suffering—who can so conscientiously […]
Today’s Headlines – May 25, 2012
Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy, but first, here are your Friday headlines … Politico: FDA User Fee Bill Passed By Senate With little bickering and no effort to repeal the Obama administration’s health reform law, the Senate passed the massive Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act on Thursday well ahead of schedule. … The […]
Veterans Would Benefit Under Health Law, Study Says
If the 2010 health law is upheld by the Supreme Court, it would extend health coverage to thousands of the nation’s veterans, a new study says. The study, released Thursday, said about 630,000 uninsured veterans would likely qualify for Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor, which would be expanded under the law. In addition, 520,000 […]
States Encounter Obstacles Moving Elderly And Disabled Into Community
Some states are moving faster than others in getting people out of nursing homes and institutions as part of an ambitious federal program.
Mass. Senate Skirts End-Of-Life Counseling Controversy
Updated at 11:00 a.m. on May 24. With no debate, and a quick call of the ayes and nays, the Massachusetts Senate approved a requirement last week that all doctors and nurses talk to dying patients about their end-of-life options. The measure was included in a sweeping health care costs bill that the House expects […]
Today’s Headlines – May 24, 2012
Good morning! Here are your headlines … The New York Times: For Hospitals And Insurers, New Fervor To Cut Costs Giselle Fernandez is only 17 but she has had more than 50 operations since she was born with a rare genetic condition. She regularly sees a host of pediatric specialists. … Her care has cost […]
Is The U.S. Military Too Soft On Fat?
It’s not just military retirees and veterans who are packing on the pounds. At a policy summit Wednesday, health and military experts said the obesity epidemic has become a significant threat to national security as the waistlines of military enlistees are expanding. Overweight and obese enlistees and soldiers are making it harder for recruiters to find physically […]
Will Men And Their Doctors Change Course On PSA Tests?
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. The dust is nowhere near settled over advice that men of all ages should forgo a routine blood test to detect prostate cancer. The harms, such as false alarms and unnecessary surgeries that leave some men impotent and incontinent, outweigh the benefits of the PSA blood […]
Can I Continue My Health Insurance After Quitting My Job?
Michelle Andrews answers a coverage question from a reader contemplating quitting his job to stay home with his wife who has breast cancer.
Today’s headlines – May 23, 2012
Middle of the week! Here are your morning headlines: The New York Times: Recession Possible If Impasses Persists, Budget Office Says The economy could relapse into a recession if President Obama and Congress remain at an impasse and allow several big tax increases and spending cuts to take effect at the start of 2013, the […]
Health Insurance Cutbacks Squeeze The Insured
Even people with insurance are paying thousands of dollars out of pocket before their insurance kicks in. And even when it does, insurance picks up less then it used to — often a lot less.
Minnesota Seeks Bridge Across ‘Affordability Gap’
Under the 2010 health law, millions of Americans will gain access to affordable health insurance. But in Minnesota, many are concerned that an affordability gap will remain for about 100,000 low-income Minnesotans.
Today’s Headlines – May 22, 2012
The Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire: No Confirmation Hearing Planned For Marilyn Tavenner Senate Democrats have said they aren’t planning a confirmation hearing for Marilyn Tavenner, the acting top official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, ending months of speculation over whether they would try to get the agency its first permanent leader […]
Trained Interpreters For Patients With Limited English Can Help Avoid Medical Mishaps
Too often, however, hospitals and other providers are not reimbursed for such services and can’t afford to keep them.
Poll: What It’s Like To Be Sick In America
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. In the lull between the Supreme Court arguments over the federal health overhaul law and the decision expected in June, we thought we’d ask Americans who actually use the health system quite a bit how they view the quality of care and its cost. Most surveys […]