Latest KFF Health News Stories
Innovation Grants: Adding Resources To Ideas To Improve Health Care Delivery
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently awarded 26 innovation grants to advance ideas that are designed to add efficiency and quality to the health system while generating savings. KHN takes a look at four of these projects.
Embattled Hospital Debt Collector Taps Politicians For Defense
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. So what do you do when you’re accused of hitting up sick patients in the hospital to pay their bills — sometimes even before they get treatment? Well, if you’re Chicago-based Accretive Health, under fire by not only the Minnesota Attorney General but key members of Congress and […]
Today’s Headlines – May 17, 2012
Good morning! Here are your headlines: Los Angeles Times: Congress’ Partisan Fight Persists Despite High-Level Overture As President Obama welcomed congressional leaders for a White House chat over hoagies about setting aside differences to improve the economy, a far different scenario was unfolding at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Republicans in the House and […]
Senate Panel Looks At Innovative Health Care Strategies
No matter how the Supreme Court rules next month on the challenges to the 2010 health care law, there will be a continued focus on making the health care system more efficient, and senators looked at some promising options Wednesday. Witnesses at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing told the panel about […]
Alaska Targets An Old Foe: Tuberculosis
Until 1950, TB was the No. 1 cause of death in Alaska. That legacy means that a large number of Alaskans still carry the bacteria that can cause the disease.
States Must Submit Plans For Insurance Marketplaces By Nov. 16
States must provide details to the federal government by Nov. 16 — just 10 days after the presidential election — on how they will run online insurance marketplaces, according to guidance released Wednesday. Those that don’t meet the deadline – or that can’t operate their own marketplaces, called exchanges – will have it done for them by […]
Targeting Diabetes Prevention Among Medicare Beneficiaries
Recent studies might suggest an increase of Type 2 diabetes among children and young adults, but the real low hanging fruit, according to diabetes and policy experts, may be among the Medicare population. Those 65 and older tend to be a costly population for health care services, according to Michael Mawby, the government affairs officer […]
Can I Pay Negotiated Rates When I Pay Out Of Pocket?
A reader asks Michelle Andrews how to get the negotiated rates insurers pay even when paying for a medical procedure directly.
D.C. Health Program For Illegal Immigrants Avoids Cuts
A public health insurance program that primarily serves illegal immigrants in the District of Columbia avoided the chopping block Tuesday under a budget compromise approved by the D.C. Council. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) earlier this spring recommended cutting hospital-based care from the HealthCare Alliance program to save more than $20 million in the District’s […]
Today’s Headlines – May 16, 2012
The New York Times: Republicans Pledge New Standoff On Debt Limit But Republicans have not been able to unify around an alternative. Instead, they will bring forward four different budgets for the 2013 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1 — with a budget passed by House Republicans viewed as the most liberal of the lot. […]
Attention Health Care Shoppers: Colorado’s New Price List For Procedures
Colorado is one of 14 states that have or are setting up searchable databases designed to help people shop and compare health care options based on price and quality.
Obama Administration: A Plan To Prevent Alzheimer’s By 2025
http://www.youtube.com/v/QcQ62EhyVEE?version=3&hl=en_US The Obama administration is moving forward with an ambitious, fast-moving agenda to improve the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and unlock a method to prevent it by 2025. The final draft of the plan, released today, also sets up a wide-ranging effort to improve the care that Alzheimer’s patients receive and support families. As many […]
Today’s Headlines – May 15, 2012
Good morning! Here are your headlines: The Washington Post: Taxmageddon Sparks Rising Anxiety The halls of the U.S. Capitol are already teeming with people warning of disaster if lawmakers fail to defuse a New Year’s budget bomb scheduled to raise taxes for every American taxpayer and slash spending at the Pentagon and most other federal […]
Some States Mandate Better Coverage Of Oral Cancer Drugs
Patients complain that they can spend tens of thousands of dollars because pills are considered a pharmacy benefit by many insurers while traditional IV chemo generally has a a flat copayment and out-of-pocket costs are capped.
How Much Do The Nation’s Pre-Eminent Hospitals Cost Medicare?
Can you cut health care spending without undermining the quality of care? It’s a major concern as Medicare prepares to prod hospitals to provide medical care more efficiently by giving bonuses to those whose patients cost less and taking money away from places that send the government higher bills. Last week, Capsules culled through the […]
Today’s Headlines – May 14, 2012
Good morning and welcome to Monday: The Washington Post: Ryan Budget Still An Issue In Congressional Races The issue in question is the budget proposal issued by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), and what it does to Medicare in particular. More than a year after the proposal’s initial release, Republican candidates continue to […]
Many Businesses Offer Health Benefits To Same-Sex Couples Ahead Of Laws
The desire to attract top employees is driving a long-term trend toward coverage. Last year, 52 percent of all employers offered domestic partner health benefits, with the percentage varying widely by region and industry. KHN’s Julie Appleby filed this story.
Doctors And Insurers Are Key To Fighting Obesity
IOM report says physicians need to be more rigorous in dealing with patients’ weight, and insurers should reverse stingy reimbursement policies and help develop evidence-based programs that can help curb the epidemic.
Final Rule Issued On Consumer Rebates And Notification
Most health insurers this year must at least inform policyholders that their coverage met the minimum spending threshold under the federal health law, even if they don’t owe consumers a rebate, a final rule out Friday says. The rule splits the difference between industry, which did not want to send any notice to those not owed a […]
More 20-30 Somethings Are Taking Care Of Elderly
Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni selects interesting reading from around the Web. ABC News: Early Burdens: Eldercare Falls on Young Shoulders At 30, Suzette Armijo cares for her widowed 86-year-old grandmother, a retired National Park Service ranger in the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease, while holding down a fulltime job, a […]