Latest KFF Health News Stories
Respite Programs For Family Caregivers Face Cuts Despite Growing Need
Family caregivers provide 80 percent of long-term care needs in the U.S., but many need time away from that job so they can continue to care for their loved ones. Respite can provide short-term relief through several options, including a paid home care worker or providing temporary stays for patients at a residential care facility or […]
Poor, Sick And Expensive: Colorado’s Scaled-Down Medicaid Expansion
The state is one of just a few that is expanding Medicaid ahead of a major expansion called for in 2014 by the federal health law. Though the state estimates that 50,000 people meet the income bar, Colorado will only be able to offer coverage to 10,000 people.
Today’s Headlines – April 26, 2012
Politico: Government Shutdown On The Horizon? Plunging ahead along party lines, the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved a set of Republican-backed spending targets that break with the August debt accords by demanding more than $27 billion in additional savings from non-defense programs. The 28-21 vote sets up a long summer of political skirmishing, all […]
Checks In The Mail: Millions Expected To Receive Insurance Rebates Totaling $1.3 Billion
Study projects refunds under the health care law will vary widely by state.
Few Doctors Consider Themselves Rich, Survey Says
Few doctors think of themselves as rich, and only about half think they’re fairly compensated, according to survey results released this week by Medscape. The annual survey isn’t scientific — and perhaps, not surprising, either — but it offers insights into what nearly 25,000 physicians earn, and how they view that number. In 2011, compensation self-reported by surveyed physicians ranged […]
Health On The Hill: Competing Prescriptions For Medicare’s Financial Health
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Marilyn Werber Serafini join Jackie Judd to preview this week’s House hearings on Medicare and to dig into the details of the Medicare trustees’ report.
Today’s Headlines – April 25, 2012
The Associated Press/Washington Post: GOP Pulls Its Budget Punches As Follow Up Legislation Advances On Capitol Hill Instead of big reductions in Medicaid and Medicare, top GOP lawmakers are sticking mostly with familiar proposals like cutting money for President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul and federal employee pensions while reaching out to Democrats to help […]
In Victory Speech, Romney Goes After Health Law
As Mitt Romney celebrated his primary night wins in Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and New York, he attacked the Affordable Care Act and the president.
Medicare To Add Hospital Efficiency, Patient Safety To Payment Formula
Medicare is proposing a significant change in how it decides on hospital reimbursements, adding two measures of patient safety and a financial assessment of whether hospitals are careful stewards of Medicare’s money. The changes represent a broadening of the way Medicare plans to pay hospitals through its value-based purchasing program, which is set to begin in October. Medicare […]
An Even Bleaker Prognosis For Medicare?
If readers can bear the first 276 pages of bad news in the annual Medicare trustees report, released Monday, they will come to several pages in which Medicare Chief Actuary Richard Foster argues the program’s financial future is even bleaker than what the trustees suggest. Foster acknowledges the trustees did exactly the job they were asked […]
Los Angeles Is Betting On One Crusading Doc To Turn Public Health System Around
Los Angeles has some 2 million uninsured residents. It has long had one of the most disorganized public health systems, too. Now, Dr. Mitch Katz is looking to reshape the system and match patients with their own doctors.
Today’s Headlines – April 24, 2012
Good morning! Here is your morning news roundup. The New York Times: Social Security’s Financial Health Worsens The Obama administration reported a significant deterioration in the financial outlook for Social Security on Monday, while stating that the financial condition of Medicare was stable but still unsustainable. … One of the trustees, Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary […]
If The Health Care Overhaul Goes Down, Could Medicare Follow?
A growing number of health experts are warning of potential collateral damage if the Supreme Court strikes down the entire 2010 Affordable Care Act: potential chaos in the Medicare program.
Poll: Doctors Fall Short In Helping Many Seniors
Large numbers of seniors aren’t receiving recommended interventions that could help forestall medical problems and improve their health, according to a new survey from the John A. Hartford Foundation. Notably, one-third of older adults said doctors didn’t review all their medications, even though problems with prescription and over-the-counter drugs are common among the elderly, leading to over […]
Survey: Court Hearings Don’t Move Public Opinion On Health Law
The three days in March that the Supreme Court devoted to debating the health law didn’t change many minds among the public. But the debate, and related media coverage, appear to have increased awareness about the law and made Republicans more supportive of the justices, according to a new survey. As it has for two years, […]
Travel Insurance Can Protect Your Health Or Wallet On Vacation
For a few dollars you can buy travel health insurance coverage that protects you if you have to cancel or shorten a trip if you, your traveling companions or even a family member not traveling with you becomes ill and requires care.
Medicare Trustee Has New Personal Stake In Program
As a nationally known expert on federal health policy, Robert Reischauer has for decades had more than a passing interest in Medicare. But this week his passion for the program — and concern for its future viability — turned more personal. “I applied for Medicare yesterday,” Reischauer said Monday at a media briefing where he and […]
Today’s Headlines – April 23, 2012
Good Monday morning! Here are your headlines to get you back in the swing of things: The Associated Press/Washington Post: Social Security, Medicare Strained By Slow Economic Recovery, Aging Workforce An aging population and an economy that has been slow to rebound are straining the long-term finances of Social Security and Medicare, the government’s two […]
States Consider Limiting Patient Costs For Physical, Speech, Occupational Therapy
Advocates want curbs on what consumers pay toward physical, occupation and speech therapy visits. Insurers say that could raise premiums.
Rushed Medicine; Exercising Your Way To A Smarter Brain
Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. Newsweek: The Doctor Will See You–If You’re Quick Something in the world of medicine is seriously amiss. Unhappy patients gripe about their doctors’ brusque manner and give them bad marks on surveys and consumer websites like HealthGrades and Angie’s List. […]