Latest KFF Health News Stories
Local California Republicans Quietly Embrace Medicaid Expansion
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the No. 3 Republican in the House, has made it clear that he wants President Obama’s health overhaul law repealed. But conservative lawmakers in his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif., and elsewhere in the state are expanding insurance coverage for low-income adults.
Despite Deep Opposition To Health Law, Ga. Contemplates Exchange
Georgia is not alone. A number of Republican states, including some in the South, are hedging their bets and planning health insurance marketplaces to avoid a version designed by Washington.
Health Leaders Prepare For Round Two Of Cuts
No matter what the super committee does, health groups expect another debate on spending after the election and they want to redirect the talks to costs’ root causes.
Puzzling Out How To Help States With Hard-Hit Medicaid Budgets
One of the biggest problems governors face during a recession is this: When the economy is going down, Medicaid enrollment is going up. So states have more people in their Medicaid program, but less tax revenue to pay for them. It is what economists call counter-cyclical. Washington is sensitive to the problem. During the most […]
FDA Pulls Approval Of Avastin For Breast Cancer
This story comes from our partner ‘s Shots blog. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg has spoken. After more than a year of deliberations and an unprecedented public hearing in June, the agency has revoked approval of the biotech blockbuster Avastin, a medicine that chokes off the blood supply to various cancer cells, as […]
Legal Questions And Answers That Will Decide The Health Law’s Fate
With Stuart Taylor as a guide, Kaiser Health News provides a decision tree to help readers see how the sweeping health law’s implementation could proceed – or not – based on each of the legal arguments the Supreme Court will hear.
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 18, 2011
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations: The Washington Post: Supercommittee Appears Unlikely To Reach Agreement The absence of an imminent crisis helps explain the lack of urgency on Capitol Hill this week, despite a Thanksgiving deadline approaching. With a vast ideological gulf separating the Republican House and the Democratic Senate on taxes […]
The Supreme Court And Health Law Politics
Every week, reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. New Yorker: Birthright There are eighty-two Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide, operating nearly eight hundred clinics. Planned Parenthood says that one in five women in the U.S. has been treated at a Planned Parenthood clinic. Critics of Planned Parenthood, who are engaged in a […]
Super Committee Urged To Alter Coverage For Some Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries
State Medicaid directors and health insurers press panel to move people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid into private health plans for more efficient care.
The Walmart Opportunity: Can Retailers Revamp Primary Care?
Just as Walmart and other retailers shook up the pharmacy business by offering $4 generic drugs, the industry now aims to apply its clout to tackle unpredictable costs, a lack of primary care doctors and inefficient management of chronic illnesses.
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 17, 2011
Good morning! The fallout from the Supreme Court’s decision on a hearing for the health law continues, as observers watch for signs that the super committee will find common ground before their Wednesday deadline. The Washington Post: Supreme Court’s Planned Review Of Health-Care Law Shocks Medicaid Advocates While there was no surprise over the Supreme […]
Health Insurance Premiums Soar In All 50 States
Another day, another piece of bad news about health insurance premiums. A state-by-state analysis finds that from 2003 to 2010, premiums for family coverage increased an average of 50 percent. At that rate, the average family premium would balloon to nearly $24,000 by 2020, according to the study, which was conducted by The Commonwealth Fund, […]
TV Spots Target Three Republicans On Medicare Cuts
The AFSCME and SEIU trade unions, along with the liberal advocacy group Americans United for Change, are warning Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass. and Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., that votes in favor of Medicare and Medicaid budget cuts will be unpopular with seniors. The groups launched ads today featuring the voice of a […]
In Capitol Hill Speech, Paul Decries ‘Corporate Medicine,’ ‘Government Intervention’
GOP presidential hopeful Ron Paul discussed how, in his view, the federal government has undermined the nation’s health care system.
Texas Lawsuit Identifies Problems In Medicare Hospice Provisions
Complaint filed in federal court alleges one of the nation’s largest hospice companies and HMO firms defrauded the government by inappropriately shifting patients into the program for terminally ill.
Ron Paul: ‘Government Shouldn’t Be Involved’ In Health Care
The GOP presidential candidate, speaking on Capitol Hill Wednesday, outlined his plans for controlling health care costs by reducing the role of the federal government in the health system.
Today’s Headlines – Nov. 16, 2011
Good morning! Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including more analysis of Supreme Court’s upcoming consideration of the health law, and the latest developments regarding the Super Committee. The New York Times: News Analysis: Insurance Mandate May Be Health Bill’s Undoing As Barack Obama battled Hillary Rodham Clinton over health care during the […]
What To Remember During Health Insurance Open Enrollment Season
Our “Insuring Your Health” columnist Michelle Andrews has advice on how to pick a plan for next year, including: Don’t assume your plan will be the same next year.
South Carolina’s Waiting Game On Health Insurance Exchange
The state is likely to decide against creating its own exchange, opting instead to let the federal government build the marketplace, one of the central features of the health law.
Physicians Push For More Palliative Care Despite Barriers
A poll released Tuesday found that an overwhelming majority of doctors support palliative care, with 96 percent responding that they believe enhancing the quality of life for seriously ill patients is more important than extending life as long as possible. Despite these sentiments, many physicians responded that they have some hesitations about palliative care and […]