Latest KFF Health News Stories
Should ‘DNR’ Mean ‘Do Not Resign’?
Folks who say, “When I get that sick, unplug me, don’t let me suffer” have never learned how the end of life can be done better.
New Long-Term Care Insurance Will Provide Flexible Cash Benefits
The CLASS Act, part of the health care overhaul, will provide about $75 a day to people who sign up for the long-term care insurance policy. Advocates say it could help people stay in their homes. But critics raise concerns about the financial viability of the program.
New Health Law Expands High-Risk Coverage
Many states have “last resort” health insurance programs, but they cover few people.
Health Law Rolls Back Abortion Rights, Groups Say
Recent fights between anti-abortion groups could leave people with the impression that the new health overhaul law expands women’s access to abortion. But abortion-rights groups vehemently disagree. “There are extraordinary things in health care reform for women,” says Judy Lichtman, a senior adviser to the National Partnership for Women and Families, which supports abortion rights. […]
Waxman Backs Away From Challenge To Big Corporations On Health Costs
A new congressional staff report is quieting the dispute regarding the losses that large corporations were anticipating as a result of the new health law. Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, cancelled a planned hearing for next week.
What Health Care Reform Means for Main Street
Health care coverage differs among Americans, and many details of the health care reform bill are still unclear. To help clear up the confusion, The Fiscal Times recruited six volunteers representing different incomes, geographic areas, ages and lifestyles to look at how the bill will affect a variety of people.
COBRA Health Insurance Subsidies Waiting For Senate Action
People recently laid off are waiting – once again – to hear if they will be eligible for subsidies to stay on their employer’s health insurance.
Consumers Guide To Health Reform
The new health reform law will extend coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, but also has an effect on almost every citizen. Here’s how the law might affect you.
Health On The Hill – April 12, 2010
Physicians face a 21 percent cut in their Medicare payments unless the Senate approves legislation this week to stop the scheduled reduction. Meanwhile, education efforts about elements of the health care overhaul package are continuing, with the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies and outside groups working to give the public more specifics about the measure.
Health On The Hill – April 12, 2010
Physicians face a 21 percent cut in their Medicare payments unless the Senate approves legislation this week to stop the scheduled reduction. Meanwhile, education efforts about elements of the health care overhaul package are continuing, with the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies and outside groups working to give the public more specifics about the measure.
Americans Asking: ‘How Will Health Reform Help Me?’
Government officials, physicians and nonprofit groups are trying to respond to requests for information as Americans struggle to understand the complexities of the new health law.
Jamie Oliver Trims the (Fiscal) Fat
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has targeted overweight kids in the unhealthiest city in America, and is looking to change them from the inside out. But the ripple effect of his efforts could extend far beyond shrinking the bulging bellies of Huntington, W. Va.’s citizens; ultimately, slimming down could mean fattening up their wallets.
Medicare Advantage Competitive Pricing: The Political Failure of a Good Idea
Congressional meddling has become almost synonymous with Advantage administrative pricing and the trend continued after the passage of the health care reconciliation bill.
Developing Nations: Laboratories For Health Care Innovation
Without big budgets, developing nations have to be creative and flexible when it comes to health care. As a result, some interesting new technologies and techniques have emerged that Westernized countries have adopted.
Can Massachusetts’ Experiment Tell Us What’s Next?
Now that the year-long debate in Congress over health care legislation has come to a close, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s next? Some think that enactment will quickly lead to widespread and generally quiet acquiescence to the terms of the new law, even by those who were strongly against its passage by Congress. Perhaps. But […]
Tennessee Removes About 100,000 People From Medicaid Rolls
The TennCare cuts, which followed the resolution of a long-running court battle, affected mostly elderly or disabled residents, including approximately 37,000 who had relied on the state program for all their health care needs.
Savings From Computerizing Medical Records Are Hard To Measure
A study about the Veterans Administration takes a step towards putting a dollar value on the savings a health care system can get from electronic medical records.
Study: Back Pain Too Often Treated With Expensive Surgery
Too many people are getting complex back surgeries when more minimally-invasive procedures would work just as well. The number of these surgeries has increased by 15 times in five years. Overuse of medical care is one of the reasons the nation’s health bill is so high.
Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion, Payment Increase Causes Mixed Feelings For MDs
While doctors are worrying a lot about whether Congress will block the 21 percent scheduled cut in Medicare payments, a fix to another public health program is raising another question.
Transcript: Health On The Hill – Early Implementation Challenges To Health Law
Obama administration officials have begun the process of implementing health care overhaul legislation the president signed into law last month.