Latest KFF Health News Stories
Some Hill Races Could Hinge On Seniors’ Anger Over Medicare
As emotions run high over the new health law, older voters’ concerns about Medicare cuts could be a deciding factor in some particularly close congressional races.
If certain steps are taken, the next round of reform could make health insurance portable, affordable and fair.
Dueling Letters On Medicare Part D Changes
Officials at CMS say they’re streamlining Medicare Part D – including eliminating some plans they call duplicative. But as the open enrollment period nears, some Republicans are criticizing the move as “frightening.”
Video: Checking In With Tom Daschle
Jackie Judd checks in with Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader and a senior, informal, advisor to President Obama during the health debate. He talks about the challenges facing the administration now, including walking the line between the “pragmatic and idealistic” and about how to respond to the many requests for waivers from complying with the law. Daschle has a new book about the new debate: “Getting It Done.”
If You Don’t Get The New Health Care Law, At Least You Can Laugh About It
In a new animated—and pointed—video, a health care executive sheepishly admits that he’s been too busy to read the new bill.
State Regulators Recommend New Health Insurance Rules
State insurance regulators have defined one of the thorniest provisions of the new health overhaul law: the requirement that insurers spend at least 80 percent of revenue on direct medical care.
Health Law’s Opponents Dominating Airwaves
President Obama signed the health law in March and told voters to read up on it. But opponents of the law have done most of the educating on what it means, sometimes in ads with false claims.
Yeah, Those Emergency Rooms Are Crowded
The real problem facing our emergency care system is not overuse, it’s the lack of a financial and administrative infrastructure to properly support it.
Justice Dept. Pushes For Services To Move Patients Out Of Mental Hospitals
Sweeping agreement with Georgia points to new Obama administration campaign to ensure people with mental illness and developmental disabilities get community services and are not forced into institutions.
A New Way To Pay For Chemotherapy
One of the nation’s largest health insurers said today it is testing a new way to pay for some cancer treatments, aiming to identify the best medicines
Docs On Pharma Payroll Have Blemished Records, Limited Credentials
Drug companies say they hire the most-respected doctors in their fields to teach about the benefits and risks of their drugs. But ProPublica uncovered hundreds of doctors on company payrolls who had been accused of professional misconduct, were disciplined by state boards or lacked credentials.
Campaign Claims: Health Law Myths And Facts
The debate that preceded passage of the health-care overhaul resumed as a heated issue in the midterm elections. Politicians and advocacy groups seeking repeal of the law are making dramatic claims about the its cost and effects. How valid are they? We evaluate some of the most common criticisms.
Transcript: Health On The Hill – October 18, 2010
Some Democrats are talking about health care in their elections in a new way: send us to Washington to fix parts of the health care bill that you don’t like. Meanwhile, oral arguments in a Virginia court case challenging the law’s requirement that individuals purchase health care insurance are proceeding in court.
When Hospital Checklists Don’t Tell The Whole Story
A new study finds that HHS’ Hospital Compare website isn’t helping Medicare beneficiaries, in need of certain high-risk surgeries, find better facilities.
Health On The Hill – October 18, 2010
Some Democrats are talking about health care in their elections in a new way: send us to Washington to fix parts of the health care bill that you don’t like. Meanwhile, oral arguments in a Virginia court case challenging the law’s requirement that individuals purchase health care insurance are proceeding in court.
California Hospitals: Prices Rising Rapidly, But Quality Varies
Prominent hospitals and networks, especially those in the San Francisco Bay Area, can keep raising prices beyond inflation because their sizes or reputations give them clout in negotiating rates with insurers, researchers say. Yet high prices don’t always equate with superior care.
How KHN Obtained Data For The California Hospital Prices Story
Kaiser Health News’ story on California’s Costliest Hospitals, months in the making, relied on data from a number of sources.
What’s the Worst That Could Happen With The New Health Law?
The Heritage Foundation’s analysis of the impact of health reform shows that different assumptions could put a tremendous amount of pressure on an already soaring national debt.
Hospitals, Inc., A Kaiser Health News Series
Hospitals play an enormous role in the health care system; they’re a crucial part of the public health safety net and an important community resource. But they are expensive. Hospital costs make up the largest portion of the health spending in this country.
Should Health Law Be Repealed? Not A Simple Question
Would the public like to see the new health overhaul law repealed? A lot of pollsters have been asking that question lately. And they’ve been getting a lot of different answers.