Latest KFF Health News Stories
Docs Slam Recertification Rules They Call A Waste Of Time
Some say the requirements will push older doctors to retire early, worsening the physician shortage.
Half Of Texas Abortion Clinics Close Due To State Law
This story is part of a partnership that includes Houston Public Media, NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. (details) In just over the past year, the number of abortion clinics in Texas fell from 41 to 20, and watchdogs say that as few as six may be left by September. […]
A Small Business Owner Enters The Insurance Marketplace
Initially, the restaurateur was frustrated in trying to find health insurance for her family, but her effort was ultimately successful. Now she hopes to insure her ‘work family.’
Letters To The Editor: A New Medical Convenience; ‘Copper Plans’ And Other Coverage Issues
Letters to the Editor is a regular feature in which readers comment on KHN original stories.
Tech-Savvy Subjects Test Exchange Website, Advise Changes
The University of Pennsylvania recruited young people to shop for coverage on healthcare.gov to learn what gave them trouble navigating the site.
Nurse Practitioners Gain Flexibility With New State Law
The law, effective July 15, is viewed as an innovative compromise in Kentucky, but some people involved in national scope-of-practice debates are skeptical.
Will Health Reform Bring New Role, Respect To Primary Care Physicians?
By paying primary care doctors to cut specialist and hospital revenue, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is helping to alter the medical spoils system.
Putting The Home In A Nursing Home
LaVrene Norton’s firm specializes in helping retirement communities and nursing homes train staff and design their residencies to fit the “household model.”
Lawsuit Accuses Anthem Blue Cross Of ‘Fraudulent’ Enrollment Practices
Consumer group alleges the insurer put out inaccurate information about benefits and providers to gain market share.
Study: Hospitals Using Electronic Medical Records Not Bilking Medicare
In 2012, Medicare was rocked by allegations hospitals were systematically overcharging the government program by misusing electronic medical records. A study published Tuesday disputes that.
Chattanooga’s success in achieving bargain-priced policies offers valuable lessons for other parts of the country as they seek to satisfy consumers with insurance networks that limit their choices of doctors and hospitals.
How Illinois Has Spent $56M From Health Law’s Prevention Fund
The health law seeks to reduce health care costs by spending more money on prevention and wellness efforts.
Poll: Americans Bristle At Penalties In Wellness Programs
Workers believe employer wellness programs should be all gain but no pain, according to a poll released Tuesday. The poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found employees approve of corporate wellness programs when they offer perks, but recoil if the plans have punitive incentives such as higher premiums for those who do not take part. […]
Proposal To Add Skimpier ‘Copper’ Plans To Marketplace Raises Concerns
Advocates say the plans could expose consumers to unacceptably high out-of-pocket costs if they get sick.
Retooling Hospitals, One Data Point At A Time
The University of Utah improved quality and reduced costs by tracking each patient’s care.
Getting Rural Patients Psychiatric Help Fast
Patients in rural hospitals often have to wait days to see a psychiatrist. South Carolina is a leader in turning that around.
Health Care System Needs To Prepare For Global Warming
Dr. Al Sommer, the former dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who helped produce a new report on climate change, says changes expected this century could lead to many deaths and a strain on hospitals.
Drug Discount Program Has Drugmakers Crying Foul
Hospitals and drug makers are waging a pitched battle over the program — known as 340B — that requires drug manufacturers to give steep discounts to hospitals that treat a large percentage of poor patients.
Drug Discount Policy For Hospitals, Clinics Under Scrutiny
Critics argue that some facilities using the program should not be eligible and that the money they receive from the sale of the discounted drugs is not always being plowed back into patient care.
More Than 750 Hospitals Face Medicare Crackdown On Patient Injuries
The 1 percent cut in payments is the latest effort by the federal government to improve hospital care.
