Latest KFF Health News Stories
Tough Medicare Decisions Await Bipartisan Budget Panel
Lawmakers have until Dec. 13 to reach agreement under legislation ending the shutdown of the government and raising the debt ceiling.
What’s The Deadline To Avoid A Penalty For Not Having Insurance?
The simple answer is that under the health law’s individual mandate, American must have insurance by March 31. But unfortunately it’s not that straightforward.
Finally Home, Traumatically Injured Vets Face New Lives As VA Faces Costs
No one can tally the full cost of caring for veterans with life-lasting wounds, but the financial price — immeasurable compared to the emotional toll on vets and their families — will increase as they age.
Miami Leads Nation In Medicare Drug Spending
Miami seniors filled more prescriptions and spent more on medications than their counterparts elsewhere, but they also fared better in comparison to the rest of the nation for their use of effective medications, such as beta blockers to reduce blood pressure.
9 Things Millennials Need To Know About Obamacare (But Likely Don’t)
It may not be as fun as planning that backpacking trip around Europe, but buying health insurance will soon be its own rite of passage. Here’s what you need to know.
Advocates Target Latinos in ACA Enrollment Outreach
Texas community groups are relying on promotoras – health counselors, often women, who offer one-on-one counseling about coverage options in Spanish-speaking communities.
FAQ: What Is The ACA’s ‘Reinsurance Tax’?
This little-known provision of the health law has been –at times — in the Senate negotiations on the budget.
Health Insurance Co-Ops Offer New Option For Some Marketplace Shoppers
The nonprofit “consumer oriented and operated plans,” or co-ops, are run by their members and were created under the federal health law to enhance competition on the exchanges.
South Floridians’ Biggest Question About Marketplace Plans: Will They Be Affordable?
Consumers of different ages, health and income levels make different calculations about the costs and benefits of buying health coverage.
Pay For Hospital CEOs Linked More To Technology, Patient Satisfaction Than Quality, Study Finds
Harvard researchers find no difference in CEO compensation between hospitals that rate well in providing good care and those that do poorly.
Why Some Virginia Health Plans Cost So Much
How states resolve questions over whether to mandate coverage of specialized treatments, such as gastric bypass surgery, can have a big impact on premiums.
FAQ: What’s At Stake If Congress Repeals The Medical Device Tax
Getting rid of the tax, which helps raise money to fund the health law, might help break the budget battle logjam.
A Reader Asks: My Coverage Is Intermittent. Can I Do Better On The Marketplace?
A contract worker looks for more consistent coverage.
Mississippi Consumers Try And Try Again To Use Healthcare.gov
In Mississippi, one of 36 states dependent on the federally run health insurance marketplace, consumers continue to face long delays and other technical difficulties.
Looking For D.C.’s Best Hospitals? Here’s A Little Advice
A cottage industry of nonprofits and companies offer grades and rankings of hospitals. But they often measure different things.
FAQ: Dental And Vision Care Part Of ‘Essential Benefits’ For Kids
The health law provides for subsidized coverage for basic and preventive services for kids, and some states are requiring that they be included in every policy.
Brokers and insurers can sell their traditional products, but they may also sell some plans available on the marketplaces that offer subsidies for customers.
Costliest 1 Percent Of Patients Account For 21 Percent Of U.S. Health Spending
Most of these patients have multiple chronic illnesses and all too often they wind up in emergency rooms because they have enormous difficulty navigating the increasingly fragmented, complicated and inflexible health-care system.
A Reader Asks: If I Don’t Have Insurance, How Can I Pay For A Colonoscopy?
The health law expands coverage for preventive services, but it only applies to those who have insurance policies.
Marketplace Plans Vary Widely In Costs, Within Counties And Across The Country
Even the same plan can carry dramatically different price tags in different areas
