Latest KFF Health News Stories
KHN periodically shares readers’ comments on recent original stories.
New Rules Will Ban ER Debt Collections At Charitable Hospitals
On Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department released new proposed rules to protect patients from abusive debt collection practices at nonprofit hospitals.
Retail Health Clinics Expanding
President of MinuteClinic, the nation’s largest chain, says his facilities help fill the void caused by a shortage of primary care doctors. But they also help patients find physicians and coordinate care.
Could Kaiser Permanente’s Low-Cost Health Care Be Even Cheaper?
Critics say the price gap between Kaiser Permanente and other companies has narrowed for unclear reasons.
Q&A: Preventive Benefits And ‘Grandfathered’ Health Plans
KHN’s “Insuring Your Health” columnist Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader about “grandfathered” health plans, which don’t need to comply with new rules about benefits for preventive care — but only in the near term.
Some Health System Changes Will Stay, No Matter How SCOTUS Rules
Soaring costs, tight budgets, better technology and industry consolidation ensure health care won’t go back to 2009, no matter what the Supreme Court or Congress do.
College Health Plans: Exploring The Options
College students and their families will have better health insurance options in the upcoming school year, but costs will be higher.
College Students Bridge Chasm Between Medical Care And Poverty
The volunteers, part of a program called Health Leads, help low-income families connect with social service groups providing food, clothes, housing and other services so that children can overcome some of the obstacles contributing to health problems.
Uninsured And Unaware Of Supreme Court Case Against Health Law
‘What new law?’ ask patients attending a free weekend clinic in rural Tennessee. Few people understood that their future benefits are at stake as the Supreme Court weighs the fate of the federal health overhaul law.
Establishing A World-Class Health Benefit Exchange In Maryland
As Maryland awaits the Supreme Court’s health law decision, wrties Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, the state remains committed to forward progress in implementing health reforms that will lead to a healthier, more productive workforce and help bend the curve of rising health care costs.
Utah’s Health Exchange: Running, But Waiting For The Court’s Decision
Patty Conner, the director of Utah’s health exchange, writes that her state has been able to build a functioning health care solution for its citizens, but now faces the challenges of integrating it with a national system, for which specifics are unclear.
Implementing The Federal Health Law In Rhode Island: More Than Insurance Access
The federal health law provides enormous financial and policy-oriented resources to aid the Ocean State in advancing its ambitious health agenda, according to Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher Koller, which focuses not only on insurance access but on improving the value of medical care.
California Bullish On Health Exchange-No Matter What
California Democratic lawmakers have been introducing legislation that would replicate key pieces of the federal law, so the state will continue to develop its health insurance exchange even if the Supreme Court overturns the law.
Medicare Drug Discounts At Risk If Court Strikes Health Law
The pharmaceutical industry agreed in the health debate to reduce brand-name drug costs by 50 percent for Medicare beneficiaries who reach the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole.
Taking A Risk To Secure Health Insurance
A southern California writer explains why he chose to go without coverage for six months so he could secure a better health plan for 18 months. But his strategy is not a sure thing.
Stakes High For Consumers And Industry As Court Weighs Health Law
If the Supreme Court strikes down part or all of the 2010 federal health law, millions of Americans – including the uninsured, young adults and the chronically ill – could be affected.
Will The Cadillac Tax Extend To Individual Plans Or The Self-Employed?
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader about who will be affected by the health law’s Cadillac tax, a 40 percent excise tax on high-cost plans set to start in 2018.
Table: Caring for Migrant Farmworkers
Details about the 156 health centers that get federal funds to provide primary care to migrant and seasonal farmworkers regardless of immigration status.
Patients who had been asked to pay up while writhing in pain testify at a hearing called by Sen. Al Franken in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Ex-Medicare Administrator: Premium Support “Is Going To Have To Happen”
Former CMS administrator Thomas Scully urges both parties to take a second look at the premium support model for overhauling Medicare.
