Latest KFF Health News Stories
Feds Face Challenges In Launching U.S. Health Exchange
Technical, political and financial obstacles loom as clock ticks toward 2014 deadline for operations.
HHS Gives States Flexibility On Health Law’s ‘Essential Benefits’
States will be given wide latitude to decide what “essential benefits” insurers must offer in policies offered on new health exchanges come 2014, the Obama administration said Friday in a move that pushes off final federal rules on those benefits until sometime next year.
How Lawsuits Can Stymie Some Automatic Cuts
Advocates for the elderly and disabled have been able to thwart budget cuts in California by challenging them in federal court.
Hospitals Try To Control Readmissions, Even When It Hurts Profits
Patients with multiple chronic conditions benefit from a new clinic at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. But the hospital says it bears too much of the costs to keep discharged patients from returning.
Coverage Of Bariatric Surgery Is Spotty For Obese Kids
Experts in pediatric obesity say that caution is warranted, but some physicians see the operations as offering a safe chance to take off significant weight and avoid harmful disease.
Berwick: Don’t Blame Medicare, Medicaid. It’s The Delivery System
The former Medicare administrator says the U.S. health care system “isn’t built for modern times,” but the health care law will help rein in costs and improve care.
Health Law May Accelerate Growth In Urgent Care Centers
Crowded emergency rooms and a lack of primary care doctors have fueled recent expansions. But the drive to lower costs is also a factor and could bring more customers under the overhaul.
Clock Is Ticking for ‘Doc Fix,’ Medicare ‘Extenders’
In today’s Health on the Hill, Jackie Judd and KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey discuss the prospects for an agreement this month on Medicare reimbursement rates, and what happens if nothing is done before the end of the year.
Minnesota Health Exchange Demonstrations Online For Public Review
Until now, an insurance exchange in Minnesota, which will allow consumers to buy health insurance online and is part of the health overhaul, has been just an abstract idea. But now, prototypes for public review are now available online.
Some Companies Base Premiums On Employee’s Salary
Although few employers have used this strategy, consultants say it could help many in 2014 meet new requirements in the health law.
What Every Baby Boomer Should Know About Medicare
Among the most costly mistakes is missing the deadline for enrollment.
Calif. Hospital Report Cards Likely To Go Away
Most major hospitals in California give data voluntarily to independent analysts who publish consumer-friendly reports. But the California Hospital Association says it is withdrawing from the project.
Weighing Berwick’s Top Five Accomplishments At CMS
Dr. Donald Berwick’s 15-month tenure at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services was marked by ambitious efforts to improve the nation’s health care system.
Enrollment Still Growing In Medicare Advantage Plans, GAO Says
Predictions of the demise of Medicare’s private insurance plans are premature, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.
Study: Big Employers Could Dump Sickest Employees On To Exchanges
A loophole in the health law could allow employers to game the system by dumping their sicker employees onto health insurance exchanges.
Unconventional Clinic Providing Safety Net For Women
Marilyn Ringstaff’s clinic fills a void for low-income uninsured women in Rome, Georgia.
Both Patients And Physicians Can Suffer When Test Results Aren’t Reported
The push for better coordination of patient care, including the adoption of electronic medical records, should help improve the delivery of test results to patients from doctors and to doctors from those who perform the tests.
Q&A: My Daughter Is No Longer A Full-Time Student, Is She Still Covered?
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a mother about a provision in the health law about extending coverage to children under the age of 26.
Committed to Randol: One Family’s Long-Term Care Journey
As a child, Randol Brock had a high fever that caused brain damage. Now 52, there are two things Randol loves more than anything else: tractors and his sister-in-law Doris, who helps take care of him.
N.Y. Malpractice Program May Offer Model For Medical Liability Cases
Under the system, when a lawsuit is filed, a judge with expertise in medical matters becomes the point person for that case and helps broker a settlement.
