Latest KFF Health News Stories
Survey: Consumers Face Higher Health Care Costs
Employees will be experiencing higher co-pays and deductibles in their health insurance next year as employers continue to reduce their overall coverage to deal with rapidly rising costs.
What Medicaid Cuts Will Mean For Seniors And Others With Disabilities (Guest Opinion)
Howard Gleckman wonders how society will provide care to the frail elderly people who rely on the program and account for one-third of its budget.
Coburn Exit Has Some Questioning Role Of Gang Of Six
In today’s Health On The Hill, KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with The Fiscal Times’ Eric Pianin about the Gang of Six, negotiators seeking consensus on deficit reduction plans. The group lost a member this week after Sen. Tom Coburn left talks Tuesday over proposed cuts to Medicare, potentially leaving them overshadowed by other similar efforts, like one headed by Vice President Joe Biden.
States Struggling To Pay For Aged, Disabled Community Programs – A KHN Interview
Martha Roherty, who represents officials running state programs, says that “things that allow people to keep their family members at home longer” are often being cut.
Decline In Autopsies May Obscure Understanding Of Disease
Hospitals perform the postmortem exams in only about 5 percent of patients who die. Experts fear that for others, key details about diagnosis and the effect of treatments are lost.
Minnesota GOP Between A Rock And Hard Place on Health Exchange Options
GOP lawmakers generally oppose efforts to set up the insurance marketplaces called for in the health law – but they aren’t crazy about the alternatives either.
Sit Down, Mitt, You’re Not Helping (Guest Opinion)
Mitt Romney’s reversals on a variety of policy issues create the impression that when he’s with you, he’s with you. At least until he leaves the room. The impression is again playing out in regard to Romney’s stunning reversal on Massachusett’s health plan.
States Seek to Soften Rule on Insurers’ Profits, Millions Of Dollars In Consumer Rebates At Stake
Nine states are pushing the Obama administration to ease a requirement that insurers spend 80 percent of their premium revenues on medical care
Gloomier-Than-Expected Forecast For Medicare
The outlook for the federal health insurance program that, as of last year, covered 47.5 million elderly and disabled Americans is a dramatic shift from last summer.
Untouchable! Vets’ $52 Billion Health Care Plan
The military is trying to figure out ways to slow down the rapidly rising cost of care and the Obama administration’s 2012 budget calls for the first changes since 1996.
Navigating The Tricky World Of Maternity Coverage
Michelle Andrews, author of KHN’s “Insuring Your Health” weekly feature, talks with Jackie Judd about how various types of insurance plans do
Navigating The Tricky World Of Maternity Coverage
Michelle Andrews, author of KHN’s “Insuring Your Health” weekly feature, talks with Jackie Judd about how various types of insurance plans do
A Success Story: Expanding Health Care Options For Detroit’s Poor-The KHN Interview
In this video, KHN reporter Jenny Gold interviews Dr. Herbert Smitherman about the Voices of Detroit Initiative that tracked 33,000 uninsured people and helped get more than half of them into coordinated care systems.
A Success Story: Expanding Health Care Options For Detroit’s Poor-The KHN Interview
Dr. Herbert Smitherman talks about the Voices of Detroit Initiative that tracked 33,000 uninsured people and helped get more than half of them into coordinated care systems.
Located in one of the nation’s most medically underserved areas, St. John’s Well Child and Family Center is bracing for GOP-backed Medicaid cuts that the facility’s director says would be disastrous.
The Health Law, Planned Parenthood
In a brief exchange, Sen. Rand Paul accuses Sen. Bernie Sanders of trying to put physicians into slavery by asserting that health care is a “right” for all.
The Old Practice Of House Calls Is Returning To Some Areas
Businesses and individuals looking for convenience are contracting with services that will provide same-day medical appointments at home or office.
For The NAIC, A Consequential Decision On The MLR (Guest Opinion)
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is considering whether to endorse legislation that would remove broker and agent commissions from the medical loss ratio. The final decision will have far-reaching implications for the reliability of the MLR as a measure of a health plan’s value.
When it comes to controlling rising health care costs, we face an urgent problem that leads to a simple question: Is there a smart idea that can be done now? Yes. It’s called “Paying for Outcomes.”
Florida Legislature Passes Massive Medicaid Overhaul
Arguing that the proposal will save tax dollars and improve patient care, Republican lawmakers Friday approved a massive overhaul of Florida’s Medicaid system.
