Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Care Expands For Ex-Offenders In California
The health overhaul law is spurring a major expansion of programs that will benefit ex-offenders and other indigent people in California beginning this summer.
Special Needs, Special Care: Palliative Care Helps Families Navigate Unfamiliar Medical Terrain
Dr. Joanne Wolfe, of Children’s Hospital Boston, talks about her approach to helping children live with serious or life-limiting illness and how many need an interdisciplinary approach to care to make sense of the maze of medical treatment.
As governors across the land pepper the federal government with requests to scale back Medicaid
On Health Law’s Anniversary: Predictions For Next Year
We asked 12 players from across the nation what they thought they would have accomplished by next year’s anniversary of the health law, or what issues they expect to be central in the ongoing debate.
HHS Says 48,000 Have Used Medicare Drug Discounts This Year
The health law provides a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs and 7 percent for generics once beneficiaries reach the doughnut hole.
For People With Mental Health Issues, Care Is Often Elusive
The wait for an appointment with an expert can be long, and psychiatrists especially are in short supply. Psychologists seek to expand their role by prescribing drugs.
Maternity Wards, NICUs Face Budget Scrutiny
State health officials, searching for solutions to Texas’ budget shortfall, are eying neonatal intensive care units, which they fear are being overbuilt and overused by hospitals eager to profit from the high-cost care.
Health Insurers Respond To Reform By Snapping Up Less-Regulated Businesses
Health insurance companies respond to new regulations by expanding into related
Healthy Indiana: Conservatives’ Reform Poster Child Or Another Costly Program?
The Healthy Indiana Plan is the Hoosier state’s alternative to traditional Medicaid. It’s boosters also consider it a viable alternative to the dreaded Affordable Care Act. But do they really have a case?
Medicine’s Rising Costs Put Hippocratic Oath At Risk
A health policy analyst and physician says doctors are under pressure to ration care.
Brokers Seek To Preserve Role In Health Insurance Marketplace
Insurance agents fear the health reform law threatens their livelihood and want changes in rules to protect their commissions and guarantee them a role in the new health exchanges.
Many Adults Struggle To Pay Medical Bills, Report Finds
The recession and rising health costs create financial hardships or cause consumers to forgo care, according to a survey by the Commonwealth Fund.
The ‘Missing Link’ In ACOs: Patients
Is it realistic to leverage the success of accountable care organizations on physician incentives alone? In other words, what about patients? Might they be that mysterious point that determines the effectiveness of ACO evolution?
Pharmacists Expand Role To Help Educate And Coach Patients
Consumers often find it easier to get time with a pharmacist than a doctor, so drug stores are offering more outreach programs about chronic health problems.
Can My Insurer Deny My 22-Year-Old Health Insurance Coverage?
A reader wonders if she can put her 22-year-old self-employed daughter, who currently has insurance on her own, back on the family policy.
Will Access To Health Insurance For My Sick Wife Be Better After 2014?
Kaiser Health News consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader on if access to good health insurance will be better for his sick wife after 2014.
Will My Son With Pre-existing Conditions Be Able To Buy Health Insurance?
Kaiser Health News consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader on if her son with a pre-existing condition will be able to buy health insurance under the new law.
Wyden-Brown And The Health Law: A Match Made In Heaven Or Limbo?
President Barack Obama’s surprise signal last week to governors that he was willing to give states some extra flexibility in implementing the law is particularly noteworthy because it offers a useful window into the health law’ s evolving politics and the future bargaining that will likely take place.
From California To The New York Island, A New Understanding Of Higher Medicare Spending
CMS analysis shows that some regions with high spending levels are below the national average if patient health and special expenses are factored in.
Some Medical Practices Move To Monthly Membership Fees For Patients
These new plans cut out insurance policies and offer unlimited access to doctors and nurse practitioners for a modest, set fee.
