Latest KFF Health News Stories
Justice Increases Efforts To Enforce Olmstead Ruling
Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, is making a “paradigm shift” in his division to focus more on care-at-home cases.
Health Insurance Brokers Fight For Their Future
The new health law appears to threaten the future of many health insurance brokers, but they say the service they provide is worth the money.
Text: Fiscal Commission’s Recommendations On Health Care Spending
The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform released its long-awaited report on recommendations to cope with the national debt, now and into the future, “The Moment of Truth.” Seven of the 66 pages concerned health care spending, especially focusing on Medicare.
The Senate’s Object Lesson For GOP Health Law Repeal Hopes
The upper chamber’s recent consideration of legislation to repeal a small revenue-raising provision within the health overhaul offers insights into why a more sweeping repeal effort would be a very difficult task.
Drug Lobby’s Tax Filings Reveal Health Debate Role
New documents reveal that the drug industry’s chief lobbyists, PhRMA, raised and spent at least $101.2 million in 2009 during the contentious health care debate.
Deficit Reduction Plans Would Squeeze Medicare
Spurred by growing concerns about the federal deficit, plans to curb Medicare spending are proliferating – setting the stage for potentially bruising battles between seniors’ advocates and budget cutters.
In Emergency Rooms, It’s Getting Tougher To Say ‘No’ To CT Scans
A new study shows that the emergency department use of computerized tomography scans has increased nearly six-fold since 1995 and shows no sign of tapering off.
Reinhardt: Repeal Health Care, Make GOP Cut Costs
Health economist Uwe Reinhardt critiques the new health care law, talks about cost containment and gives his reasons why a single-payer system health system couldn’t work in America.
Replace The Tattered Medicaid Long-Term Care Safety Net
Medicaid, the state-federal health program that also pays for nearly half of all long-term care services for the frail elderly and younger people with disabilities, is in big trouble.
If Employers Walked Away From Health Coverage
What would happen if the rank and file of America’s employers, financially overwhelmed by the burden associated with sponsoring health coverage, suddenly opted not to? It’s an idea that is not so far-fetched.
Scorecard: How Health Industry PACs Placed Their Election Bets
Health-sector PACs – ranging from doctors to hospitals to drug companies – generally favored incumbent Democrats, according to a KHN analysis. Two doctor groups backed more Republicans.
Health PAC Giving: A Report Card On The Tightest Races
KHN analyzed 20 health-sector political action committees’ direct contributions to individual candidates in the 94 most competitive congressional races to determine the PACs’ win-loss records.
Health On The Hill Transcript: Medical Loss Ratio, Doc Fix
HHS released regulations on the medical loss ratio, a provision in the health law that requires insurers spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars of health care. Meanwhile, before the Senate adjourned for Thanksgiving it passed a one-month ‘patch’ to prevent physicians who see Medicare patients from having their payments reduced.
New Law’s Health Insurance Regulations Could Mean Rebates For Consumers
Millions of Americans might be eligible for rebates starting in 2012 under regulations released Monday detailing the health care law’s requirement that insurers spend at least 80 percent of their revenue on direct medical care.
Rep. Paul Ryan, R- Wis., took the courageous step of going first with a bold plan — his Roadmap — to fundamentally restructure the tax and entitlement policies that threaten to push the federal budget past the breaking point. Now others, even some from the other side of the aisle, are joining him in sponsoring similar plans.
Health Industry Cool To Complete Repeal Of Reform Law
Republicans in Congress say their priority for next year is to build momentum for an eventual repeal of the new health law. But they could be in for a surprise: While repeal may be popular with Republican voters, the GOP could face pushback from some allies in the health care industry.
Insurers’ Payments To Hospitals Vary Significantly By Region
A study of four major insurers’ payments to hospitals finds great differences among different parts of the country. San Francisco is the most expensive city among the eight areas in the study.
The Medicare Doc Fix: Physicians Again Are Staring Into The Abyss
At the end of November, the most recent “doc fix” will expires. Without congressional action, physicians who see Medicare patients will face an across-the-board 23% reduction in their fees. If nothing happens by January, physicians would face an additional 7 percent reduction.
New Deficit Report Recommends Seniors Pay More For Medicare
A blue-ribbon bipartisan panel of experts, chaired by former budget director Alice Rivlin and former Sen. Pete Domenici, recommends major changes to the way the government pays for health care.
Hospice Or Hospital? Where You Die Depends On Where You Live
An analysis of Medicare data finds many cancer patients are getting aggressive end-of-life care. The intensive approach might not be best for them and adds to the drain on Medicare’s budget.
