Cost and Quality

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Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Tanta atención que duele: terapias y cirugías innecesarias agregan dolor y enfermedad

KFF Health News Original

Las pruebas excesivas de cáncer de tiroides, próstata, seno y piel lleva a muchas personas mayores a someterse a tratamientos que no prolongarán sus vidas, pero que pueden causar dolor y sufrimiento innecesarios.

One Nurse Per 4,000 Pupils = Not The Healthiest Arrangement

KFF Health News Original

School districts in California and around the country face a long-standing shortage of nurses, mostly because of tight budgets. But some districts are finding creative ways to reduce the problem.

Hospitals Step In To Help House The Homeless. Will It Make A Difference?

KFF Health News Original

They say it will help reduce unnecessary ER visits and ensure better follow-up care. It’s also good P.R., and helps them meet their obligations to provide benefits to the community in exchange for significant tax breaks.

Chasing Millions In Medicaid Dollars, Hospitals Buy Up Nursing Homes

KFF Health News Original

The strategy has been used mostly in Indiana, where many county-owned hospitals purchased or leased nursing homes to take advantage of a wrinkle in Medicaid payment rules and augment federal reimbursements.

Facebook Live: Trump Ends Payments For Cost-Sharing Reductions. What’s Next?

KFF Health News Original

In this Facebook Live chat, KHN’s Jay Hancock answers questions about President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will end federal payments for the Affordable Care Act’s cost-sharing reductions.

Anthem Eases Up On Premium Hikes After State Scrutiny

KFF Health News Original

After regulators questioned Anthem’s forecast for medical costs, the company agreed to reduce rate hikes on its individual and small-business health plans next year, saving customers an estimated $114 million.

California Slaps Surcharge On ACA Plans As Trump Remains Coy On Subsidies

KFF Health News Original

Covered California authorized a 12.4 percent average surcharge on silver-tier plans, the second-least expensive option sold on the exchange. It brings the total average premium increase on those plans to nearly 25 percent next year.

Training New Doctors Right Where They’re Needed

KFF Health News Original

Eight teaching centers in California aim to train and retain doctors in medically underserved areas such as California’s Central Valley. They are among 57 such institutions across the country that may soon receive a boost in funding from Congress.

Patients, Health Insurers Challenge Iowa’s Privatized Medicaid

KFF Health News Original

Complaints are rising against for-profit insurance companies that manage Medicaid for about 600,000 Iowans. The privatization of Medicaid is a national trend affecting more than half of the 74 million Americans who get their health care through the state-federal program.

Entrenando a nuevos médicos justo en donde se los necesita

KFF Health News Original

En el Valle Central de California, no hay una escuela de medicina, y los nuevos médicos a menudo evitan el área en favor de los centros urbanos más ricos, donde pueden ganar más dinero.

Eyes Fixed On California As Governor Ponders Inking Drug Price Transparency Bill

KFF Health News Original

“If it gets signed by this governor, it’s going to send shock waves throughout the country,” one legislator says. Pharma has spent $16.8 million lobbying against this bill and other drug laws in California.