Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Turning 65? 9 Tips For Signing Up For Medicare
A consumer reporter shares what she learned when getting ready to join the federal health plan for seniors.
Obamacare Enrollment: Second Year An Even Tougher Challenge
States and the federal government aim to renew coverage for 15.3 million already signed up on exchanges and Medicaid — and enroll about 10 million more who are currently uninsured.
Is Texas Prepared for a Public Health Emergency?
Experts says a series of recent threats, including the first Ebola patient to develop symptoms in the U.S., raise questions about the state’s capacity to deal with contagious diseases.
A Guide To Medicare’s Readmissions Penalties And Data
The methodology behind KHN’s analysis of the third year of the Medicare penalty program.
Canceled Health Plans: Round Two
Those who held onto plans that didn’t comply with the health law may have to choose new ones for 2015, and they could cost more.
Proton Center Closure Doesn’t Slow New Construction
A proton beam therapy center in Indiana is closing, and insurers are reluctant to cover the expensive treatment for common cancers. But plans for three new proton therapy centers for the D.C. area are still moving forward.
As Payments Database Debuts, Doctors Urge Caution
Consumers can look up their doctors and see if they were paid in any way by the health industry.
‘The Health Care System Falls Apart When You’re A Complex Patient’
Jeffrey Brenner, a 2013 MacArthur Fellow and executive director of the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, is betting that coordinated care for “super utilizer” patients will reduce health costs.
Many Rural Hospitals Are Excluded From Government’s Push For Better Quality
A quarter of the nation’s hospitals are exempt from penalties, quality bonuses and other payment reforms.
Debate Grows Over Employer Plans With No Hospital Benefits
Some insurance pros say the administration intended such coverage to meet Obamacare’s “minimum value” standard. Others disagree, and the government stays silent.
DEA: Vicodin, Some Other Pain Meds Will Be Harder to Get
The regulation, slated to take effect Oct. 6, is a response to the widespread misuse of these prescription medicines.
Personal Attention Seen As Antidote To Rising Health Costs
Some of a hospital’s income now depends on keeping patients healthy. Kevin Wiehrs seeks to save hospitals money by keeping former patients out of the hospital.
Win-Win? CVS Joining Forces With Hospitals, Doctors
The pharmaceutical giant’s latest deal is with MedStar Health, in the Washington, D.C., area.
Insurance Brokers Key To Kentucky’s Obamacare Success
More than 40 percent of the people who signed up for insurance on Kynect, Kentucky’s exchange, used an insurance broker.
Number Of Marketplace Insurers To Rise 25 Percent, HHS Says
More companies will likely mean more competition and lower prices for consumers, HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said Tuesday.
Insurers Hesitant To Cover Many Proton Beam Therapy Treatments
Supporters of the controversial — and high-priced — therapy say more routine coverage would help propel necessary research.
A Single Insurer Holds Obamacare Fate In Two States
Where did the insurance marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act struggle the most? The answer lies in commerce, not politics.
Miami-Dade County, Like Many Employers, Denied Tools To Trim Health Costs
As the Florida county negotiates health insurance changes with labor unions, it isn’t allowed to know the prices its own insurance plan administrator negotiates with providers, even though it’s self-insured and the claims are paid with taxpayer dollars.
How Much Does That X-Ray Cost? You Can Find Out In New Hampshire
Price transparency efforts in the Granite State help consumers and employers ask smarter questions.
San Francisco Politician: ‘I Take A Pill Called Truvada’
This story is part of a partnership that includes KQED, NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. (details) In an effort to combat stigma that has arisen around a treatment that prevents HIV, a San Francisco elected official announced publicly Wednesday that he is taking the medicine. City Supervisor Scott Wiener […]
