Latest KFF Health News Stories
Win-Win? CVS Joining Forces With Hospitals, Doctors
The pharmaceutical giant’s latest deal is with MedStar Health, in the Washington, D.C., area.
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.
Too Many People Die In Hospital Instead Of Home. Here’s Why.
Surveys show Americans would prefer not to die in a hospital. Yet, in New York City, the majority of people do. But the “why” is not simple – a variety of of factors create this culture.
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.
For Autistic Adults, Coverage Options Are Scarce
Although efforts by the federal and state governments are forcing insurers to cover costly treatments, patients who turn 21 “fall off a cliff.”
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.
After Vidant Pungo Hospital was shuttered this summer, physicians and patients in this rural North Carolina town fear for their future.
Dying In America Is Harder Than It Has To Be, IOM Says
Comprehensive report on end-of-life care says both medicine and society need to change “to make those final days better.”
Flaw In Federal Software Lets Employers Offer Plans Without Hospital Benefits, Consultants Say
Problems with a government calculator that companies use to prove that their insurance meets health law standards could allow substandard policies, consumer advocates say.
You’re Being Observed In The Hospital? Patients With Private Insurance Better Off Than Seniors
Among the most significant difference is that patient with their own insurance don’t face the same danger of losing nursing home coverage.
Osteopathic Medicine Meshes With New Health Care Needs
The number of osteopathic doctors is increasing sharply, helping to meet the demand for primary care.
Replacing An Ambulance With A Station Wagon
There’s nothing like an ambulance when you really need one, but they’re expensive, and a lot of people who call an ambulance could be better served with a different, cheaper kind of care.
Rural Doctor Shortage Worsens As Newly Insured Washington Residents Seek Care
In one Olympic Peninsula community, a clinic turns away 250 callers a week.
Missouri’s Medicaid Applicants Get Put On Hold
Call center wait times climb even as the application backlog mounts and the state reports the single largest monthly drop in Medicaid enrollment in June.
Putting Teeth In Health Reform
Many North Carolina dentists refuse to treat Medicaid patients because of the low reimbursements, while the federal health law defines children’s dental insurance as an essential benefit” but doesn’t require parents to buy it.
Beware Of Higher Charges If You Go To An Out-Of-Network Emergency Room
The Affordable Care Act prohibits insurers from charging more for out-of-network emergency care, but your bill could be higher if you’re admitted to the hospital.
Health Law May Benefit More Small Businesses In The Fall
Special online markets weren’t widely available in Obamacare’s first year.
Freestanding ERs Target Suburbs, Rural Panel Told
Freestanding emergency departments have been proposed in Georgia as a potential solution for struggling rural hospitals.
Health Law Spurs Focus On Faster Drug Development
The Cures Acceleration Network’s mission is to fund research that can be speedily transformed into treatments and to streamline the drug-approval process.
Operator? Business, Insurer Take On End-of-Life Issues By Phone
Fear keeps many patients and doctors from talking to each other about end-of-life care. One company, hired by insurers, has made a rather unusual business fostering those conversations.
