Latest KFF Health News Stories
A Guide To Medicare’s Readmissions Penalties And Data
The methodology behind KHN’s analysis of the third year of the Medicare penalty program.
Hospitals React To Proton Therapy Questions
Three hospitals react to KHN’s story on proton therapy with the statements.
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.
Texas and Florida Expand Medicaid
They were among 21 states required by Obamacare to broaden eligibility for school-age children.
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.
Administration Says Hospitals Will Save $5.7B From Unpaid Bills Due To Health Law
About three-quarters of the savings will go to hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid.
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.
