Latest KFF Health News Stories
Minnesota Health Systems Try Partnering, Not Competition, To Boost Their Bottom Lines
A partnership between two rival health systems in the Minneapolis area is offering a glimpse of the future, at least as envisioned in the federal health law.
States Are Limiting Medicaid Hospital Coverage In Search For Savings
Hospitals say the burden of cost-cutting falls on them because they’ll be stuck with the bill for care if Medicaid refuses to pay.
Managing Asthma With More Than Medicine
Truly treating childhood asthma takes a team of doctors, health educators and parents. They are trying this approach in Philadelphia, where the prevalence of the disease in the African-American community is especially high.
State Medicaid Spending Skyrockets
KHN staff writer Phil Galewitz reports that the combination of rising enrollments and the end of federal stimulus funds is forcing a huge spike in state spending on Medicaid, the state-federal program for the poor.
Between A Hygienist And A Dentist, A Hard Sell
Proposal to create mid-level dental care providers gains traction in Kansas as a university pledges to train the new professionals. But the idea faces stiff opposition from some dentists.
Letters To The Editor: Readers’ Thoughts On Children’s Hospitals Series
Letters to the Editor is a periodic KHN feature. This installment offers a selection of comments on KHN’s recent “Building Ambitions” series that explores the world of funding for children’s hospitals.
HHS Releases Final Regulations For ACOs
KHN staff writers Jenny Gold and Phil Galewitz report on the new rule, which will make it easier for health care providers to participate in the new models of delivering health care.
Oregon Wants To Grade Its ACOs
Oregon’s Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat and a physician, is pushing for a way for the state’s health plans to coordinate care better for patients.
Helping Patients Know Their ‘Medical Mind’ Can Ease Uncertainty
In a new book, oncologist and New Yorker writer Jerome Groopman and his wife, endocrinologist Pamela Hartzband, encourage consumers to chart their own path when looking at treatment decisions.
Medicare Releases Patient Safety Ratings For Hospitals
Publication of the new Medicare data on HHS website is a step in the government’s plan to link payments to quality.
Perry And Other GOP Candidates Knock Romney On Mass. Health Reform, Blast Health Law
The Republican candidates for president spent their latest debate Tuesday night criticizing features of the health care law, including the IPAB. Newt Gingrich brought up “death panels” and Gov. Rick Perry faced questions about Medicaid in Texas.
Offering Rehab Services Soon After Diagnosis Proves Beneficial
National Naval Hospital in Bethesda helped pioneer this model of treatment for breast cancer patients and found it saved money and helped the women fully recover their range of motion.
Cancer Patients Could Benefit From Greater Use Of Rehabilitation
Oncologists often overlook therapies that can ease the debilitating effects of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy and insurance plans frequently limit coverage.
Pharmacists Inject New Vigor Into Flu Shot Market
Majority of Americans still get their vaccinations from a doctor but more than 18 percent were immunized at a supermarket or drugstore last year.
Disparities Cloud Health Improvements In Past Decade, Report Finds
Federal officials note that minorities and low-income Americans continue to have less access to health care even as the country makes improvements in life expectancy and lowering death rates related to several conditions.
Administration Scales Back Expansion Of Community Health Centers
Health centers fear they won’t be able to expand fast enough to meet the growing demand from the current uninsured and the influx of people to Medicaid in 2014.
HCA May Face Big Revenue Hit If Feds Approve Texas Medicaid Plan
Hospital Corporation of America receives hundreds of millions of dollars in supplemental Medicaid money to help cover the poor and uninsured, but Texas officials suggest HCA may be benefiting the most.
In New Term, Supreme Court To Tackle Divisive Issues
The Supreme Court starts its new term Monday. Among the issues slated to be decided are if doctors, hospitals and patients can challenge state-enacted reductions in Medicaid payments.
Children’s Hospitals May Face Leaner Future
Cuts in Medicaid lead list of threats to the growth and profitability of children’s hospitals.
Heads Of Largest Children’s Hospitals Receive Big Salaries And Rich Benefits
Critics say generous compensation of CEOs raises questions about the tax-exempt status of nonprofit hospitals.
