Latest KFF Health News Stories
Insuring Your Health: Looking At The Changes 2011 Brings
Michelle Andrews speaks with KFF’s Jackie Judd about changes in lifetime insurance limits, keeping children insured, the new high-risk pools, rising health costs and consumers’ misperceptions about the overhaul.
Study Fuels Debate Over Widespread HIV Testing And Its Cost
The wider use of a cheap blood test could help cut the number of new HIV infections by more than 80,000 in the United States over 20 years, but the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force hasn’t come around to that view.
No Outrage, No Story In Dead Patients
A good story involves drama and conflict. It’s a great story when a federal judge with Republican ties nixing the president’s achievement in ensuring access to care for all. But a couple of reports about hospitals avoidably killing tens of thousands of Americans once they have that access to care apparently has little, if any, drama at all.
Is There Any Hope For Medicaid Reform?
Recent coverage of the proposals offered by President Obama’s debt commission managed to gloss over a huge factor adding to the nation’s deficit — Medicaid. But the problem wasn’t just in the coverage, but in the report, too. The final version ignored the massive expansion of the Medicaid program included in the new health care lawand didn’t push for structural reforms to the program.
Care At Stake As Congress Nears ‘Doc Fix’ Deal
Lawmakers are close again to delaying a 25 percent cut in reimbursement to doctors who serve Medicare patients. It’s the fifth time this year Congress has faced down the cuts, which could have dire consequences for the program if enacted.
Unnecessary Hospital Admissions Targeted By New Payment Plan
Maryland hospitals and regulators are teaming up in an experimental payment plan to reduce unnecessary admissions while improving patient care.
In Emergency Rooms, It’s Getting Tougher To Say ‘No’ To CT Scans
A new study shows that the emergency department use of computerized tomography scans has increased nearly six-fold since 1995 and shows no sign of tapering off.
Compared To Other Countries, U.S. Patients Have More Access To Specialists, Less To Primary Care
A new study finds that U.S. consumers report greater access to specialty health care but also have a tougher time seeing a doctor on the day they need help than consumers in many of other Western countries.
Hospice Or Hospital? Where You Die Depends On Where You Live
An analysis of Medicare data finds many cancer patients are getting aggressive end-of-life care. The intensive approach might not be best for them and adds to the drain on Medicare’s budget.
Health Care Cost Control Is Hard, And Humbling
Though lots of different approaches to controlling health care costs have been discussed, it’s hard to know which of them will really work.
AMA Head Readies New Medicare ‘Doc Fix’ Push
No matter what the outcome of the midterm elections, the American Medical Association is hard at work on a new proposal to fix the Medicare physician payment system. The AMA wants to stave off cuts of up to 30 percent, slated to begin taking effect Dec. 1. AMA chief Cecil B. Wilson talks with Kaiser Health News to talk about the looming cuts, why it’s increasingly difficult for doctors to see Medicare patients in America and how the AMA will soon try to lobby lawmakers for a permanent fix to the system.
Mixed Signals On Medicare Pilot Savings Projects
After five years, 10 Medicare pilot projects showed mixed results. Leading group physician practices were measured on quality, patient satisfaction, and cost savings. They all scored well on quality, but only half made the cut on savings.
Physician-Owned Hospitals Racing To Meet Health Law Deadline
Nationwide, new physician-owned hospitals are scrambling to open by the end of the year. Beginning Jan. 1, the health law bans them from taking part in Medicare, making it hard for the facilities to survive.
Yeah, Those Emergency Rooms Are Crowded
The real problem facing our emergency care system is not overuse, it’s the lack of a financial and administrative infrastructure to properly support it.
A New Way To Pay For Chemotherapy
One of the nation’s largest health insurers said today it is testing a new way to pay for some cancer treatments, aiming to identify the best medicines
Docs On Pharma Payroll Have Blemished Records, Limited Credentials
Drug companies say they hire the most-respected doctors in their fields to teach about the benefits and risks of their drugs. But ProPublica uncovered hundreds of doctors on company payrolls who had been accused of professional misconduct, were disciplined by state boards or lacked credentials.
California Hospitals: Prices Rising Rapidly, But Quality Varies
Prominent hospitals and networks, especially those in the San Francisco Bay Area, can keep raising prices beyond inflation because their sizes or reputations give them clout in negotiating rates with insurers, researchers say. Yet high prices don’t always equate with superior care.
Hospitals, Inc., A Kaiser Health News Series
Hospitals play an enormous role in the health care system; they’re a crucial part of the public health safety net and an important community resource. But they are expensive. Hospital costs make up the largest portion of the health spending in this country.
The Health Reform (Almost) Everyone Loves
Come with me to the land of happy health reform. It is a place where Republicans and Democrats find common ground, a place where physicians, hospitals and health insurers sit together as partners, a place where criticism is respectful, not rancorous. It is the world of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).
Hospitals Lure Doctors Away From Private Practice
One in six doctors works for a hospital, and the number is quickly growing. Both sides benefit: hospitals get a steady stream of patients and doctors say they can practice medicine without worrying about the hassles of running a private practice.
