Latest KFF Health News Stories
Located in one of the nation’s most medically underserved areas, St. John’s Well Child and Family Center is bracing for GOP-backed Medicaid cuts that the facility’s director says would be disastrous.
The Health Law, Planned Parenthood
In a brief exchange, Sen. Rand Paul accuses Sen. Bernie Sanders of trying to put physicians into slavery by asserting that health care is a “right” for all.
Medicare Announces Rules For Quality Bonuses To Hospitals
Extra funding will be awarded to facilities that do better than average on quality of care and patient satisfaction.
Debating Medicaid Block Grants
Columnists Harold Pollack and Michael F. Cannon contribute very different opinions on the Republican proposal to fundamentally change Medicaid.
The Real Impact Of Cutting Medicaid — Just When We Need It The Most (Guest Opinion)
The recent policy debate surrounding the health care safety net seems predicated on the philosophy that we must sharply shrink government despite the accompanying human costs. That vision is most congenial to those who feel comfortable and safe without public help.
Community Health Centers To ‘Turn The Promise Of Coverage’ Into Better Care-The KHN Interview
Dan Hawkins, senior vice president of the centers’ national association, says influx of federal funding is helping them to reach out to more people.
Health Insurers Opening Their Own Clinics To Trim Costs
Some private plans serving people in Medicare and Medicaid have set up health care centers to help make sure patients get needed treatments and avoid hospitalizations.
Docs: Health Law Will Make ER Crowding Worse
According to a new survey, emergency rooms doctors say crowding is caused by insured people who can’t find a doctor to treat them.
Medicare To Begin Basing Hospital Payments On Patient-Satisfaction Scores
Beginning in 2012, bad grades from unhappy patients could cause hospitals to lose out on bonuses.
Insurers Clash With Health Providers As States Expand Medicaid Managed Care
Many states are trying to restrain Medicaid spending by putting more people into managed care plans, but with billions of dollars at stake, insurers and health providers are lobbying hard for their interests.
Medicare Patients Aren’t Taking Advantage Of Some Newly Free Tests
This year, seniors enrolled in Medicare no longer have to pay for more than a dozen tests and services to prevent disease thanks to the health law. Many, however, aren’t lining up for mammograms or colonoscopies though free wellness checks are luring many.
A Novel Way To Get Unlimited Primary Care
Michelle Andrews, author of KHN’s “Insuring Your Health” weekly feature, talks with Jackie Judd about clinics that charge a patient a monthly fee
ACO Fairy Tale Faces a Rumpelstiltskin Moment — Guest Opinion
When writing the final ACO rules, CMS has the chance to spin the dross of the current regulations into something of genuine value to providers, even if it’s not quite Rumpelstiltskin-quality gold. If the feds fail, it is all of us, not just those on Medicare program, who could live unhappily ever after.
Emergency Rooms Provide Care Of Last Resort For Mentally Ill
With states reducing the number of psychiatric beds, mentally ill patients often languish in hospital emergency rooms for several days, sometimes longer. At most, they get drugs but little counseling, and the environment is often harsh.
Letter To The Editor: Setting The Record Straight On RAND’s Findings
RAND Health Vice President and Director Arthur Kellermann, M.D., disputes the way his organization’s research was depicted in a recent column by John Goodman about Medicaid. Kellerman notes the study in question was designed to examine health care quality, not to determine the value of different types of insurance.
Americans Like Their Health Care, But Think The System Stinks
A majority of Americans give the country’s health system barely passing grades. Most people choose a hospital based on someone’s personal experience than looking at quality ratings. Yet when it comes to surgeons, people are evenly split on whether experience or data is the best guide.
Health Overhaul Could Double Community Health Centers’ Caseload
The centers, designed to help low-income and uninsured people, offer an affordable option for care, but it can also be tough to get an appointment.
Patient Safety Expert Says Law Could Lead To Overuse Of Medical Care: The KHN Interview
Rosemary Gibson, who has led national efforts to improve health care quality and safety, is concerned about 32 million newly insured Americans being exposed to too much treatment.
Hospitals And Insurers Face Growing Antitrust Scrutiny
Recent lawsuits show the government is cracking down on suspected anti-competitive actions in the health care and insurance industries.
Some Doctors Ask Patients To Sign ‘Pain Contracts’ To Get Prescriptions
Critics say the agreements, designed to help educate consumers about the dangers of opiods, invade patient privacy and damage trust.
