Latest KFF Health News Stories
The Old Practice Of House Calls Is Returning To Some Areas
Businesses and individuals looking for convenience are contracting with services that will provide same-day medical appointments at home or office.
For The NAIC, A Consequential Decision On The MLR (Guest Opinion)
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is considering whether to endorse legislation that would remove broker and agent commissions from the medical loss ratio. The final decision will have far-reaching implications for the reliability of the MLR as a measure of a health plan’s value.
High-Risk Health Coverage Pools Grow By 6,000 Enrollees
Numbers still remain far below estimates for the program designed to help people with pre-existing medical conditions, but cost and lack of publicity may hamper enrollment.
New Labels Will Soon Help Consumers Choose Health Plans
The finishing touches are being made on “coverage fact labels” that will list costs that insurers will cover for some conditions.
Debating Medicaid Block Grants
Columnists Harold Pollack and Michael F. Cannon contribute very different opinions on the Republican proposal to fundamentally change Medicaid.
The president and the Republicans agree that balancing the federal budget is impossible without restraining Medicaid spending. That will be much easier if we could stop pretending that every single Medicaid enrollee needs to be there.
Q&A: My Uninsured Daughter Needs More Inexpensive Care, Where Can She Go?
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a mother whose daughter is uninsured and needs some inexpensive care. Andrews says going to a community health center may be a good option for her.
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.
Q&A: My Daughter With A Pre-Existing Condition Lost Her Insurance, What Can We Do?
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a mother whose daughter lost her insurance and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. What are her options to get coverage?
At Least 600,000 Young Adults Join Parents’ Health Plans Under New Law
One of the most popular provisions of the overhaul shows early success, but employers note that it also will usher in higher costs.
Graduates Without Health Coverage Should Consider Their Parents’ Plan
The health law guarantees that until the age of 26, children can stay on a family plan. There are exceptions, however, including when the young adult is offered insurance at work – even if that insurance is not as good as Mom and Dad’s.
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.
Illinois Insurance Chief Sees Market Becoming More Concentrated – The KHN Intervew
Michael T. McRaith, who is taking a new job shortly with the Treasury Department, says state or regional health insurers are having trouble remaining viable.
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.
Some Church Groups Form Sharing Ministries To Cover Members’ Medical Costs
The groups are financed through a monthly fee, and those revenues are divvied up and sent to members when they have health care expenses.
Under Health Law, Colonoscopies Are Free – But It Doesn’t Always Work That Way
The billing can get complicated if doctors find a polyp during a screening: Some insurers
Finding A Path Through The Health Insurance Market ‘Gobbledygook’
In her search for a health plan, Lisa Drew discovered that her ZIP code was a black hole for individual coverage.
People Who Donate Organs For Transplants Can Have Difficulty Getting Insurance
Live organ donors – who can offer kidneys or part of their liver, lung or pancreas
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.
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.
