Latest KFF Health News Stories
Community Health Centers Fill Big Need During Recession
As the economy has worsened, community health centers – which provide free and reduced-cost care to millions of Americans – have felt the pinch . Facilities, such as the Walker-Jones Health Center in Washington D.C., will have even more patients if Congress passes a health overhaul that expands coverage.
Community Health Centers Strained By Recession, Face Bigger Caseloads Under Reform
While health reform legislation includes additional funds for community health centers, proposals to expand health coverage to the underserved and uninsured could overwhelm facilities that already provide reduced-cost care to 18 million people.
Insurance Agents Look Into The Future, See Uncertainty And “Opportunity”
For the tens of thousands of individual insurance agents nationwide, proposed changes to the health care system could radically alter how they do business.
In interviews, two agents talk about how they are bracing themselves for the post-reform environment. One thinks her fellow agents are too complacent, the other says “in every adversity, there is opportunity.”
Are Insurers’ Profits As Low As They Claim?
A trade group says insurers only make 1 cent off every dollar spent on health care. But that figure measures insurer profits against all the money pumped into the U.S. system. Economists say profits are traditionally calculated by how much insurers spend versus how much money they take in.
Coming To A Doctor’s Office Near You: Photo ID Check
The little-known crime of medical identity theft can cause havoc – victims end up with big bills and wrong medical records. A new federal “Red Flags Rule” would require physician offices, among other businesses, to spot phony IDs. Doctors protest that the regulation could have “serious adverse consequences” for patients, even as the government tries to protect them.
Just Rewards? Healthy Workers Might Get Bigger Insurance Breaks
Consumer and patients’ groups criticize proposal that would let employers bestow bigger premium discounts on employees who embrace wellness programs.
Lawmakers To Insurers: ‘Pony Up’ For Health Reform
As Senate Democrats scramble to finance an ambitious health care overhaul, they’re exploring ways to get extract money from the insurance industry, including taxing very costly policies. They’re also considering tacking a fee onto every new policy sold as a result of health reform or a flat tax on insurer profits.
Hospitals Divided Over Proposal For Medicare Payment Czar
Powerful hospital trade associations are opposing President Obama’s plan for an independent commission to determine how much Medicare pays doctors and hospitals. But certain “model” hospital systems – such as CHRISTUS Health – are breaking ranks and supporting the idea.
President Obama’s News Conference On Health Reform
Excerpts from President Obama’s news conference, held on July 22, 2009.
Administration Facing Tough Sell To Doctors On Health IT
This week, progress was made in developing the framework for the $33 billion health information technology initiative created by the stimulus bill. Dr. David Blumenthal, who heads the Office of the National Coordinator, is a key figure in the process. But he still faces one of the most difficult challenges — convincing doctors that it is in their interest to participate.
Comments By CBO Director Underscore Conservatives’ Health Bill Concerns
A leader of the Blue Dog Coalition of conservative House Democrats said today that he and six others in the group will vote together to block health care legislation in committee unless changes are made to slow the rate of growth of federal health care spending and to ensure that rural hospitals are adequately reimbursed for treating new patients under the legislation.
For Many Workers, Insurance Choices May be Limited
President Obama and leading Democrats have stressed that people who like their employer-sponsored insurance would be able to keep it, under a health care overhaul. But they haven’t emphasized the flip side: That people who don’t like their coverage might have to keep it.
The Hunt For Affordable Health Insurance
In a follow-up to an earlier story about the difficulty of finding health insurance for a rural small businessman, an insurance broker helps Larry Harbour of Broken Bow, Neb., find affordable coverage.
While advocates say insurance exchanges would stimulate price competition and give consumers new choices, there’s also a risk these programs could undermine the employer-based health insurance system. Here are nine questions and answers about exchanges and their role in health reform.
Exchanges May Play Key Role In An Overhauled Health System
Insurance exchanges are a critical part of proposed health system overhaul legislation. They could transform how insurance is sold. But experts warn that without the right structure and rules, exchanges could undermine the employer-based insurance system.
“Partnership” Policies for Long-Term Care Hold Promise–and Pitfalls
To encourage people to buy long-term care insurance, more states are starting programs that allow people to keep some assets if they exhaust insurance benefits and need to go on Medicaid. Without such an arrangement, they would have to “spend down” assets to qualify for Medicaid. But, experts warn, the policies need strong inflation protections.
Alzheimer’s Patients Struggle Without Insurance
Alzheimer’s is thought of as a disease of the elderly, but hundreds of thousands of cases are in men and women under 65. Because the disease makes it difficult to work, these people often lose their jobs – and their health insurance.
Co-Op Option Offers Compromise In Health Debate
The idea of insurance co-ops is gaining ground as an alternative to a government-run plan.
Analysis: Why Health Care Reformers Are Wooing Skeptical Seniors
The over-65 crowd, with its outsized political clout, will have a big say in the fate of any health overhaul. And that helps explain a recent agreement on drug discounts involving the pharmaceutical industry, the White House and Congress.
Doctors Say Electronic Data-Sharing Is Saving Lives, Money
Memphis, Tenn., is one of a growing number of areas with a successful high-tech health information exchange, which proponents say saves lives and money. But the system now faces a crucial test: what happens when the initial funding runs out?
