Latest KFF Health News Stories
Hospitals Ramp Up Hyperbaric Therapy For Diabetics, Despite Concerns
Medicare is trying to deter overuse of hyperbaric therapy, and some experts question its effectiveness for healing diabetic wounds, one of the treatment’s fastest-growing uses.
Analysis: Mitch McConnell Plans To Hide Trumpcare’s Pain Until After Midterms
The Senate health bill to repeal Obamacare hews closely to the electoral calendar, delaying much of the pain until after Republicans face re-election in Congress, statehouses and the White House.
Take Our Quiz To Test Your Wits On Aging
As we get older, it helps to tickle the noggin with trivia. Here’s a pop quiz to see what you have learned as a regular reader of Kaiser Health News.
CBO Deals Blow To Senate Health Bill With Estimate Of 22 Million More Uninsured
The much anticipated score by the nonpartisan agency could make it more difficult for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to round up the 50 votes he needs to pass his plan to replace Obamacare.
Senate And House Take Different Plans To Scrap Individual Mandate
The Republicans’ penalty would affect people buying insurance who had a lapse in coverage of more than 63 days over a year.
‘Coverage Gap’ For Poor May End, But Many Will Still Have Trouble Affording Plans
Although some people below the poverty level will now be able to qualify for premium subsidies, they may have trouble covering the out-of-pocket costs.
Poll: Most Americans Unaware GOP Plans Would Make Deep Funding Cuts To Medicaid
The survey also found public support for program changes that would place work requirements on beneficiaries and make drug testing a condition of enrollment.
Promises Made To Protect Preexisting Conditions Prove Hollow
Experts say the loopholes would allow states to bypass some protections for people with preexisting conditions.
Winners And Losers: 40 Is Old In Senate GOP Health Plan’s Subsidy Structure
The latest Republican plan to revamp the health law reshapes how age and income affect what help consumers get for paying premiums.
Huecos en las promesas de proteger la cobertura de condiciones preexistentes
Expertos en políticas de salud que han analizado el texto del proyecto de salud del Senado, aseguran que la legislación no siempre garantizaría la atención de personas con condiciones preexistentes.
Senate Releases Health Care Legislation: Read The Bill
The public — and most senators — got their first look at the bill as it was released Thursday morning. Here’s a chance to read all 142-pages of it.
Despite A Growing Appetite, Buffet-Style Flat-Fee Clinics Shutter In Seattle
A small number of medical practices have been moving to “direct primary care,” in which patients pay a monthly retainer for unlimited services. But the collapse of Qliance in Seattle may portend problems with the business model.
Descent Into Secrecy: Senate Health Talks Speak To Steady Retreat From Transparency
The Senate’s secret deliberation on the health bill overhaul is part of a long, slow slide away from transparency. And I’m a witness.
Out Of Work And Looking For Insurance: COBRA May Be The Best Bet For Now
With lots of questions about the 2018 insurance market still in play, someone who is between jobs might want to stick with their job-based insurance at least until the outlines of the health law’s marketplaces are clear in the fall.
As Insurance Options Shrink, Families Are ‘Holding Our Breath’
One of two insurers in this tiny state has announced it will not be back in the marketplaces next year, leaving customers concerned about the prices they will pay.
Capitol Hill Dems, HHS Secretary Price Trade Jabs On HHS Budget
Tom Price defends proposed spending reductions in Medicaid and other HHS programs while demurring on questions about cost-sharing subsidies for the 2018 Obamacare marketplace.
If Insurance Market Crashes, Can Lawmakers Put The Pieces Back Together?
Actions by the Trump administration are putting pressure on the fragile market for individuals who buy their own coverage, but analysts say it should be able to rebound.
When An Insurer Balks And Treatment Stops
A 22-year old man from Orange County, Calif., alleges in a lawsuit that his health insurer stopped paying for a crucial — and expensive — immunotherapy drug, leading him to become seriously ill. Treatments for patients with similar conditions are increasingly denied or interrupted, experts and patient advocates say.
Senators’ Dueling Web Shoutouts Echo Nation’s Partisan Divide On Obamacare
In the early stages of the Senate’s attempts to write a health care bill, a Republican and a Democrat each solicit constituents’ Obamacare experiences from opposite ends of the spectrum.
GOP Health Bill Pleases Most Republicans, But Not Many Other Americans
While nearly half of Americans support Obamacare, fewer than a third are in favor of the Republican replacement legislation.
