Latest KFF Health News Stories
Rising Health Care Curve Won’t Bend, Even for Obama
A forthcoming report from the Congressional Budget Office shows that more than two dozen demonstrations projects launched by Medicare and Medicaid over the past decade have failed to stop the upward march of health care costs. But health care policy experts say the findings paint too gloomy a picture.
A Medicare Reform Model Everyone Can Love (Guest Opinion)
Democrats and Republicans may not be able to agree on whether to increase taxes as part of a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling. But they can at least agree on this much: the need to restrain Medicare spending. The trick is finding a way to do it without sacrificing quality and access to care.
President Calls For ‘Meaningful Changes’ To Medicare, Medicaid (Video Excerpts)
In his news conference today, President Barack Obama discussed negotiations with Republicans regarding the debt ceiling and the deficit. He also paid some attention to efforts to curb entitlement spending, including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Alan D. Aviles, the longest serving president of the nation’s largest municipal health system, discusses his efforts to stabilize HHC’s finances in the face of dramatic budgetary challenges — including the health law’s reduction in special funding for safety net hospitals and state efforts to reduce Medicaid costs.
Are You Better Off With Medicaid Than No Insurance? A Landmark Study Says Yes (Guest Opinion)
Conservative critics of Medicaid argue that the program doesn’t actually help beneficiaries. A new study offers empiracle evidence to the contrary.
S.C. Doctors Fear 5% Medicaid Cut May Cause Patients To Lose Access
State officials, who note that the state payments are above the national average, say they are monitoring the situation.
A Dozen States Slice Medicaid Payments To Doctors, Hospitals
Some experts fear that the cuts could lead to rise in number of doctors who refuse to take Medicaid patients.
Medicaid: Extending The Enhanced Federal Match Makes Sense (Guest Opinion)
June 30 was the day when Medicaid’s enhanced federal matching rates expires, leaving states struggling to sustain health care’s safety net. A sensible solution would be for Congress to simply extend the supplemental funds.
Video: Rockefeller Says He Will Fight ‘To The End’ Against Medicaid Cuts
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks to Sen. Rockefeller about his efforts to defend the Medicaid program.
Rockefeller Says He Will Fight ‘To The End’ Against Medicaid Cuts-The KHN Interview
W.Va. senator is working to raise defenses against efforts in the deficit reduction talks to reduce funding for the health care program that covers the poor and disabled.
Hatch Urges Changes To End Medicaid ‘Gulag’
Utah senator says he wants to “modernize” the system following the model of the 1996 welfare reform.
Berwick: “I’ve Got The Back” Of Medicare Beneficiaries (Video)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Donald Berwick discusses the GOP proposals for controlling the costs of Medicare and “the way out of this Medicaid dilemma.”
ACO Debacle Exposes Obamacare’s Fatal Conceit (Guest Opinion)
Obamacare’s number-one idea for improving health care quality and reducing costs is to promote something called “accountable care organizations” in Medicare is sinking like a stone because it is premised on the notion that government experts can direct the market better than consumers.
Medicaid Managed Care Expands In California As State Adds Many Seniors And Disabled
Even critics of managed care are warming to the idea of including nearly 400,000 seniors and disabled person now receiving health care through the traditional Medi-Cal program. The shift to managed care begins today and will be phased in.
Medicaid To Stop Paying For Hospital Mistakes
Many states have such a nonpayment policy in place already. The 2010 federal health law, in effect, expands the ban nationwide.
Md. Health Secretary Sharfstein: Health Law Brings ‘Fast And Furious’ Opportunity
Dr. Joshua Sharfstein says his state, which is well ahead of many in implementing the overhaul, is eager to leverage federal help to improve health options.
Most Americans Oppose GOP Plan To Cut Medicaid
Kaiser Family Foundation survey finds about 60 percent of Americans want Congress to keep Medicaid in its current form.
‘No Regrets’ In Nursing Home Industry For Health Law Support-The KHN Interview
Mark Parkinson, head of the largest nursing home lobby, says some nursing homes will be hurt by the law’s requirement to offer workers insurance but they still favor the overhaul to bring health care costs under control.
GOP Pushes To Let States Reduce Medicaid Rolls
Forget about Medicaid block grants. The GOP says states should be allowed to make it harder to qualify for the health program for the poor. Will Democrats go along?
Who Pays For Unintended Pregnancies?
The cost of unintended pregnancies is large, and much of the bill – about $11 billion per year – is ultimately picked up by the government, a new study finds.
