Latest KFF Health News Stories
Drugmakers Dramatically Boosted Lobbying Spending In Trump’s First Quarter
With high drug prices creating widespread controversy, top pharmaceutical companies and their trade group vastly increased their lobbying spending on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Grassley Demands Scrutiny Of Medicare Advantage Plans
The powerful chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee wants the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to explain $125 million in overcharges by insurers.
GOP Bills To Replace Obamacare Do Not Tinker With Lawmakers’ Coverage
Republicans are hoping to overhaul the federal health law. Among the law’s many provisions is a requirement that members of Congress and their staffs buy their health insurance on the law’s marketplaces.
Muerte por 1,000 recortes: cómo pueden los republicanos alterar su cobertura de salud
Los peores enemigos de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud Asequible ahora están a cargo. Y están discutiendo cambios que podrían afectar a una más amplia red de planes de empleadores y a la cobertura del Medicare para los adultos mayores.
Death By 1,000 Cuts: How Republicans Can Still Alter Your Coverage
There are many ways beyond legislative repeal for the Trump administration and congressional Republicans to unravel the Affordable Care Act.
Markups On Care Can Fatten Hospital Budgets — Even If Few Patients Foot The Full Bill
A study finds that higher charges are associated with greater payments by private insurers, which can drive up costs for employers and consumers who pay their way.
Justice Department Joins Lawsuit Alleging Massive Medicare Fraud By UnitedHealth
The Department of Justice is joining a whistleblower lawsuit in a fraud case against UnitedHealth in which damages could top $1 billion.
Gobierno se une a demanda en contra de UnitedHealth que alega fraude masivo al Medicare
El Departamento de Justicia se ha unido a la demanda de un denunciante de California que acusa al gigante de seguros UnitedHealth Group de fraude en sus populares planes de salud de Medicare Advantage.
By Law, Hospitals Now Must Tell Medicare Patients When Care Is ‘Observation’ Only
Not being officially admitted — a status known as observation care — can have financial consequences for beneficiaries, and patients had often complained they were not informed.
Trump, Dems Look For Common Ground On Drug Prices
Two Democratic congressmen met with President Trump to seek his support for a bill to expand the government’s ability to negotiate drug prices, but it’s not clear it would have much impact or will gain support.
Grupo lucha para que el Medicare cubra atención dental completa
Un grupo formado por miembros de la industria de la salud oral, médicos y ex funcionarios federales, se unieron con una meta que también es un desafío de salud pública: lograr que el Medicare cubra ampliamente servicios de salud dental.
Dentistry Advocates Aim To Fill Medicare Gaps
Brushing aside a political climate that favors federal cuts in health care spending, advocates for oral health are pushing to expand Medicare to provide America’s elderly with dental benefits.
Docs Bill Medicare For End-Of-Life Advice As ‘Death Panel’ Fears Reemerge
The federal program paid $16 million in the first six months of 2016 to counsel 223,000 patients about treatment preferences in their last days.
Judge Upends Effort To Limit Charity Funding For Kidney Patients’ Insurance
A federal judge in Texas last month issued a preliminary injunction barring the government from enforcing a rule allowing insurers to refuse to insure dialysis patients who get premium assistance from charity groups.
Despite Prevention Guidelines, Few Smokers Seek CT Scans To Check For Lung Cancer
Lung cancer screening rates have not changed much even though the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that smokers get checked, according to a new study.
Threat Of Losing Obamacare Turns Some Apolitical Californians Into Protesters
New advocacy groups like Indivisible California weigh strategies for long-haul political activism, including protests.
Judge Accepts Medicare’s Plan To Remedy Misunderstanding On Therapy Coverage
Many seniors are denied coverage because therapists mistakenly believe that they must be making improvements to qualify for coverage.
Medicare’s Coverage Of Therapy Services Again Is In Center Of Court Dispute
According to a settlement four years ago, Medicare was supposed to make clear to therapists that their services are covered even if beneficiaries are not improving. But that is not yet widely accepted.
21 Medicare Health Plans Warned To Fix Provider Directory Errors
Federal officials release names of insurers who ranked poorly in a recent review of their online directories’ accuracy.
Got A Raise? Congrats, But It Could Wreak Havoc On Your Subsidy Calculation
Health insurance subsidies are pegged to income estimates, but if those are too low, the customer may have to make a repayment to the government.
