Latest KFF Health News Stories
How To Fight For Yourself At The Hospital — And Avoid Readmission
This new column explains what older adults and their families can do to avoid hospital readmission.
Cardiac Rehab Improves Health, But Cost And Access Issues Complicate Success
Research shows exercise-based cardiac rehab programs help heart patients heal faster and live longer. But fewer than a third take part. Time and cost are the main barriers, doctors and patients say.
Patients, Fearing Pricey Follow-Ups, May Shy Away From Some Colon Cancer Tests
Most screening tests for colon cancer are covered by insurance but if they come back positive, they may require a diagnostic colonoscopy and that may not be covered completely by insurance.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Hospital Surprise: Medicare’s Observation Care
You’re in a hospital and think you’re admitted. Maybe not. Many Medicare beneficiaries are surprised to learn that even after spending a couple of days, they are receiving observation care, which Medicare considers an outpatient service, so the seniors’ costs can be more than expected.
Protecting California’s Seniors From Surprise Hospital, Nursing Home Bills
Lawmakers approve bill to help Medicare patients with “observation care” costs.
FAQ: Hospital Observation Care Can Be Costly For Medicare Patients
A guide to help Medicare patients receiving observation care.
Hospital Surprise: Medicare’s Observation Care
You’re in a hospital and think you’re admitted. Maybe not. Many Medicare beneficiaries are surprised to learn that even after spending a couple of days, they are receiving observation care, which Medicare considers an outpatient service, so the seniors’ costs can be more than expected.
Doctors Raise Concerns For Small Practices In Medicare’s New Payment System
The government is laying out plans to use payment incentives to promote higher quality care, but physicians say the new system may be hard on solo practices and small groups.
As The For-Profit World Moves Into An Elder Care Program, Some Worry
PACE, a little-known Medicare program that helps keep older people in their own homes, is allowing for-profit companies in. Tech and venture capital have expressed interest.
Government-Protected ‘Monopolies’ Drive Drug Prices Higher, Study Says
Researchers at Harvard University examined thousands of studies to determine why drug prices have climbed and what might be done about it.
CMS Identifies Hospitals Paid Nearly $1.5B In 2015 Medicare Billing Settlement
A year after settling billing disputes with 2,022 hospitals for 68 cents on the dollar, the government has revealed who got paid and how much.
1965: The Year That Brought Civil Rights To The Nation’s Hospitals
A conversation with author David Barton Smith examines how civil rights activists working at the Social Security Administration and the Public Health Service in the 1960s used the new Medicare law to end racial discrimination at hospitals.
Medicare’s Readmission Penalties Hit New High
Medicare will withhold an estimated $528 million in 2017 from more than 2,500 hospitals that have too many patients returning within 30 days.
Many Well-Known Hospitals Fail To Score 5 Stars In Medicare’s New Ratings
Of the 102 hospitals that received a five-star rating, few are among the elite generally praised for great care.
Some Seniors Surprised To Be Automatically Enrolled In Medicare Advantage Plans
Concerns raised as health insurers automatically move members of their marketplace or individual plans who are eligible for Medicare.
Gov’t Task Force Finds Evidence Lacking to Support Visual Skin Cancer Screenings
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded that insufficient evidence exists regarding the benefits and harms of visual skin cancer exams.
Medicare Prepares To Go Forward With New Hospital Quality Ratings
The government will soon give hospitals one to five stars to sum up their quality. Some safety hospitals and teaching hospitals won’t fare as well as other facilities.
Study: Medicare Beneficiaries May Face ‘Treatment Gap’ For Painkiller Abuse, Misuse
The incidence of opioid use disorder is growing rapidly within the Medicare population.
Fraud Concerns Emerge As Compounding Drug Sales Skyrocket
Federal spending has soared for drugs that are handmade in local pharmacies, and federal investigators are raising concerns about fraud or overbilling.
Despite Opioid Concerns, Seniors Often Exit The Hospital With Prescription: Study
Researchers found that nearly 15 percent of seniors filled prescriptions for an opioid painkiller after leaving the hospital and of those, 42.5 percent had the order refilled later.
