Latest KFF Health News Stories
Eye Lift Surgery Increasingly Billed To Medicare
Despite rules against Medicare coverage for cosmetic surgery, eyelid lifts billed to Medicare have more than tripled over a decade.
Medicare Lags In Project to Expand Hospice
The 2010 health law called for an experiment to see if allowing patients to continue to have lifesaving treatments when they join hospice would improve their quality of care and save money.
Medicare Seeks To Limit Number Of Seniors Placed In Hospital Observation Care
The proposal, part of the annual payment update, would help ease confusion over when beneficiaries are admitted to the hospital
Advocates Head To Court To Overturn Medicare Rules For Observation Care
Some hospital stays are not considered in-patient care, but seniors often don’t know that until they find they don’t qualify for full Medicare coverage.
Seniors Get Hung Up In Health Care Scams
Law enforcement agencies report an increase in phone scams by fraudsters who prey on the public’s confusion over the massive changes taking place in the nation’s health care system — and the thieves often target senior citizens.
In recent weeks, readers have reacted to stories about climbing death rates at critical access hospitals, the readmissions penalties being imposed on some hospitals and Walgreens’ move to become the first retail chain to diagnose and treat chronic conditions. Other coverage that drew responses included a story about angry doctors as well as coverage of decisions made both by physicians and consumers that impact the cost of care.
Questions About Colon Screening Coverage Still Vex Consumers
Although the federal government has tried to clarify the preventive care provisions that mandate no out-of-pocket expenses for patients on screening exams, there is still a good bit of confusion.
Five Ways The President’s Budget Would Change Medicare
President Obama’s 2014 budget plan includes a number of money-saving changes to Medicare, some of which have triggered concern from patient and provider groups.
Tavenner Fields Questions on Leaks, Premium Costs, Future Of Medicare
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., set the tone for a very-supportive Senate Finance Committee hearing on Marilyn Tavenner’s nomination to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. But others questioned Tavenner, who is acting administrator, on a variety of other issues. Here are video excerpts of the hearing.
‘Remarkably Friendly’ Hearing For Acting Medicare Chief
Marilyn Tavenner, the acting head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and President Obama’s nominee to keep the job, found both Democratic and Republican support during a Senate Finance Committee hearing today. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about the hearing and when the Senate could vote on the confirmation.
Death Rates Rise At Geographically Isolated Hospitals, Study Finds
These critical access hospitals, which are often in rural areas, get paid more generously by Medicare and are exempt from some federal reporting standards. But those exemptions may be hiding quality issues at the facilities.
Maryland’s Tough New Hospital Spending Proposal Seen As ‘Nationally Significant’
State officials want to limit hospital spending to the growth rate of the state’s economy, a huge challenge for hospitals.
IOM Panel Raises Concerns About Lowering Medicare Pay For High Spending Areas
The report suggests that cutting payments in areas that pay more per beneficiary, such as Manhattan and Florida, could hit hospitals and doctors who are not providing expensive care.
Q&A: I Had To Return To The Hospital; Will They Be Penalized?
Consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about what triggers Medicare’s penalties for hospitals who readmit patients too frequently.
Medicare Revises Readmissions Penalties
More than 1,200 hospitals are receiving good news
Access To Primary Care Is A Challenge For Some Texas Medicare Patients
The annual congressional battles over the “doc fix” and the threat of lower reimbursements have left some Texas doctors insecure and unwilling to take on more Medicare patients.
Medical Research, FDA And Mental Health Programs Face Budget Bite
Federal funding for Medicaid is untouched but doctors, hospitals and other Medicare providers will see a 2 percent reduction.
Hospital Executive Bracing For Budget Cuts Says ‘We Need To Deal With Medicare’
David Blom, the president of OhioHealth, talks about the effects of sequestration and the need to find a long-term fiscal remedy.
FAQ On Medicare Doctor Pay: Why Is It So Hard To Fix?
A bipartisan House bill and an effort by GOP leaders seek to stop the threats of drastic cuts each year.
In Arizona, Poorest, Sickest Patients Get Coordinated Care
Can for-profit health insurance companies be trusted to take care of the vulnerable, expensive patients who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid? In Arizona, a state that has been known to resist federal health programs, private companies have been doing just that for many years.
