Latest KFF Health News Stories
Ryan On ‘Moral And Legal Obligation’ To Fix Entitlements
In a news conference Tuesday on Capitol Hill, Reps. Paul Ryan and Tom Price said that the proposed sweeping changes would protect the program for seniors and the disabled.
AARP Arming For Medicare Battle
Against a backdrop of proposals to overhaul the popular social insurance program and a presidential campaign likely to address entitlement spending, the seniors group is mobilizing.
The Hardest Job To Fill (And Keep) In Washington: CMS Chief
The revolving door at the top of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services raises questions about the key agency implementing the health law.
Farzad Mostashari: Man On A Digital Mission
An eBay merchant who sells funny barbecue aprons out of his living room is better equipped to send information electronically than many physicians. Farzad Mostashari is the guy trying to change that.
GOP Presidential Hopefuls: Where They Stand On Health Care
An interactive chart shows where eight of the current and former candidates – Gingrich, Paul, Romney, Santorum, Bachmann, Cain, Huntsman and Perry – stand on major health care issues.
Medicare Combats Fraud With Billing Statements That Beneficiaries Can Understand
New consumer-friendly statements urge seniors to report suspicious charges and make it easier to appeal denials of coverage.
House Moves Closer To IPAB Repeal Vote
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about the latest movement in House Republican efforts to repeal a key part of the health reform law — the Independent Payment Advisory Board. One House committee passed a repeal of IPAB Tuesday while another held a hearing on it. The full House is expected to vote on a repeal of IPAB as early as the end of March.
Poll: Most Americans Support Contraception Rule
Republicans may still take heat over Medicare proposals, survey also finds.
Medicare Spends Less Than Private Insurers On Knee Replacements
Study finds that’s mostly because the government pays far lower rates for hospital care
House Republicans Pound Sebelius On Health Law
Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ appearance before the House Ways and Means Committee. She defended the health care law and the president’s fiscal 2013 budget request. The hearing had all the hallmarks of a partisan political event.
Health On The Hill: Congressional Leaders Reach Deal On 10-Month ‘Doc Fix’
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about the agreement Senate and House negotiators reached today on the “doc fix,” which avoids a cut in Medicare physician payment rates for the rest of the year.
Candidates Court Seniors On Medicare
The top contenders are casting themselves as protectors of the program, even as they embrace ways to cut spending growth that have proven radioactive in past elections.
Experts Question Medicare’s Effort To Rate Hospitals’ Patient Safety Records
The new data identify many major teaching institutions as having high rates of serious complications. But officials say the measures are faulty.
Consumers Hit By Higher Out-of-Network Medical Costs
Insurers switch to new way to calculate reimbursement that shifts more of the expenses onto patients.
War Savings May Be Key To Long-Term ‘Doc Fix’ Deal
Health On The Hill: KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey tells Jackie Judd that both Democrats and Republicans have floated using savings from the drawdown of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to hammer out a bargain on the Medicare “doc fix.” But Wednesday’s meeting of House and Senate conferees focused on policy; more discussions about funding will come Thursday.
Obama Makes Only Modest Mention Of Health Care In State Of Union
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about President Obama’s State of the Union speech. Obama talked little about health care, reflecting maybe the hard sell they’re having getting the public to buy into the health law’s benefits. Republicans talked about reforming Medicare in their response.
Debate: Dispute Over Gingrich’s Role In Medicare Part D
Video: Health care came up in a variety of ways in Monday’s debate in Tampa, sponsored by NBC, National Journal and the Tampa Bay Times. Mitt Romney accused Newt Gingrich of influence-peddling on Medicare and also defended the Massachusetts health care reform. Rick Santorum tried to distinguish himself from both men, claiming their support of the individual mandate in the past undermines their conservative credentials. And he defended his behavior during the 1995 controversy about Terri Schiavo, who was in the center of a right-to-die dispute.
New Group To Set Priorities for Medical Effectiveness Research
Congress is betting more than $3 billion over the next decade that “comparative effectiveness” research can transform medical care by helping determine the best approach to a particular illness.
United Against Health Law, Medicare Reforms Divide GOP Presidential Candidates
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Marilyn Werber Serafini talk with Jackie Judd about Tuesday’s New Hampshire GOP primary. The GOP field is united in their opposition against Obama’s Health Law, but differences remain in how they would reform Medicare.
Lawsuit Accuses Company Of Fraudulently Cycling Patients Through Nursing Homes, Hospice Care
Whistleblowers allege that AseraCare improperly channeled people to gain maximum Medicare reimbursements. In a separate suit, federal attorneys say the company pressured employees to enroll patients in hospice who weren’t dying.
