Latest KFF Health News Stories
Medicare Now Covers Annual Screening For Depression
The coverage change could help focus doctors and patients on mental health issues, which often go undiagnosed in the elderly, especially those who are dealing with multiple chronic physical problems.
Effort To Pay Hospitals Based On Quality Didn’t Cut Death Rates, Study Finds
The New England Journal of Medicine reports that a test project
Scorecard: What The Health Law Has Delivered, Or Not
Kaiser Health News compares data on the progress of the health law’s implementation to the original projections of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and the Obama administration.
The IPAB: The Center Of A Political Clash Over How To Change Medicare
A panel established by the health law to rein in Medicare spending is the target of a House GOP effort to begin dismantling the 2010 health law.
Health On The Hill: Analyzing Ryan’s New Budget Proposal
KHN’s Marilyn Werber Serafini and Mary Agnes Carey discuss the budget Wis. Republican Rep. Paul Ryan released today and how it differs from the proposal he released last year.
New Ryan Budget Would Transform Medicare And Medicaid
KHN’s Marilyn Werber Serafini details how the Wisconsin Republican’s proposal places greater limits on federal spending for Medicare than last year’s blueprint.
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.
