Latest KFF Health News Stories
Deficit Reduction Plans Would Squeeze Medicare
Spurred by growing concerns about the federal deficit, plans to curb Medicare spending are proliferating – setting the stage for potentially bruising battles between seniors’ advocates and budget cutters.
Reinhardt: Repeal Health Care, Make GOP Cut Costs
Health economist Uwe Reinhardt critiques the new health care law, talks about cost containment and gives his reasons why a single-payer system health system couldn’t work in America.
Health On The Hill Transcript: Medical Loss Ratio, Doc Fix
HHS released regulations on the medical loss ratio, a provision in the health law that requires insurers spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars of health care. Meanwhile, before the Senate adjourned for Thanksgiving it passed a one-month ‘patch’ to prevent physicians who see Medicare patients from having their payments reduced.
Rep. Paul Ryan, R- Wis., took the courageous step of going first with a bold plan — his Roadmap — to fundamentally restructure the tax and entitlement policies that threaten to push the federal budget past the breaking point. Now others, even some from the other side of the aisle, are joining him in sponsoring similar plans.
Insurers’ Payments To Hospitals Vary Significantly By Region
A study of four major insurers’ payments to hospitals finds great differences among different parts of the country. San Francisco is the most expensive city among the eight areas in the study.
The Medicare Doc Fix: Physicians Again Are Staring Into The Abyss
At the end of November, the most recent “doc fix” will expires. Without congressional action, physicians who see Medicare patients will face an across-the-board 23% reduction in their fees. If nothing happens by January, physicians would face an additional 7 percent reduction.
New Deficit Report Recommends Seniors Pay More For Medicare
A blue-ribbon bipartisan panel of experts, chaired by former budget director Alice Rivlin and former Sen. Pete Domenici, recommends major changes to the way the government pays for health care.
Administration Unexpectedly Expands Bonus Payments For Medicare Advantage Plans
The Obama administration will spend up to $1.3 billion to extend special payments — meant to reward top-performing insurers — to those that score only average ratings.
New Medicare/Medicaid Projects Aimed At Cheaper, Better Care
The new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation launched Tuesday a series of initiatives aimed at improving care while reducing its cost.
Dr. Donald Berwick – A Resource Guide
Dr. Donald Berwick, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is well-liked and known as a passionate advocate for improving the health care system. Some Republicans accuse him of favoring health care rationing – a charge Democrats dismiss as nonsense.
Text: Berwick’s Prepared Testimony – ‘I Pledge To Be Open And Transparent’
Tomorrow, Dr. Donald Berwick, the adminstrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is scheduled to testify before the Senate Committee on Finance. Here is an advance copy of his prepared statement.
Health Care — Tell Us The Truth Before You Tell Us Why You Are Right
We need more proposals like those being made by the President’s deficit reduction commission, and the Medicare reform proposal authored by Republican House members Ryan, Cantor, and McCarthy. Irrespective of whether they are the best proposals, their authors started from a place where they told the truth.
In Dialysis, Life-Saving Care at Great Risk and Cost
An untold number of dialysis patients are injured or die as a result of needle dislodgements, but Medicare rules don’t require clinics to report such adverse incidents to outside authorities.
Attacking The Health Law: The GOP’s Confusing And Incompatible Arguments
The Republicans and their allies spent a lot of time – and a lot of money – attacking the new health law and promising to undo it. And they did so with such a fury that almost nobody seemed to notice they were making a pair of arguments that were fundamentally incompatible.
Republican’s Controversial Proposal To Mend Medicare
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan’s ideas
Seniors Should Consider Changes in Medicare Part D Plans
Open season begins Nov. 15 and beneficiaries need to check their options to make sure they are signed up for the plan that best meets their needs.
AMA Head Readies New Medicare ‘Doc Fix’ Push
No matter what the outcome of the midterm elections, the American Medical Association is hard at work on a new proposal to fix the Medicare physician payment system. The AMA wants to stave off cuts of up to 30 percent, slated to begin taking effect Dec. 1. AMA chief Cecil B. Wilson talks with Kaiser Health News to talk about the looming cuts, why it’s increasingly difficult for doctors to see Medicare patients in America and how the AMA will soon try to lobby lawmakers for a permanent fix to the system.
Mixed Signals On Medicare Pilot Savings Projects
After five years, 10 Medicare pilot projects showed mixed results. Leading group physician practices were measured on quality, patient satisfaction, and cost savings. They all scored well on quality, but only half made the cut on savings.
Physician-Owned Hospitals Racing To Meet Health Law Deadline
Nationwide, new physician-owned hospitals are scrambling to open by the end of the year. Beginning Jan. 1, the health law bans them from taking part in Medicare, making it hard for the facilities to survive.
Some Hill Races Could Hinge On Seniors’ Anger Over Medicare
As emotions run high over the new health law, older voters’ concerns about Medicare cuts could be a deciding factor in some particularly close congressional races.
