Latest KFF Health News Stories
Montana Could Face Tough Bargaining With Federal Officials On Medicaid Expansion Plan
The state is proposing to require people to pay a premium of up to 2 percent of their income, but the Obama administration has generally insisted that people earning under the poverty level not be charged a fee.
Texas Hopes to Attract More Mental Health Care Workers
The new loan forgiveness program seeks to alleviate the state’s shortage of mental health professionals by luring them to communities that might otherwise be unattractive to new graduates.
Lacking Votes, Calif. Assembly Shelves Aid-In-Dying Bill
Supporters said they will continue to work with Assembly members to build support for the bill, which would allow doctors to write lethal prescriptions for some terminally ill patients with less than six months to live.
LA Police Unit Works To Get Treatment For Mentally Ill Instead Of Jail Time
When officers in Los Angeles encounter people who may be mentally ill, they call in a specialized unit that offers help on the spot.
States Limiting Patient Costs For High-Priced Drugs
More states are stepping in to cushion the financial pain for patients who need medicine that can cost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
After Court Victory, Obama Asks GOP To Work With Him To Improve Health Care
In a visit to Nashville, Tenn., the president calls for health law critics to drop their opposition and begin the work of improving the law and health care delivery.
California’s Tough New Law Overcomes Decades-Old Distrust Of Vaccines
California went from being a state with relatively lax vaccination rules to one of the most strict in the country. But opposition to vaccines is far from new.
Supreme Court Reprieve Lets 10 Texas Abortion Clinics Stay Open For Now
Abortion providers and foes react to the Supreme Court’s action that will allow 10 abortion clinics in Texas to remain open until a state law that would close them can be fully reviewed by the court.
Disability Advocates Fight Assisted Suicide Measures
Disability rights advocates are speaking up in opposition to a bill currently being considered by California legislators that would allow terminally ill patients to get prescriptions to end their lives. Their opposition stems from worries that if it becomes law, depression and incorrect prognoses may lead people with serious disabilities to end their lives prematurely.
Having Survived Court Ruling, Insurance Markets Still Face Economic Threats
Among the challenges for these online exchanges set up by the health law are attracting more customers, keeping consumers’ health costs affordable and quality high, and finding enough financing.
Not Expanding Medicaid Can Cost Local Taxpayers
Property owners in Dallas County, Texas, paid more than $467 million in taxes last year to Parkland Health and Hospital System, the county’s only public hospital, to provide medical care to the poor and uninsured. If Texas had expanded Medicaid, that amount would have been lower.
California Caps What Patients Pay For Pricey Drugs. Will Other States Follow?
Beginning in 2016, most Covered California customers will not have to pay more than $150 or $250 per prescription, per month. The price caps are a response to very expensive new drugs used to treat hepatitis and other serious illnesses.
Medicare Slow To Adopt Telemedicine Due To Cost Concerns
Less than 1 percent of beneficiaries use the technology because Congress has put tight restrictions on it.
Beware: Your Insurer May Define A Health Emergency Differently Than You Do
Once stabilized, you must transfer to an in-network hospital or you may be responsible for the entire cost of your care.
Looming Decision Could Cripple Part Of N.C. Health Insurance Market
If the Supreme Court invalidates some Obamacare tax subsidies, individual health insurance marketplaces in places like North Carolina could be hurt by the remaining deluge of sick people who keep coverage — and the higher insurance premiums their presence demands.
How Not To Find Out Your Health Plan Lacks Hospital Benefits
Don’t assume your employer’s health plan offers comprehensive coverage. Marlene Allen did. Then she got hurt.
Paperwork Inconsistencies Causing Thousands To Lose Obamacare Subsidies
The problems are affecting consumers all over the country, say enrollment agents.
Obamacare Ruling Could Kill Coverage For 413,000 In Georgia
No tax credit means no health insurance at all for tens of thousands of Georgians.
Auditor Slams California’s Oversight Of Medi-Cal Plans Used By 9 Million
Report finds state health officials had no idea whether managed care plans have sufficient doctors, while an overwhelmed ombudsman’s office failed to answer 12,500 calls a month on average.
Prescription Drug Price Battles Show No Sign Of Letting Up
A pair of new cholesterol drugs is renewing a battle between pharmaceutical companies, which charge huge sums of money for new blockbuster drugs, and payers for those treatments, which include insurers, Medicare and Medicaid.
