Latest KFF Health News Stories
Audit: Missouri Medicaid Failed To Bill Drugmakers For More Than $50M In Rebates
HHS auditors recommend Missouri repay more than $34 million to the federal government, but state officials dispute the findings.
Missouri Health Plans Offer Inadequate Coverage For Smoking Cessation, Report Finds
The American Lung Association study finds that few insurers fully cover all seven FDA-approved devices to help smokers quit the habit, but insurers dispute the findings.
Illinois Gov.’s Proposed Cuts To Mental Health Care Could Raise Costs, Critics Say
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget plan to reduce funds for psychiatry, housing programs for the homeless and care coordinators for the mentally ill could send people to hospitals, nursing homes and jails where treatment costs are higher, providers say.
Moving Out: Hospitals Leave Downtowns For More Prosperous Digs
Hospitals are relocating to more affluent communities to attract better-paying patients, but critics say they abandon the poor.
Medicaid Expansion One Step Closer To Reality In Montana
The bill picked up two more Republican votes in the state House and has the support of the governor.
Patient-Doctor Relationship Forged Through Computer Screens
Through LiveHealth Online, Missouri’s largest insurer allows members to connect to doctors around the country from their computer, tablet or phone.
Tougher Vaccine Exemption Bill In Calif. Clears First Hurdle
The state Senate health committee passed the bill after a debate that drew several hundred protesters to Sacramento.
Montana Moderates Revive Medicaid Expansion
A crucial vote Thursday could make Montana the 29th state to opt into the health law’s Medicaid expansion.
Houston Firefighters Bring Digital Doctors On Calls
The city is harnessing telemedicine to cut down on the overwhelming number of residents seeking primary care help by calling 911.
Study Finds Lackluster Sign-Ups On State-Run Health Insurance Exchanges
Enrollment in private plans fell 2 percent in Washington state, but officials say the study doesn’t take account of the fast-growing Medicaid numbers.
Georgia Insurers, Doctors Partner To Improve Patient Care, Cut Costs
Primary care providers are teaming up with insurers, hospitals and others to improve patients’ health by coordinating their care and, the theory goes, curbing out-of-control health care costs.
Shifts In Earnings For Consumers Near Medicaid Line Can Threaten Coverage
Marketplaces face challenges ensuring that low-income customers continue to get coverage if their incomes change to put them above or below the Medicaid eligibility line.
Ritual, Not Science, Keeps The Annual Physical Alive
While most Americans believe it is important to have a physical every year, the evidence suggests otherwise.
Medicare Is Stingy In First Year Of Doctor Bonuses
More than 300 large medical groups are being penalized because they did not score well on quality measures or didn’t report their efforts to the government. The incentives will soon expand to all doctors who treat Medicare patients.
Premera Negligent In Data Breach, 5 Lawsuits Claim
The breach at the Washington state-based health insurer continues to reverberate as officials answer questions about what happened.
Cleveland Clinic Reports 40% Drop In Charity Care After Medicaid Expansion
HHS says the improvement reflects what is happening to hospitals in states that increased the number of low-income people eligible for the health care program.
The Red State Solution On Medicaid: Georgia’s Not Part Of It
The final piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s series on Arkansas’ privatized Medicaid expansion looks at how several red states are considering such a model as a politically palatable way to extend coverage to the poor.
Hoping To Live, These Doctors Want A Choice In How They Die
In a California lawsuit seeking to allow doctors to prescribe lethal medications at patients’ request, two plaintiffs are physicians with serious illnesses. Both want the option of choosing to end their lives.
Policy Shift By Nation’s Largest Insurer Could Leave Some With Unexpected Bills
UnitedHealthcare is no longer routinely paying for out-of-network emergency room physicians and other specialists even when they work for hospitals in the insurer’s network.
Some Face A Big Bill From Medi-Cal — After They Die
California is one of the few states that charge the estates of deceased Medicaid beneficiaries for the cost of their health coverage. A bill is moving through the state legislature to stop the practice.
