Latest KFF Health News Stories
Republican Lawmakers Sink Montana Governor’s Medicaid Expansion Plan
A House committee gives the bill a “do not pass” recommendation, which effectively kills Democrats’ efforts to get it on the House floor. A Republican counter-proposal that includes premiums and co-payments for Medicaid enrollees may come out of the state Senate.
Mental Health Providers Look For Federal Incentives To Go Digital, Too
The federal government is spending $26 billion to get doctors and hospitals to move to digital records to help coordinate care, but the funding does not include mental health clinics, psychologists and psychiatric hospitals.
FDA Heads Into Uncharted Territory Of ‘Biosimiliar’ Drugs
Under a new process set out by the health law, the FDA approved the first so-called biosimilar drug for sale in the U.S. It’s a copy of the cancer medicine Neupogen that will be sold under the brand name Zarxio.
Hundreds Of Hospitals Struggle To Improve Patient Satisfaction
Pleasing patients has become more important to hospitals as Medicare takes consumers views into account when setting payments. Most hospitals are getting better, but others have not improved since the government started publishing ratings six years ago.
The Boss May Be Able To Force You To Buy Company Insurance
Employment experts say firms can require workers to take the coverage that is offered.
Mental Health Privacy Questions Arise In Rape Case At University Of Oregon
In a lawsuit over a rape case involving three basketball players, the university accessed a student’s mental health records detailing treatment she received at the campus clinic.
Obamacare, Private Medicare Plans Must Keep Updated Doctor Directories In 2016
New federal rules requiring current information apply to insurers selling plans on healthcare.gov and the private policies that are an alternative to Medicare.
Awake, And Safe, All Night Despite Dementia
A special “daycare at night” program in the Bronx cares for Alzheimer’s patients whose internal clocks mistake night for day.
Digital Dilemma For Medicine: How To Share Records
Most industries share complicated digital files to do business, but health care still leans hard on paper printouts and fax machines. Despite a $30 billion taxpayer investment in electronic health records since 2009, most of those systems are unable to talk to each other.
New Federal Rule Will Extend Medical Leave Rights To Same-Sex Couples In All States
The rule guarantees legally married same sex couples can take unpaid time off to care for a spouse or sick relatives, even if they live in a state that doesn’t recognize the marriage.
Slightly More Latinos and African Americans Sign Up On California Exchange
About 37 percent of subsidized Covered California enrollees are Latino, up six points compared with last year, and about 4 percent are African American, up one point.
Surprises And Standing: Breaking Down Today’s Supreme Court Arguments
Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments Wednesday in a case challenging some of the health law’s insurance subsidies, but not before considering whether the plaintiffs had standing in the case. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Julie Rovner discuss surprises from the hearing.
Health Law Arguments Offer Few Clues About Supreme Court Decision
After hearing arguments Wednesday from both sides of a case challenging the health law’s subsidies to help people buy health coverage on federal exchanges, Supreme Court justices offered little insight into how they will rule.
No Medicaid Expansion? No Problem For Many Safety-Net Hospital Profits
In some of the largest states that did not expand Medicaid, many safety-net hospitals turned in strong performances in 2014, according to financial documents.
HHS Shifts Money From Cancer, Global Health To Pay For Health Insurance Exchange
Some House Republicans question the transfer of funds, but HHS says the shifts are legal and necessary to operate a marketplace, which is relied upon by 37 states.
Some Dementia Can Be Treated, But My Mother Waited 10 Years For A Diagnosis
For many physicians, normal pressure hydrocephalus, or NPH, doesn’t come to mind when they see people with cognitive and gait problems, although it is one of the few treatable causes of dementia.
What’s At Stake As Health Law Lands At Supreme Court Again
With a $400 tax credit, Julia Raye of North Carolina has been able to afford health insurance and keep her diabetes under control. She is one of 8.2 million people who could lose that subsidy in a case that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday.
Health On The Hill: ACA Heads Back To Supreme Court
Justices to decide if subsidies that help millions afford health insurance are available to residents of more than three dozen states.
When Health Care Is Far From Home
The biggest barrier to treatment for residents of a tiny town in the mountains of Northern California isn’t insurance coverage– it’s distance.
The Extra Cost Of Extra Weight For Older Adults
Obese people are far more likely to become disabled as they age, and researchers say this burgeoning demographic will strain hospitals and nursing homes.
