Latest KFF Health News Stories
Pregnant And Uninsured? Don’t Count On Obamacare
March of Dimes, Young Invincibles and Planned Parenthood say that pregnant women should be able to get health coverage outside the three-month open enrollment period.
Surprise! The Taco Truck Is On Your Diet
The lunch truck menu is known more for grease and starch than leafy greens. But researchers in Los Angeles County say adding more nutritious options to the menu is one step toward reducing obesity.
Figuring Out If A Doctor Is In Your Plan Is Harder Than You Think
Consumers struggle with the lack of transparency. For example, some physicians can be in-network when they are working at one office or hospital but not when they are at another. Or they may belong to a medical group that is affiliated with your plan, but they don’t participate.
Advocates Press For Uninsured To Get Special Enrollment Option After They See Tax Penalties
Many people will find out about the penalties for not having insurance in 2014 only when they file their taxes, but by then it will be too late to enroll and avoid the same problem in 2015. Advocates want the government to offer them a special enrollment period.
Government To Grade Nursing Homes On Tougher Scale
Nursing homes now will be graded on their use of anti-psychotic drugs and will have to do more to get top ratings on the federal website Nursing Home Compare.
Study: Physicians Report Few Requests By Patients For ‘Unnecessary’ Treatments
These findings call into question the conventional wisdom that suggests doctors often give unnecessary or inappropriate treatments because patients demand them.
Concierge Medicine Firm Found Liable For Doctor’s Negligence
In what may be the first verdict of its kind, a jury found the concierge medical giant MDVIP responsible for physician’s negligent care of a Boca Raton patient.
Texas Insurance Brokers Play Bigger Obamacare Role
Despite an uneasy relationship with the health law, insurance brokers are touting their expertise and helping Texans sign up for Affordable Care Act insurance.
Some Pediatricians Don’t Have Adequate Training With IUDs
Although IUDs — a form of long-acting birth-control — are growing in popularity and recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, some pediatricians face challenges in offering it to teenage patients who are sexually active.
5 Tips For Procrastinators Who Need To Buy Health Insurance
The deadline for enrolling in coverage for 2015 is Sunday. Officials say people still have time to get through the process, but they should move quickly.
UnitedHealthcare’s Efforts To Join California Marketplace Meet Resistance
The request ran afoul of the official policy against allowing most insurers to join the statewide exchange for three years that didn’t choose to sell there when it opened in 2014. But officials last month also made some exceptions for insurers that want to operate in poorly served areas.
Beyond ‘Repeal And Replace,’ Ideas Emerge To Improve, Simplify Health Law
Health policy experts present a list of possible fixes to the health law, including changing how subsidies are calculated and eliminating the individual mandate.
Despite Efforts, Latino ACA Enrollment Lags
Still, since October 2013, 2.6 million Latinos gained insurance through the health law, according to HHS. As of last June, the percentage of Latinos without health insurance dropped from 36 percent to 23 percent, but Latinos still face extra paperwork and language barriers.
Despite Health Law Rules, Some Contraceptives May Require Co-Payments
The health overhaul mandated that insurers cover all costs for FDA-approved methods of birth control, but advocates and consumers say some plans have placed certain generic birth control pills among classes of drugs that require cost sharing.
A Q&A On Achieving Mental Health Parity In Medicaid Managed Care
Emily Feinstein, the director of health law and policy at the substance abuse and addiction center CASAColumbia, discusses her expectations for a proposed mental health parity rule in Medicaid managed care, and outlines some of the issues in play regarding these proposed regulations.
GOP Chairmen Offer Alternative To Health Law
Sens. Orrin Hatch and Richard Burr join with Rep. Fred Upton to renew a proposal to repeal the health law but preserve some tax credits for insurance and cuts to some Medicare providers.
Measles Outbreak Sparks Bid To Strengthen Calif. Vaccine Law
Two California lawmakers have introduced a bill to eliminate a “personal belief exemption” used by parents to sidestep a school vaccination requirement.
Medical Debt Still a Problem Under Health Law — Despite Protections
The health law was supposed to keep people from going broke, but despite limits on how much people will have to pay in the face of a medical catastrophe, many are still struggling to pay their health care bills.
Study: Suffering At The End Of Life Getting Worse, Not Better
The percentage of Americans experiencing pain in the last year of life increased between 1998 and 2010, despite the growth of palliative care programs and hospice use, according to a study released Monday.
To Protect His Son, A Father Asks School To Bar Unvaccinated Children
A California child in remission from leukemia cannot be vaccinated because his immune system is rebuilding after chemotherapy. The family, which lives in a school district where 7 percent of the children are not vaccinated under a “personal belief exemption,” is asking school officials to have all kids be vaccinated or stay home from school during the measles outbreak.
