Latest KFF Health News Stories
Checks In The Mail: Millions Expected To Receive Insurance Rebates Totaling $1.3 Billion
Study projects refunds under the health care law will vary widely by state.
In Victory Speech, Romney Goes After Health Law
As Mitt Romney celebrated his primary night wins in Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and New York, he attacked the Affordable Care Act and the president.
If The Health Care Overhaul Goes Down, Could Medicare Follow?
A growing number of health experts are warning of potential collateral damage if the Supreme Court strikes down the entire 2010 Affordable Care Act: potential chaos in the Medicare program.
Q&A: Can I Be Denied Coverage For My Daughter Who Is Returning To College?
The health law allows parents to enroll their adult children in their insurance plan until they are 26. A reader asks Michelle Andrews if that applies to individual plans.
Report: Mass. Health Law No ‘Budget Buster’
The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation finds that the state spends $91 million more per year, or 1.4 percent of the state budget, for near-universal health insurance coverage. “That’s a very tiny additional cost to taxpayers for huge benefits,” says MTF President Michael Widmer.
Massachusetts Health Reform, From The Front Lines
Massachusetts Medical Society President Dr. Lynda Young offers her views on how the practice of medicine has changed in the six years since the state’s health reform law took effect and how issues of health care costs continue to be an everyday concern.
Massachusetts On Track To ‘Crack The Code’ For Health Care Cost Control
As his state’s health reforms mark their sixth anniversary, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick explains how he hopes to confront the next health reform challenges — controlling health care costs and overhauling the payment system.
The Next Health Reform Move: Overhauling Payment Practices
As Massachusetts policy makers and stakeholders focus on efforts to control health care costs through payment reform, Health Care for All’s Paul Williams outlines the considerations that are crucial to ensuring that patients experience a higher quality of care, and the most vulnerable are protected.
Massachusetts Health Reform: On The Right Path
Lynn Nicholas, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, outlines how tackling health care cost, payment and quality issues is the next necessary step in order to make the state’s reform achievements sustainable.
Different Takes: How Massachusetts Can Control Health Care Costs
Kaiser Health News asked Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick, Massachusetts Hospital Association President Lynn Nichols, Health Care For All’s Paul Williams and Massachusetts Medical Society’s Lynda Young about how the state can reform the health care payment system to control costs.
Video: Santorum Still Swinging At Romney About Health Care Record
After his primary victories in Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia, Mitt Romney attacked President Obama on a variety of social and economic issues, briefly mentioning health care. Meanwhile, challenger Rick Santorum went after Romney by reprising his theme that the former Massachusetts governor would be a weak candidate against Obama on health care.
Webcast Replay: Deconstructing The Supreme Court’s Historic Health Law Arguments
Our panelists, who answered questions from readers that even the justices didn’t ask, includes KHN Senior Correspondent Mary Agnes Carey; Stuart Taylor, attorney, author and KHN legal analyst; Tom Goldstein, Goldstein & Russell, P.C., and publisher of SCOTUSblog; and Julie Rovner, health policy correspondent, NPR.
Vigorous Questions On Severability, Medicaid On Final Day
The justices heard from the opposing lawyers about issues as basic as ‘what is liberty?’ and whether it’s better to ‘fix’ flaws in legislation or scrap it entirely. Legal analyst Stuart Taylor, Jr., talks with Jackie Judd about the last 2
Effort To Pay Hospitals Based On Quality Didn’t Cut Death Rates, Study Finds
The New England Journal of Medicine reports that a test project
Even Without The Individual Mandate, Health Law Would Still Affect Millions
KHN’s Julie Appleby reports that the health law is so comprehensive that even if the Supreme Court struck the insurance requirement, many provisions would survive.
Transcript Highlights: The Medicaid Expansion Arguments
Here are some of the highlights from the Supreme Court’s Wednesday afternoon session during which they pondered questions about the health law’s Medicaid expansion.
Transcript Highlights: The Severability Arguments Before The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court tackled Wednesday morning the question of whether the health law in its entirety should be struck down if the insurance mandate is declared unconstitutional.
If Mandate Is Overturned, Obama Could Need Help To Salvage The Health Law
Should the Supreme Court throw out the requirement to carry insurance, the administration might need assistance from Congress or the insurance industry to complete the overhaul.
Transcript: Highlights Of The Lively Arguments At The Supreme Court, Day 2
Here are excerpts of some of the most compelling parts of Tuesday’s oral arguments at the high court.
Health Law Accelerates Industry Changes
Experts don’t expect the Supreme Court’s ruling to alter that course.