Latest KFF Health News Stories
Medicaid Expansion Now Could Save Some States Money
Starting April 1, the first federal funding from the health overhaul law becomes available to expand coverage of Medicaid programs. Some states are seeking to use that money in current programs that cover low-income people who do not qualify for Medicaid.
“Here & Now” Audio: States Must Now Make Health Care Reform A Reality
KHN’s John Fairhall and Oregon Health Authority’s Barney Speight discuss how states will implement health care reform, on WBUR’s “Here & Now” radio show.
Primary Care Crisis Has Been A Long Time Coming
Calls for more primary care go all the way back to 1933 when the Journal of the American Medical Association noted “the overgrowth of specialism” and the “fadeout of the general practitioner.”
Closing Medicare Drug Gap Helps Democrats Sell Reform
The health overhaul package passed by Congress will gradually eliminate the so-called Medicare Part D “doughnut hole,” making prescription drugs more affordable for many seniors.
The First Test Of New Health Law: Covering Hard-To-Insure People
In a test of the Obama administration’s ability to smoothly implement the sweeping health care overhaul law, officials at the Department of Health and Human Services have just 90 days to launch an insurance program for people who can’t get private coverage because of health problems.
Health On The Hill: The Reform Bill Is Signed, What’s Next?
With a package of legislative changes to the health care bill on its way to President Obama, congressional Democrats have concluded work on their plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system. Republicans have said they will continue in their efforts to repeal the bill while Obama and Democrats are focused on the measure’s implementation.
Transcript: Health On The Hill – March 26, 2010
With a package of legislative changes to the health care bill on its way to President Obama, congressional Democrats have concluded work on their plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system. Republicans have said they will continue in their efforts to repeal the bill while Obama and Democrats are focused on the measure’s implementation.
Federal Agencies To Iron Out Health Care Details
Health care experts say enforcement of the new health care bill will fall to the Department of Health and Human Services and the IRS. One expert says the pages of regulations could dwarf the 2,400-page bill. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
Transcript: President Obama’s Health Care Rally In Iowa
President Barack Obama’s speech on health reform takes place today, in Iowa. Read his speech, as released by the White House.
Text: The President’s Executive Order On Abortion Funding And The Health Bill
The White House released the text of President Barack Obama’s executive order on abortion funding and the health bill.
Coverage For Sick Kids Under Question In New Law
The Obama administration says the new health overhaul law bans insurers this year from denying coverage to kids with pre-existing illnesses. Insurers say that’s not their interpretation of the law.
Some Will Remain Uninsured After Reform
When President Obama signed health care overhaul into law Tuesday, did he fulfill a campaign promise to “bring health care to all?”
Last Minute Deal On Medicare Highlights Dilemma On Curbing Costs
Lawmakers agreed in health bill to increase Medicare payments by $800 million to hospitals and doctors in a handful of states.
Transcript: President Obama At Health Reform Bill Signing Ceremony
The White House released this transcript of remarks by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the signing of the health reform bill.
Final Health Care Package Shaped By Changing Political Landscape
The Democrats scaled back their ambitions for health overhaul legislation amid a year-long series of turbulent shifts in the political landscape.
The Health Care Debate Has Just Begun
Last night’s historic vote to pass comprehensive health care legislation means a lot of things, but it does not end the health care debate in America–not by a long shot.
Why The Vote Changes The Health Care Debate Forever
Health care reform promises to shift the middle ground between government and market, modestly, but in a way that will have far-reaching effects.
Primary Care Shortage Could Crimp Overhaul
For all the changes put in motion by yesterday’s historic vote passing health care overhaul, an expansion of coverage for tens of million of uninsured people raises a really big question: Who will take care of them all?
Transcript: Health On The Hill – Day After House Passes Health Reform
Late Sunday night, the House of Representatives made history by passing the Senate version of health care overhaul legislation. KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and The Fiscal Times’ Eric Pianin report on the scene during the vote on Capitol Hill, what’s next in the Senate and what health reform may mean for consumers.
It’s Over! Health Care is Passed. Will it Really Work?
The realities of the health care legislation do not match the hyperbole from either side. Though proponents bill the legislation as the most significant changes in the nation’s health care system since the advent of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, the Obama era coverage reforms rely on existing government programs and private insurance, and its payment reforms are variations on themes tried before without much success.
