Latest KFF Health News Stories
Medicare Enhances Doctor-Rating Website
Medicare Thursday added new features to its Physician Compare website as it prepares to start including quality data on thousands of doctors. The federal health care law requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to publish performance data on doctors, including how patients rate them, how well the physicians’ medical interventions succeed and how […]
Test Driving The Obamacare Software
All the outreach in the world won’t count for much if the Obamacare ticket counter doesn’t work. Behind the campaign to educate the uninsured about the Affordable Care Act is the assumption that software to sell the plans will be ready and user-friendly by Oct. 1, when enrollment is supposed to start. That assumption is […]
Hospital Officials Complain To Senate Panel About Medicare Efforts On Observation Care
Overly aggressive practices of contractors charged with recovering inappropriate Medicare payments are causing headaches for hospitals and patients, hospital executives told the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday. Recovery Audit Contractors – or RACs – uncover and collect improper payments made to hospitals, physicians, clinics and other providers. In 2011 the audits resulted in the return of nearly a half […]
Grassley: Who Approved These Hospital CEO Bonuses?
Sen. Charles Grassley, a longtime member of the Senate Finance Committee and frequent critic of nonprofit hospitals, wants to know whose idea it was to pay hospital CEOs annual bonuses surpassing a million dollars in some cases. “Is the board in control?” he asked in an interview. “Is the board making these decisions and how […]
Marilyn Franz talks about working to get her life back.
Sebelius: Administration Is Negotiating Rates In Federal Exchanges
Hoping to get consumers the best prices, the Obama administration is negotiating with insurers looking to sell policies in online health insurance marketplaces this fall, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Monday. “Negotiations are underway and we will be negotiating rates across the country,” Sebelius said at a news briefing. HHS officials said last […]
Rate Shock? Let’s Talk About It Later, Says Colorado Insurance Commissioner
Colorado is among the states getting their first glimpse of how much health insurance will cost under Obamacare in 2014. Colorado’s insurance commissioner Jim Riesberg says he’s pleased with what he’s seen so far, but, “talking about rates at this point in time could lead to a lot problems in the future.” Riesberg says that’s because […]
Improper Use Of Prescription Drugs Costs $200 Billion A Year, Report Finds
The U.S. spends $200 billion each year — about 8 percent of the nation’s health care tab — on medical care stemming from improper or unnecessary use of prescription drugs, a new report out Wednesday says. Much of those costs result from unneeded hospitalizations or doctor visits, according to the study by the IMS Health’s […]
Young Adults Value Health Insurance, Poll Finds
A strong majority of young adults, whose participation in the health law may be key to its success or failure, strongly believe health insurance is important for them and worth the money, according to a new poll. As some states and the federal government prepare new online marketplaces for people to purchase insurance this fall, […]
Brill: Health Law Won’t Bring Prices Down For Patients
At a Capitol Hill hearing Tuesday, journalist Steven Brill, who examined the issue of the high cost of health care in a much quoted March 2013 Time magazine article, told Senate Finance Committee members that President Barack Obama’s health care law will do very little to lower prices for consumers. Joined by a panel of […]
Feds Pitch Broad Payment Options For Obamacare Customers
Federal health officials have proposed that all health plans selling insurance on the new online marketplaces must allow for easy payment options for households without bank accounts or credit cards. The government’s decision to mandate a menu of payment options including cashier’s checks, money orders and re-loadable pre-paid debit cards comes amid increasing pressure from […]
Facebook Raises The Status Of Organ Donation, Study Shows
Toni Lewis-Bennett remembers hesitating when she was asked to be an organ donor while applying for her driver’s license. But years later, when a friend at work became sick, she got tested to see if she could donate her kidney to save his life. And with a green light from doctors, there was no question […]
Video: Hospital CEOs Rake In Bonuses
On World News Tonight Sunday, ABC News Senior National Correspondent Jim Avila reported on the investigation and what it says about the growing costs of hospital care.
Chart: Hospital CEO Pay And Incentives
Kaiser Health News and ABC obtained compensation details for CEOs at dozens of top nonprofit and government-supported hospital systems.
Florida’s Win: Feds Grant Medicaid Managed Care Waiver
This story comes from our partner, The News Service of Florida. TALLAHASSEE – The federal government gave final approval Friday to Florida’s long-debated proposal to overhaul the Medicaid system by requiring beneficiaries statewide to enroll in HMOs and other types of managed-care plans. The decision was not a surprise: Federal officials signaled earlier this year […]
Audio: Proton Therapy And Health Care Technology Costs
Proton radiation therapy is a hugely expensive way to treat some cancers, and some have questioned its cost-effectiveness — especially as it relates to other cancer treatments. Jenny Gold joined WNYC Thursday to discuss what makes the therapy so expensive, where the therapy is taking hold and why patients are drawn to this treatment. Press […]
California Insurance Chief Wants To Bar Anthem From Selling Small Business Coverage
Citing a pattern of “unreasonable rate increases” for small business customers by Anthem Blue Cross, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said Thursday he will recommend that the state’s new online insurance marketplace exclude the firm from selling small business coverage. The move comes amid national debate about the cost of coverage for individuals and small businesses […]
Preparing For Flood Of Consumer Questions On Insurance Exchanges
On Oct. 1, individual consumers and small businesses will be able to enroll in the online health insurance marketplaces known as exchanges. Minnesota, where the state is running the exchange, and Florida, where the federal government will be in charge, are preparing in different ways. Under the Affordable Care Act, most Americans who don’t already have health insurance through employers, Medicare or […]
Colorado Offers Exchange ‘Assister’ Money To Many Groups
Obamacare in Colorado is getting down to the details, in dollars and cents. One of the 16 states that is setting up its own online insurance marketplace, Colorado on Monday named 58 organizations it’s selected to form its “assistance network” to help residents sign up for health coverage on the exchange. But just 11 organizations are […]
Study: Brand Name Drugs Drive Up Medicare Spending
A new study suggests that cash-strapped Medicare missed an opportunity to save more than $1 billion by not addressing the varying costs and use of prescription drugs. Comparing Medicare enrollees and those on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health plan, researchers found that Medicare beneficiaries were up to three times more likely than […]
