Latest Kaiser Health News Stories
More Seniors Are Dying In Falls. Doctors Could Do More To Reduce The Risk.
Doctors should assess older adults for the risk of falling, come up with individualized plans and refer seniors to physical therapists, occupational therapists and evidence-based programs.
‘Medicare For All’ Emerges As Early Divide In First Democratic Debate
On the first of the Democrat’s two-night debate, only New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren offered full support for a single-payer system that would banish private health insurance.
Julie Rovner, the chief Washington correspondent for Kaiser Health News, joins Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Alan Weil of Health Affairs at the Aspen Ideas: Health festival to discuss how consumers’ values impact the politics surrounding the national debate on health care.
KHN’s ‘What The Health’: Politics Heading Into 2020: Live From Aspen!
How big an issue will health really be in the 2020 election? Will the Republicans find their political footing on the issue? In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times report from the Aspen Ideas: Health festival in Aspen, Colo. Joining them are Chris Jennings, who advised Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama on health policy, and Lanhee Chen, who advised GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio.
Democratic Voters Want To Hear Candidates’ Views On Health, But Priorities Vary
Nearly 9 in 10 Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents said it is very important for candidates to discuss health issues. But they are sharply divided among the goals of lowering costs, increasing access, protecting the Affordable Care Act or moving to a “Medicare for All” plan, a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported.
Why Some CEOs Figure ‘Medicare For All’ Is Good For Business
While national business groups fight the single-payer concept, the founder and CEO of a large Pennsylvania picture frame manufacturer tries to convince other employers that it’s the only way to control costs and fix the U.S. health system.
Social Security Error Jeopardizes Medicare Coverage For 250,000 Seniors
The problem affects private drug policies and Medicare Advantage plans that provide both medical and drug coverage and substitute for traditional government-run Medicare. It could leave plan members without coverage.
Analysis: Why Alexa’s Bedside Manner Is Bad For Health Care
Amazon’s personal assistant is gaining medical skills to provide coaching or transmit and monitor patient data. Besides the loss of the human touch, virtual medicine pursued in the name of business efficiency or profit bodes ill.
Robin Hood To Rescue Of Rural Hospitals? New Math Promised On Medicare Payments
A proposed adjustment to the wage index, used in setting a hospital’s Medicare reimbursement payments, could be a lifeline for some rural facilities.
Mired In Medical Debt? Federal Plan Would Update Overdue-Bill Collection Methods
More than half of Americans contacted about an overdue bill said it related to medical debt. A federal agency has proposed new guidance for what debt collectors are allowed to do when pursuing many types of overdue consumer bills, including medical debt. But some consumer advocates have panned the effort.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Analysis: A Health Care Overhaul Could Kill 2 Million Jobs, And That’s OK
Reform has a cost. But the point of a health care system is to treat patients, not to buttress the economy.
‘Sham’ Sharing Ministries Test Faith Of Patients And Insurance Regulators
Officials in Washington and other states are cracking down on companies that avoid health insurance regulations by masquerading as faith-based care.
How To Find And Use New Federal Ratings For Rehab Services At Nursing Homes
For the first time, the federal government is measuring the quality of rehab services in nursing homes for the millions of older adults who need post-hospitalization care.
How Obamacare, Medicare And ‘Medicare For All’ Muddy The Campaign Trail
A talking point used by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refers to all three of these distinct concepts in a way that could magnify public misperceptions.
‘John Doe’ Patients Sometimes Force Hospital Staff To Play Detective
A large public hospital in Los Angeles gets over 1,000 unidentified patients a year. Most are quickly identified, but some require considerable gumshoe work — a task that can be complicated by medical privacy laws.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ ‘Conscience’ Rules, Rx Prices and Still More Medicare
Joanne Kenen of Politico, Jen Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the latest news about the Trump administration’s effort to allow health care practitioners and organizations to refuse to provide care or refer patients for services that violate their conscience or religion. Also this week, the administration orders TV ads for prescription drugs to include list prices. And Tennessee wants free rein from the federal government to run its Medicaid program. Plus, Rovner interviews Joan Biskupic, author of a new book on Chief Justice John Roberts, about the behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to the 2012 ruling upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.
Market Muscle: Study Uncovers Differences Between Medicare And Private Insurers
Findings released Thursday by the Rand Corp. highlight how reimbursement rates vary nationally and the impact the charges have on the nation’s high cost of health care.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Short-Staffed Nursing Homes See Drop In Medicare Ratings
In its latest update to the Nursing Home Compare website, the government gave 1,638 homes its lowest star rating for staffing — one star on its five-star scale. Most were downgraded because payroll records reported no registered-nurse hours at all for at least four days.
