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People in state high-risk insurance plans often feel left behind
The federal health law set up new plans that are cheaper and more comprehensive than the older ones run by states but consumers need to go without insurance for six months to qualify.
Author Archive: Jordan Rau - KHN
Medicare prepares rule to penalize hospitals with high readmission rates
Hospitals could be one the hook when Medicare patients have to be readmitted soon after they had been sent home, especially if they return within one month. Medicare also wants to pay less to hospitals with higher-than-average costs for patient care.
Smaller practices slow to adopt “medical home” care model
Under this model, primary care doctors manage all of the patient’s care and coordinate with specialists to improve quality and reduce costs.
As more patients enter hospice, concerns about misuse grow
Is hospice being misused?. Although intended for terminal patients, one in five hospice patients receive services for more than six months.
Many Americans incorrectly believe health law has been repealed
A poll released Thursday found extensive public confusion about the health care law, with 22 percent of Americans incorrectly believing it has been repealed and another 26 percent unsure or unwilling to say.
Lobbyists challenging limits on flexible spending accounts
Restrictions on flexible saving accounts (FSAs) are among many provisions of the health law targeted by Republicans for change or repeal, including some needed to finance an expansion of insurance coverage for millions of Americans who can’t afford it.
Insurers clash with hospitals and doctors over accountable care organization rules
The new health law encourages doctors, hospitals and insurers to team up in treating patients, but these groups already are at odds as they urge the government to set rules protecting their financial interests.
Hospice or hospital? Where you die depends on where you live
Different hospitals often treat patients with life-ending cancers very differently in their final months.
Access to primary care doesn’t guarantee better health — study
Study challenges the assumptions that people who see a primary care physician will end up healthier than those who don’t.
Law could help hospice patients continue aggressive treatments
Advocates say change may encourage people terminal illnesses to take advantage of hospice care earlier.
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