May 01 Medicare reveals how much it spends on prescription drugs for Americans By Jordan Rau, Kaiser Health News The data show that 14 drugs cost the federal government and Medicare beneficiaries more than $1 billion each, accounting for nearly a quarter of Medicare prescription drug spending in 2013. Most of those drugs are used to treat chronic conditions… Continue reading
Mar 04 Arguments on Obamacare’s future provide few clues about Supreme Court decision By Julie Rovner, KFF Health News For the second time in three years, the federal Affordable Care Act went before the Supreme Court on Wednesday. And before a packed courtroom, a divided group of justices mostly picked up right where they left off the last… Continue reading
Mar 02 Watch 7:23 How six words landed the Affordable Care Act at the Supreme Court again By Jason Kane and Sarah Varney, Kaiser Health News In the coming days, the Supreme Court will weigh whether states that rely on the federal health care exchange can provide subsidies to make insurance affordable. Special correspondent Sarah Varney of Kaiser Health News reports on how millions will be… Continue watching
Feb 27 5 things to know about the Supreme Court case challenging Obamacare By Julie Rovner, KFF Health News What's at stake as the Affordable Care Act heads to the Supreme Court?… Continue reading
Feb 20 Lethal superbug breakout at UCLA highlights hospital safety shortcomings By Jordan Rau, Kaiser Health News The federal government has been trying for years to get doctors and hospitals to shrink their use of antibiotics, since their proliferation has helped create these new resistant bacteria strains. The CDC has encouraged hospitals to create antibiotic stewardship programs,… Continue reading
Feb 09 Why Hispanic Americans still aren’t signing up for Obamacare By Mary Agnes Carey, Kaiser Health News Nearly a third of the ACA’s media budget this year is focused on Hispanic media, tripling the 10 percent spent on reaching Latinos last year, according to HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. Continue reading
Jan 05 Experimental program helps seniors move out of the nursing home By Sarah Jane Tribble, WCPN The average costs for an individual in the experimental program (which is called Money Follows the Person) is $49,000. Under traditional Medicaid it costs about $64,000 annually for nursing home care in Ohio. Continue reading
Dec 18 Public easily swayed on attitudes toward health care law, poll finds By Julie Rovner, KFF Health News Just days before the requirement for most large employers to provide health insurance takes effect, a new poll finds the public easily swayed over arguments for and against the policy. Continue reading
Dec 15 Small businesses drop health coverage and shift employees to Obamacare By Jay Hancock, Kaiser Health News For two decades Atlanta restaurant owner Jim Dunn offered a group health plan to his managers and helped pay for it. That ended Dec. 1, after the Affordable Care Act made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Continue reading
Dec 15 Forget armband trackers like Fitbit, new body monitors live in your gut By Frank Browning, Kaiser Health News These so-called nanomeds, miniscule sensors embedded in a placebo pill that you swallow, set up shop in your gut. As they slowly work their way through your system, these “ingestibles” – which are actually not digested – are switched on… Continue reading