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Lawmakers probe hospital pay for short-stay patients

The House hearing was the first congressional inquiry into the consequences of Medicare's "two-midnight rule," which has drawn criticism from seniors and hospitals.

22 May 2014

Study provides key data on Americans’ understanding of long-term care system

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has released the results of a major survey on long-term care in the United States.

21 May 2014

First Edition: May 21, 2014

Today's headlines include status reports on the health exchanges in Nevada and Oregon.

21 May 2014

NIDA guides target both teens and parents with up-to-date science-based facts on marijuana

Two updated booklets about marijuana for teens and their parents will help families sort out marijuana myths from science-based facts. The revamped tools come from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

21 May 2014

Lung cancer screening guidelines could cost Medicare billions

A study of Medicare beneficiaries with a history of heavy smoking found that new lung cancer screening guidelines would likely double the proportion of lung cancers found at an early stage, but at a steep cost of more than $9 billion over five years.

16 May 2014

Medicare fraud strike force strikes again, arresting 90 people

A federal task force on Tuesday charged 90 people, including 16 doctors, with generating $260 million of false Medicare billings following raids in cities across the country.

15 May 2014

Eyeing presidential run, Rubio outlines Medicare plans

Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), considered a likely presidential candidate in 2016, on Tuesday called for structural changes to Social Security and Medicare as a way to control spending for both programs, which are growing steadily as the U.S. population ages.

15 May 2014

First Edition: May 14, 2014

Today's headlines include stories about consumer frustrations about cost and coverage issues that are emerging with the health law's implementation.

14 May 2014

Research roundup: Unearthing factors in hospital readmissions; dissecting the enrollment surge

Using inpatient data from an urban teaching hospital, we examined how elements of individual characteristics and neighborhood socioeconomic status influenced the likelihood of readmission ... Patients living in high-poverty neighborhoods were 24 percent more likely than others to be readmitted, after demographic characteristics and clinical conditions were adjusted for. Married patients were at significantly reduced risk of readmission, which suggests that they had more social support than unmarried patients. These and previous findings that document socioeconomic disparities in readmission raise the question of whether CMS's readmission measures and associated financial penalties should be adjusted for the effects of factors beyond hospital influence at the individual or neighborhood level, such as poverty and lack of social support (Hu, Gonsahn and Nerenz, May 2014).

12 May 2014

Expanding Medicaid access increases use of subspecialty surgical services in New York State

Researchers in the department of surgery at the University of Michigan have found that expanding access to Medicaid in New York State increased beneficiaries' use of subspecialty surgical services.

8 May 2014

House Democrats offer alternative mental health proposal

Many view the plan as controversial because it could hinder efforts toward bipartisan mental health reforms. Republicans offered their own measure about six months ago.

8 May 2014

First Edition: May 6, 2014

Today's headlines include news from Massachusetts that the state is scrapping efforts to fix its troubled health exchange and will start over -- from scratch.

6 May 2014

College graduation is a time to reassess health insurance

College seniors need to add one item to their "to-do" list as graduation approaches: check out their insurance options, the Los Angeles Times reports. Also, KHN examines California Latinos' interest in getting health care in Mexico--even if they have purchased U.S. insurance.

6 May 2014

Medicare proposes that hospitals provide more transparency on prices

In a proposed rule, federal officials lay out new regulations for hospitals that include offering a standard list of prices, the new federal payment rates, observation care and readmissions.

2 May 2014

Some Medicare beneficiaries have trouble getting extended nursing and therapy services

Under a 2012 court settlement, the Department of Health and Human Services agreed to relax rules that said seniors could get these services only if they continued to improve. But many providers are still unaware of the new regulations.

30 Apr 2014

MobileHelp launches new medication reminder application

Empowering its customers with new ways to manage their health, MobileHelp, a leader in mobile Personal Emergency Response System (M-PERS) solutions, today announced the launch of a new medication reminder application.

30 Apr 2014

New health system scorecard reveals wide health gaps among states

States made little progress in improving health care access, quality, and outcomes and lowering costs in the five years preceding implementation of the major coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act (2007-2012), according to the Commonwealth Fund's third state health system scorecard. The majority of states declined or failed to improve on two-thirds of the 34 scorecard indicators that could be tracked over time.

30 Apr 2014

Biden swings at Ryan budget, House GOP hits back

Vice President Joe Biden warned that the plan drafted by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., would hurt Medicare and Medicaid, while a Republican spokesman criticized Biden for his support of a blueprint that leaves the health law in place.

30 Apr 2014

Alcohol and drugs put teens at increased risk for unsafe driving

Teenagers who drink alcohol and smoke marijuana may be at increased risk for unsafe driving, according to a study in the May issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

28 Apr 2014

Drug companies that are high Medicare earners spend big on lobbying activities

The 10 drug companies that make the most money from doctors using their products on Medicare patients spent more than $236 million to lobby Congress and the executive branch between 2009 and 2013, according to lobbying records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics and new federal data.

26 Apr 2014