Recent Stories
As rural hospitals struggle, solutions sought to preserve healthcare access

Nationwide, 51 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, and the National Rural Health Association has identified 283 more that are in danger of going under. Some facilities may shift to providing emergency and outpatient care only, and link with regional hospitals for a broader range of services.
Beyond ACA, GOP presidential hopefuls differ on healthcare

The burgeoning group of official and unofficial Republican presidential contenders all agree on one thing when it comes to healthcare policy: They really, really hate Obamacare.
17 million more Americans have coverage under ACA: RAND study

Roughly 17 million more Americans have health insurance coverage since the launch of the Affordable Care Act's exchanges and Medicaid expansion, according to a study published Wednesday by RAND Corp. researchers.
Pollack draws praise as pick to lead American Hospital Association

The American Hospital Association has chosen Richard Pollack, its longtime lead lobbyist, to succeed Richard Umbdenstock as CEO. Hospital leaders say Pollack is the right pick, even though he never led a hospital or health system.
Republicans jockey over post-King reform plans

WASHINGTON—Congressional Republicans are nervously wrestling with how to respond if the U.S. Supreme Court in June strikes down Obamacare premium subsidies in up to 37 states.
GOP budget would kill ACA, chop healthcare spending

WASHINGTON—Congressional Republicans are crowing that the budget blueprint they agreed to last week proves they are governing effectively by cutting spending by more than $5 trillion over a decade and repealing the Affordable Care Act.
GOP budget would repeal ACA but steps back from Medicare, Medicaid restructuring

Congressional Republicans are crowing that the budget blueprint the House and Senate agreed to Thursday night proves they are governing effectively and pursuing fiscal responsibility by cutting spending by more than $5 trillion over a decade and repealing the Affordable Care Act.
Blog: Strapped state exchanges get by on misused federal grants

State health insurance exchanges were required to be financially self-sustaining by now, but many have struggled to come up with viable funding sources and continue to rely heavily—and inappropriately—on federal grant dollars, according to HHS' inspector general's office.
Republicans jockey over post-King reform plans

Facing sharp disagreements among themselves, congressional Republicans are nervously wrestling with how to respond if the U.S. Supreme Court in June strikes down premium subsidies in up to 37 states.
Healthcare logjam breaks in Congress

There are signs of a partisan thaw in Congress that is allowing movement on healthcare legislation in the wake of the recent Medicare physician-payment overhaul. And a sharp uptick in lobbying spending by major healthcare industry groups suggests stakeholders see at least a temporary break in the ice.
Blog: Business-backed group says ditch insurance mandates, give everyone credits

Congress should overhaul the Affordable Care Act's insurance subsidies and scrap the individual and employer mandates, the Conference Board's Committee for Economic Development said in a report issued Thursday.
House and Senate budget talks target Affordable Care Act

House and Senate Republicans are likely to agree on a budget that abolishes the healthcare reform law. But the real discussion about 2016 spending will come as another government shutdown looms toward the end of September.
Providers decry $700 million in Medicare cuts proposed in trade package

Providers are raising alarms about potential cuts to Medicare that would bankroll benefits for workers hurt by future free-trade agreements.
Affordable Care Act approval rising slowly

For the first time in nearly three years, more Americans approve of the Affordable Care Act than disapprove of it, according to the latest tracking poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The difference between the opposing views was small and statistically insignificant. But the trend lines seem to indicate growing acceptance of the landmark healthcare law.
Despite bipartisan cheer over pay reform, SGR deal won't spur healthcare harmony

Most health policy observers don't expect the bipartisan bonhomie in Congress surrounding last week's enactment of the Medicare physician payment-reform package to last.