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Latest KFF Health News Stories

GOP Takes Aim at Medicaid, Putting Enrollees and Providers at Risk

KFF Health News Original

Congressional Republicans are pushing plans that could make deep cuts to Medicaid to finance President Donald Trump’s tax cuts and other priorities. At stake is coverage for millions of low-income Americans, as well as a huge revenue source for hospitals — and every state.

Republicans Are Eyeing Cuts to Medicaid. What’s Medicaid, Again?

KFF Health News Original

Republicans in Congress have suggested big cuts to Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities. The complex, multifaceted program touches millions of Americans and has become deeply woven into state budgets and the U.S. health care system.

The Covid ‘Contrarians’ Are in Power. We Still Haven’t Hashed Out Whether They Were Right.

KFF Health News Original

Jay Bhattacharya, nominated to lead the National Institutes of Health, opposed most covid mandates. Without an honest public debate about what worked and what didn’t, public health experts say, we’re even less prepared for the next pandemic.

Deny and Delay? California Seeks Penalties for Insurers That Repeatedly Get It Wrong

KFF Health News Original

A state lawmaker wants health insurers to disclose denial rates and explain those denials as anger grows over rising costs and uncovered medical care. If the bill is signed into law, health experts say, it could be one of the boldest attempts in the nation to rein in denials.

Pain Clinics Made Millions From ‘Unnecessary’ Injections Into ‘Human Pin Cushions’

KFF Health News Original

Pain MD, which once ran as many as 20 clinics across three states, gave chronic-pain patients about 700,000 total injections near their spines, according to court documents. Last year, federal prosecutors proved at trial that the shots were medically unnecessary and part of an extensive fraud scheme.

Sights, Sounds Trigger Trauma for Super Bowl Parade Shooting Survivors

KFF Health News Original

Survivors and witnesses of gun violence often freeze emotionally at first, as a coping mechanism. As the one-year mark since the parade shooting nears, the last installment in our series “The Injured” looks at how some survivors talk about resilience, while others are desperately trying to hang on.

As States Mull Medicaid Work Requirements, Two With Experience Scale Back

KFF Health News Original

As Republicans consider adding work requirements to Medicaid, Georgia and Arkansas — two states with experience running such programs — want to scale back the key parts supporters have argued encourage employment and personal responsibility.

Top California Democrats Clash Over How To Rein In Drug Industry Middlemen

KFF Health News Original

Frustrated by spiraling drug costs, California lawmakers want to increase oversight of pharmaceutical industry intermediaries known as pharmacy benefit managers. It’s unclear whether they can persuade Gov. Gavin Newsom to get on board.

Doctor Wanted: Small Town Offers Big Perks To Attract a Physician

KFF Health News Original

The town of Havana, Florida, is seeking a family doctor to practice in the rural community. Incentives include rent-free office space with medical equipment owned by the town. With a physician shortage hitting small communities hard, town leaders put want ads in newspapers and on social media.

A Year After Super Bowl Parade Shooting, Trauma Freeze Gives Way to Turmoil for Survivors

KFF Health News Original

Survivors and witnesses of gun violence often freeze emotionally at first, as a coping mechanism. As the one-year mark since the parade shooting nears, the last installment in our series “The Injured” looks at how some survivors talk about resilience, while others are desperately trying to hang on.