Phil Galewitz

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pgalewitz@kff.org
@philgalewitz

Needy Patients ‘Caught In The Middle’ As Insurance Titan Drops Doctors

KFF Health News Original

UnitedHealthcare is dropping hundreds of physicians from its New Jersey Medicaid network, separating patients from longtime doctors. Physicians charge the insurer is using its market power to shift business to practices it controls.

5 Things To Know About Trump’s Medicaid Block Grant Plan

KFF Health News Original

Federal officials unveiled guidance for states that want to opt out of some of the current funding program and instead seek a fixed payment to gain more flexibility.

Despite New Doubts, ‘Hotspotting’ Help For Heavy Health Care Users Marches On

KFF Health News Original

A high-profile effort in Camden, New Jersey, to reduce health spending by identifying high-cost patients and giving them more coordinated and preventive medical care has been copied around the country. Many of those groups are pushing forward with the efforts, despite a recent critical study of the Camden initiative.

Employers’ Dream Of Controlling Health Costs Turns To Workers’ Sleep

KFF Health News Original

Sleep is the latest in an ever-growing list of wellness issues — such as weight loss, exercise and nutrition — that firms are targeting to improve workers’ health and lower medical costs.

Obamacare Back At The High Court — With Billions For Insurers On The Line

KFF Health News Original

The case revolves around a health law provision designed to help insurers recover some losses because they had an unusually high number of sick and expensive customers. Insurers complain that when Republican lawmakers discontinued funding the program, it was like “Lucy Van Pelt pulling the football away from Charlie Brown.”

Efforts To Move The Needle On Flu Shot Rates Get Stuck

KFF Health News Original

In the past decade, federal and state governments have removed cost and access obstacles, but immunization rates remained flat. That worries public health officials.

Obamacare’s Star Ratings Offer A Glimmer Of Insight ― But Not For All

KFF Health News Original

Federal officials unveil new ratings for the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace plans. Missouri is one of eight states that has no plans earning at least three stars on a five-star scale.

Tenn. Block Grant Experiment Would Boost Federal Funding, State Medicaid Chief Says

KFF Health News Original

In a Q&A with Kaiser Health News, Tennessee Medicaid Director Gabe Roberts says state officials are requesting a modified block grant from federal officials because it would save money and allow the state to keep some of that savings.

Walmart To Give Workers Financial Incentives To Use Higher-Quality Doctors

KFF Health News Original

The program, which will roll out next year in three parts of the country, seeks to encourage workers on the company’s health plan to choose doctors that have been identified as providing “appropriate, effective and cost-efficient care.”

Breaking A 10-Year Streak, The Number Of Uninsured Americans Rises

KFF Health News Original

Census officials said most of the drop in health coverage was related to a 0.7% decline in Medicaid. The number of people with private insurance remained steady.

Por primera vez en una década, aumenta el número de personas sin seguro médico

KFF Health News Original

El Censo halló que el 8.5% de la población se quedó sin seguro médico el año pasado, en comparación con el 7.9% en 2017. Nuevas reglas han impactado en la comunidad hispana.