Phil Galewitz

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pgalewitz@kff.org
@philgalewitz

Uninsured in South Would Win Big in Democrats’ Plan, but Hospitals Fear Funding Loss

KFF Health News Original

The latest iteration of President Joe Biden’s social-spending package would close the health insurance gap for at least 2.2 million people, making a huge difference especially in the South, where political opposition has blocked Medicaid expansion.

As Democrats Bicker Over Massive Spending Plan, Here’s What’s at Stake for Medicaid

KFF Health News Original

More than 2 million low-income adults are uninsured because their states have not accepted Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Congressional Democrats want to offer them coverage in the massive spending bill being debated, but competition to get into that package is fierce.

Mounting Covid Deaths Fuel School Bus Drivers’ Fears

KFF Health News Original

Since August, school bus drivers and monitors have died of covid-19 in at least 10 states, including Georgia and Florida. Masks are required on school buses, but enforcing the rules in districts without school mask mandates is especially hard to do.

Dentists Chip Away at Uninsured Problem by Offering Patients Membership Plans

KFF Health News Original

The plans are designed for people who don’t get dental coverage through their jobs and can’t afford an individual plan. For about $300 to $400 a year, patients receive certain preventive services at no charge and other procedures at a discount.

Covid, delta y tu deporte favorito, ¿es seguro ir a un estadio?

KFF Health News Original

Antes de la era COVID, sentarse hombro con hombro en un estadio con decenas de miles de espectadores gritando era lo que más esperaban los fans en el otoño. Ahora no parece ser la mejor idea.

Your Covid Game Plan: Are Stadiums Safe?

KFF Health News Original

Fall and football go hand in hand. But with covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths soaring from the delta variant, is it safe to go to the stadium? KHN asks the experts.

Beneficiarios de Medicaid se vacunan mucho menos contra covid

KFF Health News Original

Si bien más de 202 millones de estadounidenses están vacunados al menos en parte contra covid, casi el 30% de las personas mayores de 12 años siguen sin vacunarse. Las encuestas muestran que los más pobres tienen menos probabilidades de recibir una vacuna.

Jaw Surgery Takes a $27,119 Bite out of One Man’s Budget

KFF Health News Original

A Seattle patient discovers the hard way that you can still hit a lifetime limit for certain types of care. And health plans can vary a lot from one job to the next, even if the insurer is the same.

Apple, Bose and Others Pump Up the Volume on Hearing Aid Options, Filling Void Left by FDA

KFF Health News Original

A 2017 law designed to help lower the cost of hearing aids mandated that federal officials set rules for a new class of devices consumers could buy without needing to see an audiologist. But those regulations are still on hold.

Déjà Vu? Consumers Scramble for Covid Tests in Hard-Hit Areas

KFF Health News Original

As the nation confronts the delta variant, many consumers are again facing delays getting tested. The problem appears most acute in the South and Midwest, where new infections are growing the fastest.

‘Wisdom and Fear’ Lead 90% of U.S. Seniors to Covid Vaccines

KFF Health News Original

The success in getting shots to older adults is likely due to states prioritizing that effort when the vaccines became available and motivation among the elderly after the virus killed so many in their age group.

Desperate for Home Care, Seniors Often Wait Months With Workers in Short Supply

KFF Health News Original

The covid pandemic and President Joe Biden’s agenda — a planned $400 billion infusion of support — have focused national attention on the need to expand home- and community-based long-term care services designed to keep people out of nursing homes. But the need far outpaces the staffing.

Discretamente, Biden está transformando la red de seguridad de Medicaid

KFF Health News Original

Los esfuerzos de Biden, que han sido eclipsados ​​en gran medida por otras iniciativas económicas y de salud, representan un cambio abrupto en contra de todo lo que la administración Trump hizo para reducir el programa.