Sam Whitehead

Visit kff.org to read Sam's bio.

swhitehead@kff.org

Officials Show Little Proof That New Tech Will Help Medicaid Enrollees Meet Work Rules

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration says it’s developing a digital tool to help people prove they’re meeting new Medicaid work requirements. KFF Health News talked to officials from the two states running pilot programs and found little evidence of new — or effective — technology.

Projected Surge in Uninsured Will Strain Local Health Systems

KFF Health News Original

In South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, many people go without health insurance, and the health system struggles as a result. Similar communities dot the nation, and more could face such difficulties under President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending law.

In the Fallout From Trump’s Health Funding Cuts, States Face Tough Budget Decisions

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration has pushed a significant amount of health costs to states, whose budgets may already be strained by declining state tax revenues, a slowdown in pandemic spending, and economic uncertainty. State and local governments now face difficult decisions.

Even in States That Fought Obamacare, Trump’s New Law Poses Health Consequences

KFF Health News Original

GOP lawmakers in 10 states have refused for a decade to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. But when President Donald Trump got another whack at Obamacare, these holdout states went unrewarded.

Georgia Shows Rough Road Ahead for States as Medicaid Work Requirements Loom

KFF Health News Original

President Donald Trump signed legislation that requires many Medicaid recipients to prove they’re working to qualify for health care coverage, allocating $200 million for states that expanded Medicaid to prepare systems to verify people’s eligibility. Georgia’s program, which has been expensive and difficult to administer, has had limited enrollment.

In a First, Trump and GOP-Led Congress Prepare To Swell Ranks of US Uninsured

KFF Health News Original

Fewer Americans will likely have health insurance, compromising their physical and financial health, as the Trump administration and GOP-controlled Congress weigh major changes to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. “The effects could be catastrophic,” one policy analyst predicts.

Government Watchdog Expects Medicaid Work Requirement Analysis by Fall

KFF Health News Original

This fall, the U.S. Government Accountability Office expects to release a report on how much it costs to run Georgia Pathways to Coverage — the country’s only active Medicaid work requirement program — as other states and Congress consider similar programs.

Preparan análisis sobre el requisito de trabajo para Medicaid

KFF Health News Original

La idea de un mandato nacional que requiera que los beneficiarios de Medicaid trabajen, estudien o realicen otras actividades que cumplan los requisitos para mantener la cobertura está ganando terreno.

States Push Medicaid Work Rules, but Few Programs Help Enrollees Find Jobs

KFF Health News Original

Republicans are pushing to implement requirements that Medicaid recipients work in order to obtain or retain coverage. Some states try to help enrollees find jobs. But states lack the data to show whether they’re effective.

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.

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.

Childhood Vaccination Rates, a Rare Health Bright Spot in Struggling States, Are Slipping

KFF Health News Original

Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia — states with some of the worst health outcomes — also have some of the highest childhood vaccination rates. But doctors and health officials worry a rising tide of vaccine skepticism is causing those public health bright spots to dim.

Democratic Senators Ask Watchdog Agency To Investigate Georgia’s Medicaid Work Rule

KFF Health News Original

A group of Democratic senators asked the Government Accountability Office to examine a Georgia program that requires some Medicaid enrollees to work, study, or volunteer 80 hours a month for coverage. They cited KFF Health News’ reporting, which has documented the program’s high costs and low enrollment.