Latest KFF Health News Stories
Officials Show Little Proof That New Tech Will Help Medicaid Enrollees Meet Work Rules
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.
Private Medicare, Medicaid Plans Exaggerate In-Network Mental Health Options, Watchdogs Say
A federal probe of Medicare and Medicaid plans run by private insurance companies found that the plan operators often overstated how many mental health providers were available in their networks. In some cases, investigators found providers had never had contracts with plans they were listed on.
Políticos, investigadores, bibliotecarios y defensores afirmaron que la desfinanciación de los programas de banda ancha, pone en peligro los esfuerzos para ayudar a los residentes rurales y desfavorecidos a participar en la economía moderna y llevar una vida más saludable.
Senators Press Deloitte, Other Contractors on Errors in Medicaid Eligibility Systems
As contractors position themselves to cash in on a gush of new business managing Medicaid work requirements, a cadre of senators has launched an inquiry into the companies paid billions to build eligibility systems.
Trump Called Digital Equity Act ‘Racist.’ Now Internet Money for Rural Americans Is Gone.
President Donald Trump called the Digital Equity Act unconstitutional, racist, and illegal. Then the $2.75 billion program for rural and underserved communities to gain internet access disappeared.
La inteligencia artificial pronto influirá en que te aprueben o te nieguen tratamientos en Medicare
Siguiendo el ejemplo del sector privado de seguros, la administración Trump lanzará el próximo año un programa piloto.
AI Will Soon Have a Say in Approving or Denying Medicare Treatments
A pilot program testing the use of artificial intelligence to expand prior authorization decisions in Medicare has providers, politicians, and researchers questioning Trump administration promises to curb an unpopular practice that has frustrated patients and their doctors.
As the Trump Administration and States Push Health Data Sharing, Familiar Challenges Surface
Despite billions of tax dollars and two decades of effort invested in improving health care data sharing, Americans’ medical records often remain siloed, leading to duplicate testing, increased costs, and wasted time for patients and doctors.
Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Were Aimed at ‘Able-Bodied Adults.’ Hospitals Say Kids Will Be Hurt.
The GOP said its overhaul of Medicaid was aimed at reducing fraud and getting more adult beneficiaries to work. Among the likely side effects: fewer services and doctors for treating sick children.
Algunos hospitales infantiles podrían perder miles de millones de dólares en ingresos una vez que se aplique por completo la amplia ley fiscal y de gasto de Trump, conocida por los republicanos como la One Big Beautiful Bill.
New Medicaid Federal Work Requirements Mean Less Leeway for States
More than a dozen states are seeking their own versions of Medicaid work requirements. But the incoming federal standards pose questions around how much leeway states have to design their rules.
Medicaid: nuevo requisito federal de trabajo deja a estados sin mucho margen de maniobra
Algunos buscan modificaciones específicas a las nuevas normas para cada estado. Otros pretenden implementar los requisitos laborales antes de que la ley federal entre en vigencia a finales de 2026.
A Tourist Ended Up With a Wild Bat in Her Mouth — And Nearly $21,000 in Medical Bills
Health insurance generally doesn’t cover treatment for injuries sustained shortly before a customer buys a policy. A Massachusetts woman found that out the hard way.
Even Grave Errors at Rehab Hospitals Go Unpenalized and Undisclosed
For-profit hospitals provide most inpatient physical therapy but tend to have worse readmission rates to general hospitals. Medicare doesn’t tell consumers about troubling inspections.
Who’s Policing Opioid Settlement Spending? A Crowdsourced Database Might Help
Billions in opioid settlement money was meant to be spent on treating and preventing addiction — but what happens if it’s misspent? Some advocates say attorneys general need to pay closer attention. If they don’t, a new tool might empower the public.
Native Americans Hurt by Federal Health Cuts, Despite RFK Jr.’s Promises of Protection
The Indian Health Service was mostly spared in the federal government’s widespread staffing cuts, but tribal governments and organizations have lost funding elsewhere in the melee of federal health agency cuts.
In Arizona County That Backed Trump, Conflicted Feelings About Cutting Medicaid
Medicaid plays a vital role in many rural communities that favored President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. But residents still seem open to Republican proposals to cut perceived waste in the program.
Trump’s Fast-Tracked Deal for a Copper Mine Heightens Existential Fight for Apache
Apache tribal members are already feeling psychological and spiritual harm as the Trump administration moves to fast-track a deal to turn their sacred land of Oak Flat, Arizona, into a copper mine.
Meet the Florida Group Chipping Away at Public Benefits One State at a Time
The Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” platform has boosted the agenda of a conservative think tank that’s been working for more than a decade to reshape the nation’s public assistance programs.
At Social Security, These Are the Days of the Living Dead
In recent weeks, Social Security has been plagued by problems related to technology, system errors, and even the marking of living people as dead.
