States Face Another Challenge With Medicaid Work Rules: Staffing Shortages

Some states already don’t have enough staff to quickly process Medicaid applications and answer enrollees’ phone calls. Researchers say they may not be prepared to handle new Medicaid work rules, predicting people will lose coverage as a result.

State-Run Insurance Plans for Foster Kids Leave Some of Them Without Doctors

North Carolina rolled out a $3.1 billion insurance plan for kids in foster care, but many doctors did not accept patients on the plan. The state is one of several experimenting with a model that has left kids’ guardians scrambling to find health care providers.

CDC’s Acting Chief Promises a Return to Stability in a Tumultuous Moment

Jay Bhattacharya, head of the National Institutes of Health and interim leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the CDC staff, “I know that it has been such a difficult year.”

Oz Says California’s Not Fighting Health Care Fraud, but Data Shows It’s Part of a Larger Battle

Trump administration officials say the state allows rampant fraud and have promised to investigate, blaming the “Russian, Armenian mafia” in the hospice and home health care industry. But data shows hotbeds of health care fraud throughout the country, with California outperforming most other states in recovering fraud dollars.

Psiquiatras podrían adoptar biomarcadores en el diagnóstico de la salud mental

En un documento de enero, la Asociación Americana de Psiquiatría incluyó ideas sobre cómo podría incorporar biomarcadores —indicadores biológicos de enfermedad mental que pueden aparecer en pruebas diagnósticas— en futuras versiones de su Manual Diagnóstico y Estadístico de los Trastornos Mentales.

Florida Hasn’t Expanded Medicaid. Lawmakers Want To Add Work Requirements Anyway.

Florida is not mandated to add work requirements for Medicaid, because the state has not expanded eligibility to more low-income adults. But lawmakers have proposed requiring some adults in the state’s program to work anyway, a policy that could leave many uninsured.

Guns Marketed for Personal Safety Fuel Public Health Crisis in Black Communities

During the covid pandemic, gun marketers told many Americans they needed firearms to defend against criminals and protesters. Then firearm deaths mounted rapidly in racially segregated and low-income neighborhoods, according to federal data.

Feds Promised ‘Radical Transparency’ but Are Withholding Rural Health Fund Applications

Proposals from states that have shared their applications to a new $50 billion rural health program include using drones to deliver medication, installing refrigerators to expand access to healthy produce, and bringing telehealth to libraries, day cares, and senior centers.

After Shutdown, Federal Employees Face New Uncertainty: Affording Health Insurance

Average premium payments in the federal government’s insurance program for its employees are set to jump more than 12% next year, on top of a 13.5% hike in 2025. The two-year increase is higher than many private employers and their workers are experiencing.