Trump Administration Investigates Medicaid Spending on Immigrants in Blue States

KFF Health News Original

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is hunting for Medicaid waste, fraud, and abuse in at least six Democratic-led states that expanded coverage to low-income and disabled immigrants without legal status, according to records obtained by KFF Health News and The Associated Press.

He Built Michigan’s Medicaid Work Requirement System. Now He’s Warning Other States.

KFF Health News Original

Michigan’s former top health official spent a year and $30 million building a system to implement work requirements for Medicaid recipients. The difficulties he encountered have him worried about 40 states and Washington, D.C., having to launch such systems by 2027.

Native Americans Want To Avoid Past Medicaid Enrollment Snafus as Work Requirements Loom

KFF Health News Original

As states prepare to implement changes to Medicaid required by President Donald Trump’s recent tax-and-spending law, tribal leaders say they are concerned Native American enrollees could lose their coverage, despite exemptions made by Congress.

Medicaid Cuts Could Have Vast Ripple Effects in This Rural Colorado Community

KFF Health News Original

In rural Colorado and across rural America, Medicaid is a lifeline, especially for people who wouldn’t otherwise have easy access to health care. That includes low-income seniors who need supplemental coverage in addition to Medicare, and people of all ages with disabilities.

Work Requirements and Red Tape Ahead for Millions on Medicaid

KFF Health News Original

Work requirements are coming for the millions of Americans on Medicaid, due to the Republican tax and spend bill that President Donald Trump signed into law July 4. Currently, Georgia is the only state with a work requirement. Eligible Georgians say it’s very hard to get the system to confirm they qualify, putting their benefits at risk.

Fearing Medicaid Coverage Loss, Some Parents Rush To Vaccinate Their Kids

KFF Health News Original

Worried parents are hurrying to get their children vaccinated, fearing future federal policy changes will limit access to free immunizations. Pediatricians worry that any changes to the childhood vaccine schedule will leave families without affordable options for essential shots.

Republicans Call Medicaid Rife With Fraudsters. This Man Sees No Choice but To Break the Rules.

KFF Health News Original

Congressional Republicans successfully pushed to add hurdles to qualify for Medicaid by saying they would eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse. This is the story of a Montana man who explains why he said he is breaking the rules to keep his health insurance and his job.

In Rush To Satisfy Trump, GOP Delivers Blow to Health Industry

KFF Health News Original

The health industry couldn’t persuade GOP lawmakers to oppose big Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill for many reasons. A big one: Congressional Republicans were more worried about angering Trump than a backlash from hospitals and low-income constituents back home.

The Foster Care System Has a Suicide Problem. Federal Cuts Threaten To Slow Fixes.

KFF Health News Original

Children and young adults in the U.S. foster care system suffer from mental health disorders and die by suicide at far higher rates than the general population, yet the system doesn’t uniformly screen and treat children who are at risk.

Doulas, Once a Luxury, Are Increasingly Covered by Medicaid — Even in GOP States

KFF Health News Original

Even as states brace for significant reductions in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade, conservative legislatures across the country are passing laws that grant doula access to Medicaid beneficiaries.

GOP Governors Mum as Congress Moves To Slash Medicaid Spending for Their States

KFF Health News Original

In 2017, when President Donald Trump tried to repeal Obamacare and roll back Medicaid coverage, Republican governors helped turn Congress against it. Now, as Trump tries again to scale back Medicaid, Republican governors — whose constituents stand to lose federal funding and health coverage — have gone quiet on the health consequences.

To Keep Medicaid, Mom Caring for Disabled Adult Son Faces Prospect of Proving She Works

KFF Health News Original

A proposed work requirement would make Medicaid expansion enrollees prove they’re working or meet other criteria. Most already work, but millions are expected to lose coverage if the provision passes, many from red tape. A Missouri mother who cares for her disabled son would probably be subject to the rule.

To Cut Medicaid, the GOP’s Following a Path Often Used To Expand Health Care

KFF Health News Original

Republicans are attempting to use the budget reconciliation process to boost President Donald Trump’s priorities and reduce health coverage. That process has been used to pass nearly every major piece of health legislation for decades — except usually lawmakers use it to expand health care, not cut it, writes Julie Rovner.

Republican Megabill Will Mean Higher Health Costs for Many Americans

KFF Health News Original

Spending cuts hitting medical providers, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act enrollees, and lawfully present immigrants are just some of the biggest changes the GOP has in store for health care — with ramifications that could touch all Americans.

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.

Thune Says Health Care Often ‘Comes With a Job.’ The Reality’s Not Simple or Straightforward.

KFF Health News Original

Sixty percent of Americans have health insurance through their own workplace or someone else’s job. But not all employers provide health insurance or offer plans to all their workers. When they do, cost and quality vary widely, making Thune’s statement an oversimplification.