Give and Take: Federal Rural Health Funding Could Trigger Service Cuts

KFF Health News Original

States are rolling out plans for their share of a $50 billion fund meant to improve rural health care. In some states, the money may provoke rural hospitals to cut services.

Algunos adultos de mediana edad deciden posponer la atención médica hasta tener Medicare

KFF Health News Original

Las personas con planes de ACA que están cerca de retirarse fueron de las más afectadas por los aumentos de precios luego de la suspensión de los subsidios federales mejorados, a finales de diciembre.

Rising Health Costs Push Some Middle-Aged Adults To Skip the Doc Until Medicare

KFF Health News Original

Adults ages 50 through 64 faced some of the steepest increases in out-of-pocket costs for Obamacare plans after a set of federal subsidies expired at the end of December. Some say they are putting off care or considering dropping health insurance coverage until Medicare picks up the bill.

Lawmakers Seek To Protect Crisis Pregnancy Centers as Abortion Clinic Numbers Shrink

KFF Health News Original

Some states have tried to crack down on crisis pregnancy centers, accusing them of deceptive practices. But now conservative lawmakers are pushing legislation to increase protections for the organizations, which work to dissuade women from abortions.

Primary Care Is in Trouble. So Doctors Band Together To Boost Their Market Power.

KFF Health News Original

Thousands of primary care practices are fighting to remain financially viable and independent. Many are banding together to form Independent Physician Associations, or IPAs, to increase their market power.

More Kids Are in ERs for Tooth Pain. Trump Cuts and RFK Jr.’s Anti-Fluoride Fight Aren’t Helping.

KFF Health News Original

Dentists, hygienists, and researchers say a shortage of rural dental care professionals and worsening oral hygiene since the covid-19 pandemic mean more kids are ending up in the emergency room for tooth decay.

Trump’s Cuts to Medicaid Threaten Services That Help Disabled People Live at Home

KFF Health News Original

Iowa patient advocates say that in the face of federal Medicaid cuts, the state is quietly reducing in-home services that help people avoid being institutionalized. National groups are bracing for similar cuts elsewhere.

Con la presencia del ICE, habitantes de Minnesota crearon un sistema médico en las sombras. Un aprendizaje para otras ciudades

KFF Health News Original

Trabajadores de salud dicen que los agentes de inmigración siguen apostados en los estacionamientos de hospitales. Y drones sobrevuelan zonas agrícolas en las afueras de Minneapolis, donde inmigrantes somalíes y latinos se han establecido en los últimos años.

Despite Their Successes, Some Mobile Crisis Response Teams Are in Crisis

KFF Health News Original

Mobile crisis units are trained to respond to emergency calls when people are experiencing delusions or hallucinations. But unlike police departments, which are generally funded by local taxpayers, mobile crisis teams don’t have a single, reliable funding source. As a result, some are closing down, despite successful operations and local support.

Lawmakers, Health Groups Resist Their States’ Rural Health Fund Plans

KFF Health News Original

Some Republican state lawmakers and state health associations are pushing back against spending plans under the Trump administration’s $50 billion federal rural health fund. Federal administrators already approved states’ plans, but in many cases, state lawmakers must greenlight spending.

State Lawmakers Seek Restraints on Wage Garnishment for Medical Debt

KFF Health News Original

At least eight states are considering legislation to curtail wage garnishment over unpaid medical bills, as health care costs rise and more people become underinsured.

Nevada Debuts Public Option Amid Tumultuous Federal Changes to Health Care

KFF Health News Original

The state recently became the third to offer a public option health plan through its Affordable Care Act marketplace. But researchers said it’s unlikely to fill the gaps left by sweeping changes at the federal level.

Wyoming Wants To Make Its Five-Year Federal Rural Health Funding Last ‘Forever’

KFF Health News Original

State officials believe they’ve found a way to extend the life of federal Rural Health Transformation Program money Wyoming is receiving as part of last summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act — by investing most of it.

Clinics Sour on CMS After Agency Scraps 10-Year Primary Care Program Only Months In

KFF Health News Original

A planned 10-year federal program called Making Care Primary was supposed to help primary care doctors by easing administrative burdens, allowing them to focus on improving patients’ health. A year after the Trump administration eliminated the program, federal officials created an alternative plan that favors companies.

Alabama’s ‘Pretty Cool’ Plan for Robots in Maternity Care Sparks Debate

KFF Health News Original

Alabama, a state with one of the nation’s highest infant mortality rates, is betting on robots to help fix its maternal care crisis. But the state’s plan for telerobotic ultrasounds in rural areas has raised doubts.

Louisville Found PFAS in Drinking Water. The Trump Administration Wouldn’t Require Any Action.

KFF Health News Original

After detecting a sudden spike in PFAS in its drinking water, the city traced it upstream along the Ohio River to a factory in West Virginia. But the EPA has relaxed Biden-era plans to regulate PFAS levels. So what happens next?