Latest News On West Virginia

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Bathroom Bills Are Back — Broader and Stricter — In Several States

KFF Health News Original

State lawmakers are resurrecting and expanding efforts to prohibit transgender people from using public restrooms and other spaces that match their gender. Some have sought to ban trans people from “sex-designated spaces,” including domestic violence shelters and crisis centers, which experts say could violate anti-discrimination laws and jeopardize federal funding.

States Target Health Insurers’ ‘Prior Authorization’ Red Tape

KFF Health News Original

Doctors, patients, and hospitals have railed for years about the prior authorization processes that health insurers use to decide whether they’ll pay for patients’ drugs or medical procedures. The Biden administration announced a crackdown in January, but some state lawmakers are looking to go further.

Is Housing Health Care? State Medicaid Programs Increasingly Say ‘Yes’

KFF Health News Original

States are using their Medicaid programs to offer poor and sick people housing services, such as paying six months’ rent or helping hunt for apartments. The trend comes in response to a growing homelessness epidemic, but experts caution this may not be the best use of limited health care money.

The Year in Opioid Settlements: 5 Things You Need to Know

KFF Health News Original

In the past year, opioid settlement money has gone from an emerging funding stream for which people had lofty but uncertain aspirations to a coveted pot of billions being invested in remediation efforts. Here are some important and evolving factors to watch going forward.

As Transgender ‘Refugees’ Flock to New Mexico, Waitlists Grow

KFF Health News Original

As many states have moved to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for trans people, a few states, including New Mexico, have codified protections. But those laws don’t always mean accessing care is simple or quick, as a surge in new patients in the state collides with limited doctors and clinics.