Insurance, Coverage, and Costs: Aug. 16, 2024

New Lines of Attack Form Against the Affordable Care Act
By Julie Appleby While fighting potential fraud in government programs has long been a conservative rallying cry, recent criticisms of the Affordable Care Act represent a renewed line of attack on the program when repealing it is unlikely.

Medi-Cal’s Dental Care Gap: Getting a Tooth Pulled Is Easy — Much Harder To Get an Implant
By Molly Castle Work California is among a growing number of states that offer dental benefits to low-income residents, but some lawmakers want the state to go further by covering more cleanings and costlier implants. Dentists and health experts worry the approach doesn’t address the root of the problem: Many providers don’t accept Medicaid.

The Politics Holding Back Medicaid Expansion in Some Southern States
By Drew Hawkins, Gulf States Newsroom Ten states have not expanded Medicaid, leaving 1.5 million people ineligible for the state and federal insurance program and also unable to afford private insurance. Seven of those states are in the South, where expansion efforts may have momentum but where lawmakers say political polarization is holding them back.

Union With Labor Dispute of Its Own Threatened To Cut Off Workers’ Health Benefits
By Phil Galewitz The National Education Association, the nation’s largest union, told striking workers that their health coverage would be cut off Aug. 1 absent a deal on a new contract. Tensions have mounted after staff disrupted the union’s convention, at which President Joe Biden had been scheduled to speak.

Watch: How Patients Get Charged Hospital Prices for Doctor’s Office Care
By Caresse Jackman, InvestigateTV This installment of InvestigateTV and KFF Health News’ “Costly Care” series digs into patients' getting charged hospital prices for doctor’s office care. For five years, a patient got the same injection from the same office. Then it changed how it billed and she owed more than $1,100 for one treatment.

California Bill Would Require State Review of Private Equity Deals in Health Care
By Bernard J. Wolfson Proposed legislation would require the state attorney general’s consent for a wide range of private equity acquisitions in health care. The hospital lobby negotiated an exemption for for-profit hospitals.

Why Many Nonprofit (Wink, Wink) Hospitals Are Rolling in Money
By Elisabeth Rosenthal Legal maneuvering, industry lobbying, and lax IRS oversight leave lots of room for “operating surpluses.”

Journalists Drill Down on Ongoing Covid Risks, Escalating Health Care Costs
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media in the last two weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.