KFF Health News Weekly Edition: Friday, Nov. 8, 2024
California Expanded Medi-Cal to Unauthorized Residents. The Results Are Mixed.
Vanessa G. Sánchez
California this year completed its Medi-Cal expansion to include income-eligible residents regardless of their immigration status. This final installment of the “Faces of Medi-Cal” series profiles three of those newly eligible patients and how coverage has affected their health.
Watchdog Calls for Tighter Scrutiny of Medicare Advantage Home Visits
Fred Schulte
Medicare officials defend the use of home visits that often spot medical conditions that are never treated.
Tribal Health Leaders Say Feds Haven’t Treated Syphilis Outbreak as a Public Health Emergency
Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
The National Indian Health Board has urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to declare a public health emergency as an alarming syphilis outbreak, which disproportionately affects Native Americans, continues. This is the latest plea for more resources from tribal leaders after previous requests went unanswered.
12 States Promised To Open the Books on Their Opioid Settlement Funds. We Checked Up on Them.
Aneri Pattani
Victims of the opioid crisis, health advocates, and public policy experts have repeatedly called on state and local governments to transparently report how they’re using the funds they are receiving from settlements with opioid makers and distributors.
Prepared for Trump’s Comeback, California’s Attorney General Is Ready To Fight
Molly Castle Work
Attorney General Rob Bonta, a longtime champion of reproductive rights, is ready to lead California in the fight to protect abortion under Trump’s second presidency. In a Q&A, he shares how his upbringing prepared him for the role.
7 of 10 States Backed Abortion Rights. But Little To Change Yet.
Bram Sable-Smith
Voters in 10 states weighed in on abortion rights this election. Despite the results supporting abortion rights in seven of those states, much of the abortion landscape on abortion won’t change much immediately, as medical providers navigate the legal hurdles that remain.
Trump’s White House Return Poised To Tangle Health Care Safety Net
Stephanie Armour
The new Trump administration is likely to reduce subsidies for Affordable Care Act insurance plans and roll back Medicaid coverage. Public health authorities worry that anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be empowered.
In Vermont, Where Almost Everyone Has Insurance, Many Can’t Find or Afford Care
Phil Galewitz
Vermont has one of the lowest uninsured rates in the U.S., even though its residents pay some of the highest health insurance costs. Still, most of its hospitals are losing money and patients often face long waits for care.
Community Health Workers Spread Across the US, Even in Rural Areas
Arielle Zionts
Community health workers are increasingly common in rural areas, where they help patients overcome barriers to accessing care and staying healthy.
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A Quick Return to School and Light Exercise May Help Kids Recover From Concussions
Kate Ruder
With new research and updated guidelines in Colorado and 15 other states, physicians and educators are asking parents not to wait to return their concussed kids to school.
As Nuns Disappear, Many Catholic Hospitals Look More Like Megacorporations
Samantha Liss and Oona Zenda
The nation’s Catholic health systems were largely founded and led by nuns with a mission to serve the sick regardless of their creed or financial means. Today, no nuns run any U.S. Catholic health system, while many of these hospitals pull in billions, according to their financial reports.
Election Outcome Could Bring Big Changes to Medicare
Stephanie Armour
Democrats and conservatives are divided over whether the federal health program for people over 65 should be run almost entirely by the private sector. If Trump retakes the White House, the shift to Medicare Advantage may accelerate.
No Evidence Trump’s Drug Program for Terminal Patients Saved ‘Thousands’ of Lives
Jacob Gardenswartz
Though the former president has repeatedly hyped the impact of his experimental drug program, there’s no basis for his claims in government data, and medical experts say he’s exaggerating.