Medicaid and the Uninsured: Jan. 11, 2024

States Begin Tapping Medicaid Dollars to Combat Gun Violence
By Samantha Young The Biden administration is allowing states to use money from the insurance program for low-income and disabled residents to pay for gun violence prevention. California and six other states have approved such spending, with more expected to follow.

Most People Dropped in Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Never Tried to Renew Coverage, Utah Finds
By Phil Galewitz Medicaid officials in Utah conducted a survey to answer a burning question in health policy: What happened to people dropped from the program in the post-pandemic “unwinding”?

Utah Survey Shows Why So Many People Were Dumped From Medicaid
By Phil Galewitz It’s one of the biggest mysteries in health policy: What happened to millions of Americans kicked out of Medicaid last year? A survey conducted for state officials in Utah, obtained by KFF Health News, holds some clues. Like many states, Utah terminated Medicaid coverage for a large share of enrollees whose eligibility was reevaluated in […]

States Expand Health Coverage for Immigrants as GOP Hits Biden Over Border Crossings
By Phil Galewitz More than 1 million immigrants, most lacking permanent legal status, are covered by state health programs. Several states, including GOP-led Utah, will soon add or expand such coverage.

Bold Changes Are in Store for Medi-Cal in 2024, but Will Patients Benefit?
By Bernard J. Wolfson California’s Medicaid program is undergoing major changes that could improve health care for residents with low incomes. But they are happening at the same time as several other initiatives that could compete for staff attention and confuse enrollees.

New Doula Benefit ‘Life-Changing’ for California Mom
By Molly Castle Work Doulas, independent workers who act as advocates for birthing parents, have been shown to help prevent pregnancy complications and improve the health of both mothers and babies. California’s Medicaid program started covering their services this year, but some doulas say bureaucratic obstacles and inadequate pay prevent their effective use.

Gun Violence Is a Plague. Could Medicaid Help?
By Samantha Young To tackle America’s gun problem, a growing number of states are allowing Medicaid dollars to fund community-based violence programs intended to stop shootings. The idea is to boost resources for violence prevention programs, which have been overwhelmed in some cities by a spike in violent crime since the covid-19 pandemic.  An infusion of reliable funding, […]

In New Year, All Immigrants in California May Qualify for Medicaid Regardless of Legal Status
By Bernard J. Wolfson In the new year, California’s Medicaid program will open to otherwise eligible immigrants ages 26 to 49 without legal residency. They will join children, young adults, and adults over 50 enrolled in Medi-Cal through previous expansions to residents lacking authorization. The change is expected to add over 700,000 first-time enrollees.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: Democrats See Opportunity in GOP Threats to Repeal Health Law 
Sensing that Republicans are walking into a political minefield by threatening once again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Biden administration is looking to capitalize by rolling out a series of initiatives aimed at high drug prices and other consequences of “corporate greed in health care.” Meanwhile, the Supreme Court hears a case that could determine when and how much victims of the opioid crisis can collect from Purdue Pharma, the drug company that lied about how addictive its drug, OxyContin, really was. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann of KFF Health News’ sister podcast, “An Arm and a Leg,” about his investigation into hospitals suing their patients over unpaid bills.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: 2023 Is a Wrap
2023 was another busy year in health care. As the covid-19 pandemic waned, policymakers looked anew at long-standing obstacles to obtaining and paying for care in the nation’s health care system. Meanwhile, abortion has continued to be an issue in much of the nation, as states respond to the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning the constitutional right to the procedure. This week, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and wrap up the year in health. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Jordan Rau about his joint KFF Health News-New York Times series “Dying Broke.”

Journalists Delve Into Gun Violence, Medicaid’s ‘Unwinding,’ Opioid Lawsuits, and More
KFF Health News and California Healthline staffers made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Más estados amplían cobertura de salud para inmigrantes sin papeles, en medio de crisis en la frontera
By Phil Galewitz La mayoría de los adultos sin papeles trabajan, representan aproximadamente el 5% de la fuerza laboral nacional, según el Pew Research Center.

Se avecinan cambios para Medi-Cal en 2024, pero ¿beneficiarán a los pacientes?
By Bernard J. Wolfson A partir del próximo año, más de 700,000 inmigrantes sin papeles serán elegibles para una cobertura completa de Medi-Cal.

A partir del 1 de enero, todos los inmigrantes en California pueden calificar para Medi-Cal, más allá de su estatus legal
By Bernard J. Wolfson Los nuevos inscritos se sumarán a más de 655,000 niños, adultos jóvenes de hasta 25 años y adultos de 50 años y más que ya se han registrado en Medi-Cal a través de expansiones anteriores para residentes sin papeles.