Medicaid and the Uninsured: May 2, 2024

Lawsuit Alleges Obamacare Plan-Switching Scheme Targeted Low-Income Consumers
By Julie Appleby
The lawsuit filed in federal court alleges that large call centers were used to enroll people into Affordable Care Act plans or to switch their coverage, all without their permission.

Unauthorized Sign-Ups Cast Shadow on Obamacare’s Record Enrollment
By Julie Appleby

AC, Power Banks, Mini Fridges: Oregon Equips Medicaid Patients for Climate Change
By Samantha Young
Oregon is giving Medicaid patients air conditioners and other equipment to help them cope with soaring heat, smoky skies, and other dangers of climate change. Oregon health officials hope to show other states and the federal government that they can save lives and money.

Millions Were Booted From Medicaid. The Insurers That Run It Gained Medicaid Revenue Anyway.
By Phil Galewitz
Big health insurers that have contracts with state Medicaid programs find themselves making more money even as enrollment in Medicaid programs has dropped. Here’s why.

Abortion — Again — At the Supreme Court
For the second time in as many months, the Supreme Court heard arguments in an abortion case. This time, the justices are being asked to decide whether a federal law that requires emergency care in hospitals can trump Idaho’s near-total abortion ban. Meanwhile, the federal government, for the first time, will require minimum staffing standards for nursing homes. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.

Unsheltered People Are Losing Medicaid in Redetermination Mix-Ups
By Aaron Bolton, MTPR
Some of the nearly 130,000 Montanans who have lost Medicaid coverage as the state reevaluates eligibility are homeless. That’s in part because Montana kicked more than 80,000 people off the program for technical reasons rather than income ineligibility. For unhoused people who were disenrolled, getting back on Medicaid can be extraordinarily difficult.

California Legislators Debate Froot Loops and Free Condoms
By Don Thompson
California state lawmakers this year are continuing their progressive tilt on health policy, debating bills banning an ingredient in Froot Loops and offering free condoms for high schoolers.

Too Big To Fail? Now It’s ‘Too Big To Hack’
Congress this week had the chance to formally air grievances over the cascading consequences of the Change Healthcare cyberattack, and lawmakers from both major parties agreed on one culprit: consolidation in health care. Plus, about a year after states began stripping people from their Medicaid rolls, a new survey shows nearly a quarter of adults who were disenrolled are now uninsured. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews Caroline Pearson of the Peterson Health Technology Institute.

Nearly 1 in 4 Adults Dumped From Medicaid Are Now Uninsured, Survey Finds
By Phil Galewitz
A first-of-its-kind survey of Medicaid enrollees found that nearly a quarter who were dropped from the program in the last year’s unwinding say they’re uninsured.

Attack of the Medicare Machines
By Dan Weissmann
In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann tells a horror story. Instead of monsters and aliens, it’s about private health insurance companies and algorithms that call the shots on patient care.

Doctors Take On Dental Duties to Reach Low-Income and Uninsured Patients
By Kate Ruder
More doctors are integrating oral health care into their practices, filling a need in America’s dental deserts.

Rising Complaints of Unauthorized Obamacare Plan-Switching and Sign-Ups Trigger Concern
By Julie Appleby
Federal and state regulators are mulling what they can do to thwart this growing problem.

Journalists Assess the Risks of Bird Flu and the Impacts of Medicaid ‘Unwinding’
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Casi 1 de cada 4 adultos desafiliados de Medicaid siguen sin seguro, indica encuesta
By Phil Galewitz
Las protecciones que tuvo el programa durante la pandemia, que impedían que se expulsaran beneficiarios, expiraron la primavera pasada.

Médicos de atención primaria asumen tareas de dentista para ayudar a pacientes vulnerables
By Kate Ruder
En Denver, la inestabilidad de la vivienda, las barreras del idioma, la falta de transporte y el "costo astronómico" de la odontología sin seguro hacen que la atención dental sea inaccesible para muchos nuevos inmigrantes.