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Journalists Tally State and Local Health Care Implications of GOP Megabill

July 12, 2025 KFF Health News Original

KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Journalists Assess Health Impacts of Trump’s Megabill, Who Will Feel Them, and When

July 5, 2025 KFF Health News Original

KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and regional media this week to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Help Wanted

October 14, 2025 Page

Featured Story More From the Project Credits Reporting Angela HartChristine Mai-DucVanessa G. SánchezBernard J. Wolfson Photography Elisa FerrariKevin PainchaudRich Pedroncelli Editing Judy LinSamantha Young Copy Editing Gabe Brison-TreziseTerry ByrneJ.J. Evans Data Visualization Phillip Reese

Journalists Dig Into Government Shutdown and Rural Doctor Drought

October 11, 2025 KFF Health News Original

KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

California’s Health Insurance Marketplace Braces for Chaos as Shutdown Persists

By Bernard J. Wolfson October 14, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Jessica Altman, the head of California’s Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace, warns letters will be sent out this week with sky-high premiums unless Washington extends covid-era enhanced tax credits by then. Even if Congress acts later and rates are lower than feared, she says, shoppers could be scared off.

Lawfully Present Immigrants Help Stabilize ACA Plans. Why Does the GOP Want Them Out?

By Bernard J. Wolfson July 29, 2025 KFF Health News Original

The GOP’s tax and spending law and a new rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will make it harder to enroll in Affordable Care Act health plans, will raise consumers’ out-of-pocket costs, and could prompt younger, healthier people, including lawfully present immigrants who will lose financial aid, to drop coverage.

Climate Change Threatens the Mental Well-Being of Youths. Here’s How To Help Them Cope.

By Bernard J. Wolfson January 9, 2025 KFF Health News Original

The growing toll of climate-related disasters is a risk to the emotional well-being of young people. An Orange County, California, pediatric emergency doctor wants to add questions about climate change to standard mental health screenings conducted in pediatricians’ offices and other settings where kids seek care.

Covered California Pushes for Better Health Care as Federal Spending Cuts Loom

By Bernard J. Wolfson May 2, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Monica Soni, Covered California’s chief medical officer, oversees an effort to hold health plans financially accountable for the quality of care they provide, including childhood vaccination rates, which have fallen in California and nationwide. She worries federal spending cuts could soon bring turbulence to the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace.

How Potential Medicaid Cuts Could Play Out in California

By Bernard J. Wolfson December 5, 2024 KFF Health News Original

As Donald Trump prepares to reenter the White House with a Republican-controlled Congress, health officials and community advocates in California worry that large-scale Medicaid cuts could be enacted as soon as next year. More than 60% of California’s $161 billion Medi-Cal budget comes from Washington.

Many Fear Federal Loan Caps Will Deter Aspiring Doctors and Worsen MD Shortage

By Bernard J. Wolfson October 28, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Health care professionals fear that new caps on federal student lending, set to start in July, will put medical school out of reach for many who want to become doctors and exacerbate physician shortages. Others say unlimited federal lending has fed a rise in academic costs, saddling families and, ultimately, taxpayers with debt.

El mercado de seguros de salud de California se prepara para el caos mientras sigue el cierre del gobierno

By Bernard J. Wolfson October 14, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Analistas advierten que la cantidad de personas sin seguro médico en el país aumentará significativamente si los legisladores federales no renuevan los subsidios creados durante la pandemia de covid.

Health Care Cuts Threaten Homegrown Solutions to Rural Doctor Shortages

By Bernard J. Wolfson September 18, 2025 KFF Health News Original

In a rural, largely Republican region of California, homegrown efforts to bolster the medical workforce face an uphill battle, in part because of federal health care cuts approved by the GOP Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in July, as well as a state budget deficit.

California Medicaid Ballot Measure Is Popular, Well Funded — And Perilous, Opponents Warn

By Bernard J. Wolfson September 19, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Proposition 35, which would use revenue from a tax on managed-care plans to raise the pay of health care providers who serve Medi-Cal patients, has united a broad swath of California’s health care, business, and political establishments. But a newly formed, smaller group of opponents says it will do more harm than good.

Why Democrats Are Casting the Government Shutdown as a Health Care Showdown

By Amanda Seitz October 6, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Democrats are pressuring Republicans to extend billions of dollars in federal tax credits that have dramatically lowered premiums and contributed to record-low rates of uninsured Americans. It’s a chance to talk about a winning issue — and maybe regain support from working-class voters.

Federal Proposals Threaten Provider Taxes, Key Source of Medicaid Funding for States

By Bernard J. Wolfson June 23, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Republican proposals to tighten the use of special taxes to fund Medicaid programs could deprive states of billions of dollars for safety net health care. In California, any such limit would come on top of Medicaid cuts proposed by California Democrats in response to a $12 billion state deficit.

Recovery From Addiction Is a Journey. There’s No One-and-Done Solution.

By Bernard J. Wolfson June 6, 2023 KFF Health News Original

Drug use has become a major public health crisis, but effective treatment remains hard to find. It does exist though. Columnist Bernard J. Wolfson offers advice on finding help and says not to expect a quick solution.

To Patients, Parents, and Caregivers, Proposed Medicaid Cuts Are a Personal Affront

By Bernard J. Wolfson March 6, 2025 KFF Health News Original

At a town hall in Orange County, California, angry residents said Congress should keep its hands off Medicaid. The cuts contemplated in a House budget blueprint would bore a giant hole in California’s version of the safety net health insurance program, Medi-Cal, which covers nearly 15 million residents.

Para pacientes, padres y cuidadores, los recortes a Medicaid son una afrenta personal

By Bernard J. Wolfson March 6, 2025 KFF Health News Original

La primera semana de marzo, la Cámara de Representantes aprobó un plan presupuestario republicano que podría reducir el gasto de Medicaid en $880.000 millones a lo largo de 10 años.

Kaiser Permanente Back in the Hot Seat Over Mental Health Care, but It’s Not Only a KP Issue

By Bernard J. Wolfson February 11, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Mental health workers on strike in Southern California say Kaiser Permanente is woefully understaffed, its therapists are burned out, and patients are often denied timely access to care. The insurer says it has largely fixed the problem. But across California and the nation, mental health parity is still not a reality.

In San Francisco’s Chinatown, a CEO Works With the Community To Bolster Hospital

By Bernard J. Wolfson April 19, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Jian Zhang, an immigrant from China with a doctorate in nursing, leads the 88-bed Chinese Hospital in San Francisco. The facility faces financial constraints like other independent hospitals, but its strong community support and partnerships have helped it weather tough times.

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