Missouri Takes Months to Process Medicaid Applications — Longer Than Law Allows
By Bram Sable-Smith and Phil Galewitz
February 18, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Missouri has more people waiting to have their Medicaid applications processed than it has approved since the expansion of the federal-state health insurance program. Although most states process Medicaid applications within a week, Missouri is taking, on average, more than two months. Patient advocates fear that means people will stay uninsured longer, leading them to postpone care or get stuck with high medical bills.
Vermont to Give Minority Residents Vaccine Priority
By Phil Galewitz
April 5, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Covid cases have disproportionately affected the state’s Black residents, so officials are moving them to the front of the line for vaccinations before the state expands eligibility to all adults.
Uninsured in South Would Win Big in Democrats’ Plan, but Hospitals Fear Funding Loss
By Phil Galewitz and Andy Miller
November 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The latest iteration of President Joe Biden’s social-spending package would close the health insurance gap for at least 2.2 million people, making a huge difference especially in the South, where political opposition has blocked Medicaid expansion.
Estados todavía deben usar el dinero federal que recibieron para zanjar disparidades de salud por covid
By Phil Galewitz and Lauren Weber and Sam Whitehead
May 16, 2022
KFF Health News Original
A un año de recibir millones del gobierno federal, los estados apenas han comenzado a pensar cómo utilizar el dinero que recibieron para zanjar la desigualdad en salud que generó, y agravó, la pandemia.
States Have Yet to Spend Hundreds of Millions of Federal Dollars to Tackle Covid Health Disparities
By Phil Galewitz and Lauren Weber and Sam Whitehead
May 16, 2022
KFF Health News Original
A year ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded states and local health departments $2.25 billion to help people of color and other populations at higher risk from covid. But a KHN review shows public health agencies across the country have been slow to spend it.
Indiana’s Medicaid Expansion — Designed by Pence and Verma — Panned in Federal Report
By Phil Galewitz
April 1, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Indiana’s program seeks to give expansion enrollees “skin in the game,” requiring that they pay small monthly premiums and manage health savings accounts.
In America, Covid Vaccine Eligibility Is a ‘Crazy Quilt’ of State Rules
By Phil Galewitz
March 22, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Across the country, a mishmash of rules to qualify for a precious covid shot is creating nightmares for consumers. Criteria including age, occupation and medical conditions vary dramatically.
Impulsan monitores de glucosa aunque no ayudarían a muchos pacientes con diabetes
By Phil Galewitz
March 16, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Aunque algunos médicos y las aseguradoras dicen que son útiles, expertos aseguran que no ayudan a la mayoría de las personas que viven con diabetes tipo 2.
‘Painless’ Glucose Monitors Pushed Despite Little Evidence They Help Most Diabetes Patients
By Phil Galewitz
March 16, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The numbers of people wearing these monitors are soaring as prices have fallen and device-makers promote them to doctors and patients. But few studies show the devices lead to better outcomes for the nearly 25 million Americans with Type 2 diabetes who don’t inject insulin to regulate their blood sugar.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': GOP House Opens With Abortion Agenda
January 12, 2023
Podcast
Leaders of the new Republican-led U.S. House kicked off their legislative agenda with two bills supported by anti-abortion groups. While neither is likely to become law, the move demonstrates how abortion will continue to be an issue in Washington. Meanwhile, as open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act nears its end in most states, the number of Americans covered by the plans hits a new high. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
In Alabama, South Carolina and Louisiana, CVS Vaccine Appointments Go Unfilled
By Phil Galewitz
March 9, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Dozens of open appointment slots in the three Southern states last week stood in sharp contrast to states such as Delaware, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, where spots generally were claimed by midmorning or earlier.
Mounting Covid Deaths Fuel School Bus Drivers’ Fears
By Andy Miller and Phil Galewitz
September 24, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Since August, school bus drivers and monitors have died of covid-19 in at least 10 states, including Georgia and Florida. Masks are required on school buses, but enforcing the rules in districts without school mask mandates is especially hard to do.
DeSantis Advances Questionable Link Between Lockdowns and Despair
By Phil Galewitz
February 24, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Experts agreed there’s no definitive evidence to back up the Florida governor’s assertion.
Covid, delta y tu deporte favorito, ¿es seguro ir a un estadio?
By Phil Galewitz and Andy Miller
September 3, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Antes de la era COVID, sentarse hombro con hombro en un estadio con decenas de miles de espectadores gritando era lo que más esperaban los fans en el otoño. Ahora no parece ser la mejor idea.
Your Covid Game Plan: Are Stadiums Safe?
By Phil Galewitz and Andy Miller
September 3, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Fall and football go hand in hand. But with covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths soaring from the delta variant, is it safe to go to the stadium? KHN asks the experts.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Too Big To Fail? Now It’s ‘Too Big To Hack’
April 18, 2024
Podcast
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.
Vaccine-or-Test Requirements Increase Work and Costs for Governments
By Amanda Michelle Gomez and Phil Galewitz
November 19, 2021
KFF Health News Original
But state and local officials embrace the requirement because it creates a safer workplace while allowing employees to continue working.
Tampa’s Mayor vs. a Covid-Era Super Bowl
By Phil Galewitz
February 1, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor — an outspoken former cop — has clashed repeatedly with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has limited what local officials can do to confront the pandemic. But she reached an uneasy peace with the state and is convinced that safeguards instituted by the NFL will help keep crowds safe at the NFL championship game.
States Move Ahead With Canada Drug Importation While Awaiting Signal From Biden
By Phil Galewitz
January 29, 2021
KFF Health News Original
As president, Donald Trump encouraged states to bring in drugs from Canada, where prices are cheaper. It’s not clear if the new administration will follow suit.
Encuesta: casi la mitad de los adultos ahora quiere vacunarse contra covid lo antes posible
By Phil Galewitz
January 27, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Ya se han vacunado unas 20 millones de personas. Sin embargo, persisten las disparidades raciales, étnicas y económicas en cuanto al acceso a las vacunas.