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Why Medicaid’s ‘Undercount’ Problem Counts

By Phil Galewitz May 14, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Millions of people were surprised to find themselves booted from Medicaid over the past year after pandemic-era protections expired that had prevented states from terminating their coverage. Turns out, millions of them were also unaware they had been covered by the government program. Nearly 1 in 3 people enrolled in Medicaid in 2022 — or […]

California Is Investing $500M in Therapy Apps for Youth. Advocates Fear It Won’t Pay Off.

By Molly Castle Work Illustration by Lydia Zuraw Updated April 26, 2024 Originally Published April 26, 2024 KFF Health News Original

California launched two teletherapy apps as part of the governor’s $500 million foray into health technology with private companies. But the rollout has been so slow that one company has yet to make its app available on Android, and social workers worry youths who need clinical care won’t get referrals.

Medicaid Payments Barely Keep Hospital Mental Health Units Afloat. Federal Cuts Could Sink Them.

By Tony Leys May 12, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Patients seeking mental health care are more likely to be on Medicaid than patients in more profitable areas of care, such as cancer or cardiac treatment.

Black Americans Still Suffer Worse Health. Here’s Why There’s So Little Progress.

By Fred Clasen-Kelly and Renuka Rayasam October 28, 2024 KFF Health News Original

The United States has made almost no progress in closing racial health disparities despite promises, research shows. The government, some critics argue, is often the underlying culprit.

Voters Fret High Medical Bills Are Being Ignored by Presidential Rivals

By Noam N. Levey Updated October 24, 2024 Originally Published October 24, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Health care hasn’t figured prominently on the campaign trail this fall. These voters wish it would.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: The Cutting Continues

March 13, 2025 Podcast

The Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the federal government continue, with both personnel and programs being cut at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Social Security Administration. Meanwhile, the fight over cuts to the Medicaid program for those with low incomes heats up, as Republicans worry that more of their voters than ever before are Medicaid beneficiaries. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Jeff Grant, who recently retired from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services after 41 years in government service.

Blockbuster Deal Will Wipe Out $30 Billion in Medical Debt. Even Backers Say It’s Not Enough.

By Noam N. Levey April 7, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Undue Medical Debt is retiring unpaid medical bills for 20 million people. The debt trading company that owned them is leaving the market.

Biden Team’s Tightrope: Reining In Rogue Obamacare Agents Without Slowing Enrollment

By Julie Appleby Updated May 8, 2024 Originally Published May 7, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Federal regulators face a growing challenge — how to prevent rogue health insurance agents from switching unknowing consumers’ Obamacare coverage without making the enrollment process so cumbersome that enrollment declines.

It’s Called an Urgent Care Emergency Center — But Which Is It?

By Renuka Rayasam June 24, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Suffering stomach pain, a Dallas man visited his local urgent care clinic — or so he thought, until he got a bill 10 times what he’d expected.

Biden Plan To Save Medicare Patients Money on Drugs Risks Empty Shelves, Pharmacists Say

By Susan Jaffe June 11, 2024 KFF Health News Original

President Joe Biden is campaigning for reelection on his efforts to cut costs for Medicare patients at the pharmacy counter. But independent pharmacists say one strategy makes it unaffordable for them to keep some brand-name medicines in stock.

Rural Hospitals and Patients Are Disconnected From Modern Care

By Sarah Jane Tribble and Holly K. Hacker and Caresse Jackman, InvestigateTV April 9, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Technological gaps handicap rural hospitals as billions in federal funding to modernize infrastructure lags. The reliance on outdated technology and piecemeal systems challenge staffs and erode patient care.

Medicare Advantage Is Popular, but Some Beneficiaries Feel Buyer’s Remorse

By Sarah Jane Tribble January 23, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Medicare Advantage plans are booming — 30.8 million of the 60 million Americans with Medicare are now enrolled in the private plans rather than the traditional government-run program. But a little-known fact: Once you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan, you may not be able to get out. Traditional Medicare usually requires beneficiaries to pay 20 […]

When Rogue Brokers Switch People’s ACA Policies, Tax Surprises Can Follow

By Julie Appleby April 15, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Some tax filers’ returns are being rejected because they failed to provide information about Affordable Care Act coverage they didn’t even know they had.

Trump Wants Harris To Pay a Political Price for Generous Immigrant Health Policies

By Joanne Kenen November 1, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Several Democratic-led states have expanded public insurance programs to cover immigrants in the U.S. regardless of legal status. Donald Trump is trying to blame Kamala Harris for the policies.

An Arm and a Leg: Attack of the Medicare Machines

By Dan Weissmann April 10, 2024 Podcast

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.

He Fell Ill on a Cruise. Before He Boarded the Rescue Boat, They Handed Him the Bill.

By Bram Sable-Smith May 22, 2024 KFF Health News Original

A man from Michigan was evacuated from a cruise ship after having seizures. First, he drained his bank account to pay his medical bills.

Native Americans Hurt by Federal Health Cuts, Despite RFK Jr.’s Promises of Protection

By Katheryn Houghton and Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez and Arielle Zionts June 3, 2025 KFF Health News Original

The Indian Health Service was mostly spared in the federal government’s widespread staffing cuts, but tribal governments and organizations have lost funding elsewhere in the melee of federal health agency cuts.

This California Strategy Safeguarded Some Medicaid Social Services Funding From Trump

By Mark Kreidler January 13, 2026 KFF Health News Original

Programs like Jamboree Housing Corp. have leveraged Medi-Cal funding to offer residents access to social services that experts say are key to keeping them off the streets. California intends to keep it that way, despite federal cuts.

Republicans Once Wanted Government out of Health Care. Trump Voters See It Differently.

By Noam N. Levey February 27, 2025 KFF Health News Original

Frustrated by high health care prices, many who backed President Donald Trump support strong government actions to protect patients. It’s unclear whether GOP leaders will listen.

Her Hearing Implant Was Preapproved. Nonetheless, She Got $139,000 Bills for Months.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal July 17, 2024 KFF Health News Original

Even when patients double-check that their care is covered by insurance, health providers often send them bills as they haggle with insurers over reimbursement, which can last for months. It’s stressful and annoying — but legal.

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