US Uninsured Rate Was Stable in 2023, Even as States’ Medicaid Purge Began
By Phil Galewitz
September 10, 2024
KFF Health News Original
About 8% of Americans lacked health insurance in 2023, the Census Bureau announced. But its report doesn’t capture the effect of states winnowing their Medicaid rolls by millions of people since the pandemic emergency ended.
California Expanded Medi-Cal to Unauthorized Residents. The Results Are Mixed.
By Vanessa G. Sánchez
November 8, 2024
KFF Health News Original
California this year completed its Medi-Cal expansion to include income-eligible residents regardless of their immigration status. This final installment of the “Faces of Medi-Cal” series profiles three of those newly eligible patients and how coverage has affected their health.
Biden Administration Blocks Two Private Sector Enrollment Sites From ACA Marketplace
By Julie Appleby
August 22, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Regulators have been under the gun to curb unauthorized Obamacare enrollment and switching of plans. Separately, a pending lawsuit was amended with additional defendants and new allegations regarding tactics to garner greater ACA sales commissions.
Tax Time Triggers Fraud Alarms for Some Obamacare Enrollees
By Julie Appleby
April 10, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Consumers who were enrolled fraudulently in Affordable Care Act coverage could receive unexpected tax bills — the first and possibly only clue they were a victim of fraud. Getting help may become difficult as federal workers are laid off and funding for assistance programs is cut.
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.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Trump 2.0
November 8, 2024
Podcast
As Donald Trump readies for his return to the White House — with the backing of a GOP majority in the Senate and, possibly, the House — the entire health care industry is waiting to see what happens next. Clearly on the agenda: the future of abortion and reproductive rights, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and public health’s infrastructure. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Jackie Fortiér, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-Washington Post “Bill of the Month” feature, about a 2-year-old who had a very expensive run-in with a rattlesnake.
The Patient Expected a Free Checkup. The Bill Was $1,430.
By Samantha Liss Lauren Sausser
April 30, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Carmen Aiken of Chicago thought their medical appointment would be covered because the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to pay for a long list of preventive services. But after the appointment, Aiken received a bill for more than $1,400.
Exclusive: Senator Urges Biden Administration To Thwart Fraudulent Obamacare Enrollments
By Julie Appleby
May 21, 2024
KFF Health News Original
With tens of thousands of Americans already affected by enrollment scams that leave some without doctors or treatments, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden wants increased enforcement against rogue agents or other perpetrators and legislation to allow for criminal penalties.
Lawsuit Alleges Obamacare Plan-Switching Scheme Targeted Low-Income Consumers
By Julie Appleby
Updated July 22, 2024
Originally Published April 16, 2024
KFF Health News Original
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.
Trump Froze Out Project 2025 in His Campaign. Now Its Blueprint Is His Health Care Playbook.
By Stephanie Armour
February 24, 2025
KFF Health News Original
During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump distanced himself from the conservative governing plan after Democratic attacks. But now it’s increasingly viewed as a blueprint for his administration’s plans for federal health programs.
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 […]
‘A Bottomless Pit’: How Out-of-Pocket TMJ Costs Drive Patients Into Debt
By Brett Kelman Anna Werner, CBS News
July 11, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Millions of Americans suffer from temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, disorders. The high cost and poor insurance coverage of TMJ care can bury patients in debt even as the treatments do more harm than good.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Campaign’s Final Days
October 31, 2024
Podcast
It’s the final days of the 2024 campaign, and Republicans are suddenly talking again about making changes to the Affordable Care Act if former President Donald Trump wins. Meanwhile, new reporting uncovers more maternal deaths under state abortion bans — and a case in which a Nevada woman was jailed after a miscarriage. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews Irving Washington, a senior vice president at KFF and the executive director of its Health Misinformation and Trust Initiative.
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.
Watchdog Calls for Tighter Scrutiny of Medicare Advantage Home Visits
By Fred Schulte
November 8, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Medicare officials defend the use of home visits that often spot medical conditions that are never treated.
Uncle Sam Wants You … to Help Stop Insurers’ Bogus Medicare Advantage Sales Tactics
By Susan Jaffe
November 30, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The Biden administration wants to crack down on deceptive or misleading Medicare Advantage and drug plan sales tactics. It’s counting on beneficiaries to help catch offenders.
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.
Emergency Physicians Decry Surprise Air-Ambulance Bills
By Molly Castle Work
March 27, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Emergency room doctors say insurers are increasingly declining to cover costly air-ambulance rides for critically ill patients, claiming they aren’t medically necessary. And the National Association of EMS Physicians says the No Surprises Act, enacted in 2022, is partly to blame. The law protects patients from many out-of-network medical bills by requiring insurers and providers […]
With Trump on the Way, Advocates Look to States To Pick Up Medical Debt Fight
By Noam N. Levey
December 3, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Patient and consumer advocates fear a new Trump administration will scale back federal efforts to expand financial protections for patients and shield them from debt.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Readying for Republican Rule
November 14, 2024
Podcast
With Republicans now set to control the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives starting in January, their health agenda remains unclear. What is clear, however, is that just about anything could be on the table, from Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act, to drug prices and public health. Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups are preparing to fight the implementation of abortion rights ballot measures just passed by voters in seven states. Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post 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 that they think you should read, too.
