Legislation Archives - Page 7 of 38

The Health of the Campaign

Episode 366

Oct. 4, 2024

The 2024 presidential race is taking on a familiar tone — with Democrats accusing Republicans of wanting to ban abortion and repeal the Affordable Care Act and Republicans insisting they have no such plans. Voters will determine whom they believe. Meanwhile, for the second time in a month, a state judge overturned an abortion ban, but few expect the decision to settle the matter. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Lauren Sausser, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News-Washington Post “Bill of the Month,” about a teenage athlete whose needed surgery lacked a billing code.

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A photo of Donald Trump shaking hands with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a campaign rally.

Trump Leads, and His Party Follows, on Vaccine Skepticism

Former President Donald Trump has presided over a landslide shift in Republican views on vaccines, reflected in false claims by candidates in election primaries, puzzling conspiracies from prominent conservatives, and a surge in anti-vaccine policies in statehouses.

By Darius Tahir

Oct. 4, 2024

A stock photo of various illegal drugs: a syringe of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine.

California Voters Consider Tough Love for Repeat Drug Offenders

A California ballot measure would roll back some decade-old criminal justice reforms that have become fodder for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Stiffer penalties for shoplifting have gotten much of the attention, but the measure also allows controversial treatment requirements for repeat drug offenders.

By Don Thompson

Sept. 30, 2024

Diagnosis: Debt

California Governor Signs Law Banning Medical Debt From Credit Reports

New California legislation will bar unpaid medical bills from showing up on consumer credit reports starting in January. However, the banking industry muscled in eleventh-hour amendments that weakened the protections for patients, the bill’s lead sponsor says.

By Molly Castle Work

Sept. 24, 2024

Health Brief

States’ Efforts To Alter Arcane Hospital Rules Mix Politics With Drama

By Sam Whitehead

Sept. 24, 2024

A photo of the exterior of California's capitol building.

Fighting Staff Shortages With Scholarships, California Bill Aims To Boost Mental Health Courts

A new bill would create a scholarship program for students who agree to work with specialized courts in California to get patients into treatment, but some people argue the state shouldn’t restrict scholarship aid to a new, untested program given broader behavioral health workforce shortages.

By Molly Castle Work

Sept. 20, 2024

Health Brief

Abortion Clinics — And Patients — Are on the Move as State Laws Shift

By Bram Sable-Smith

Sept. 19, 2024

An abstract illustration of overlapping hands increasing in size as they repeat upwards, holding a pill. The bottom half of the illustration shows a gavel with ripples that spread out from its impact. The ripples mirror the pattern of the hands above.

Abortion Clinics — And Patients — Are on the Move, as State Laws Keep Shifting

Clinics in states where most abortions are legal, such as Kansas and Illinois, are reporting an influx of inquiries from patients hundreds of miles away — and are expanding in response. Despite the Supreme Court’s overturning of federal protections in 2022, abortions are now at their highest numbers in a decade.

By Bram Sable-Smith

Sept. 19, 2024

A premature newborn is cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit while being held in a person's arms.

Arkansas’ Governor Says Medicaid Extension for New Moms Isn’t Needed

Federal law requires states to provide pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage through 60 days after delivery. Arkansas has not expanded what’s called postpartum Medicaid coverage, an option that gives poor women uninterrupted health insurance for a year after they give birth.

By Sarah Varney

Sept. 18, 2024

A photo illustration of a set of hands holding the silhouette of a human head, with the brain surrounded by blooming flowers and trees, suggesting mental health support.

Decades of National Suicide Prevention Policies Haven’t Slowed the Deaths

Despite years of national strategies to address the suicide crisis in the U.S., rates continue to rise. A chorus of researchers and experts say the interventions will work — but that they’re simply not being adopted by state and local governments.

By Cheryl Platzman Weinstock

Sept. 16, 2024

The silhouette of a woman standing by a window.

Her Life Was at Risk. She Needed an Abortion. Insurance Refused To Pay.

Insurance coverage for abortion care in the U.S. is a hodgepodge. Patients often don’t know when or if a procedure or abortion pills are covered, and the proliferation of abortion bans has exacerbated the confusion.

By Sarah Varney

Aug. 26, 2024

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Happy 50th, ERISA

Episode 360

Aug. 15, 2024

What does a law to protect worker pensions have to do with how health insurance is regulated? Far more than most people may think. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, turns 50 in September. The law fundamentally changed the way the federal and state governments regulate employer-provided health insurance and continues to shape health policy in the United States. In this special episode of “What the Health?”, host and KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner speaks to Larry Levitt of KFF, Paul Fronstin of the Employee Benefit Research Institute, and Ilyse Schuman of the American Benefits Council about the history of ERISA and what its future might hold.

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A photo of Rob Bonta speaking in front of a Californian flag.

California Bill Would Require State Review of Private Equity Deals in Health Care

Proposed legislation would require the state attorney general’s consent for a wide range of private equity acquisitions in health care. The hospital lobby negotiated an exemption for for-profit hospitals.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Aug. 13, 2024

A photo of a group of activists holding signs that read, "Leave no one behind," and "Closing the coverage gap means closing it for all."

The Politics Holding Back Medicaid Expansion in Some Southern States

Ten states have not expanded Medicaid, leaving 1.5 million people ineligible for the state and federal insurance program and also unable to afford private insurance. Seven of those states are in the South, where expansion efforts may have momentum but where lawmakers say political polarization is holding them back.

By Drew Hawkins, Gulf States Newsroom

Aug. 8, 2024

A photo of Senator Ron Wyden speaking inside a Senate committee room.

Oregon Senator Proposes Criminal Charges and Fines for Rogue Obamacare Agents

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden introduced legislation intended to curb a growing problem in which consumers, without their consent, are enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans or their coverage is switched.

By Julie Appleby

July 24, 2024

A photo of boxes of mifepristone and next to a pill bottle of misoprostol.

Louisiana Reclassifies Drugs Used in Abortions as Controlled Dangerous Substances

Louisiana lawmakers have added two drugs commonly used in pregnancy and reproductive health care to the state’s list of controlled dangerous substances, a move that has alarmed doctors in the state.

By Rosemary Westwood, WWNO

July 24, 2024

An unrecognizable teen is checking social media notifications on their smartphone while lying on a couch at home.

California Forges Ahead With Social Media Rules Despite Legal Barriers

State lawmakers are advancing two bills aimed at protecting children from the harms of social media, part of a nationwide wave of efforts to address the issue. Yet the bills’ proponents face hurdles in finding an approach that can survive legal challenges from the tech industry.

By Mark Kreidler

July 23, 2024

Misleading Ads Play Key Role in Schemes to Gin Up Unauthorized ACA Sign-Ups, Lawsuit Alleges

Misleading money-for-groceries ads helped lure people to call centers where some were enrolled in Affordable Care Act coverage — or switched from their existing plans — without their express permission, a new lawsuit alleges.

By Julie Appleby

July 19, 2024

The Nation’s 911 System Is on the Brink of Its Own Emergency

911 outages have hit at least eight states this year. They’re emblematic of problems plaguing emergency response communications due in part to wide disparities in capabilities and funding.

By Stephanie Armour

July 17, 2024

California Leaders Tussle With Health Industry Over Billions of New Dollars for Medi-Cal

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to pull funds earmarked for new investment in Medi-Cal to help plug California’s $45 billion deficit. A state budget passed June 13 by the legislature largely endorsed Newsom’s plan. Voters could settle the matter in an industry-backed initiative that has qualified for the November ballot.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

June 20, 2024

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