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Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Years Later, Centene Settlements With States Still Unfinished

KFF Health News Original

At least 20 states have settled disputes with health insurance giant Centene since 2021 over allegations that its pharmacy benefit manager operation overcharged their Medicaid programs. Two holdouts appear to remain: Georgia has not yet settled, and Florida officials won’t answer questions about its Centene situation.

Trump Vowed To End Surprise Medical Bills. The Office Working on That Just Got Slashed.

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration’s first round of sweeping staff cuts to federal agencies eliminated dozens of positions at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, which is tasked with implementing the No Surprises Act.

A Runner Was Hit by a Car, Then by a Surprise Ambulance Bill

KFF Health News Original

A San Francisco man had friends drive him to the hospital after he was hit by a car. Doctors checked him out, then sent him by ambulance to a trauma center — which released him with no further treatment. The ambulance bill? Almost $13,000.

Can Medicaid’s Popularity Shield It From the Budget Ax? 

KFF Health News Original

Republicans in Congress have suggested big cuts to Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities. The complex, multifaceted program touches millions of Americans and has become deeply woven into state budgets and the U.S. health care system.

Republicans Are Eyeing Cuts to Medicaid. What’s Medicaid, Again?

KFF Health News Original

Republicans in Congress have suggested big cuts to Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities. The complex, multifaceted program touches millions of Americans and has become deeply woven into state budgets and the U.S. health care system.

Deny and Delay? California Seeks Penalties for Insurers That Repeatedly Get It Wrong

KFF Health News Original

A state lawmaker wants health insurers to disclose denial rates and explain those denials as anger grows over rising costs and uncovered medical care. If the bill is signed into law, health experts say, it could be one of the boldest attempts in the nation to rein in denials.

Pain Clinics Made Millions From ‘Unnecessary’ Injections Into ‘Human Pin Cushions’

KFF Health News Original

Pain MD, which once ran as many as 20 clinics across three states, gave chronic-pain patients about 700,000 total injections near their spines, according to court documents. Last year, federal prosecutors proved at trial that the shots were medically unnecessary and part of an extensive fraud scheme.

As States Mull Medicaid Work Requirements, Two With Experience Scale Back

KFF Health News Original

As Republicans consider adding work requirements to Medicaid, Georgia and Arkansas — two states with experience running such programs — want to scale back the key parts supporters have argued encourage employment and personal responsibility.

Top California Democrats Clash Over How To Rein In Drug Industry Middlemen

KFF Health News Original

Frustrated by spiraling drug costs, California lawmakers want to increase oversight of pharmaceutical industry intermediaries known as pharmacy benefit managers. It’s unclear whether they can persuade Gov. Gavin Newsom to get on board.

A Year After Super Bowl Parade Shooting, Trauma Freeze Gives Way to Turmoil for Survivors

KFF Health News Original

Survivors and witnesses of gun violence often freeze emotionally at first, as a coping mechanism. As the one-year mark since the parade shooting nears, the last installment in our series “The Injured” looks at how some survivors talk about resilience, while others are desperately trying to hang on.