Medicaid Archives - Page 14 of 94

Chaos Continues in Federal Health System

Episode 383

Feb. 6, 2025

The Senate has yet to confirm a Health and Human Services secretary, but things around the department continue to change at a breakneck pace to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Payment systems have been shut down, webpages and entire datasets have been taken offline, and workers — including those with civil service protections — have been urged to quit or threatened with layoffs. Meanwhile, foreign and trade policy changes are also affecting health policy. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Julie Appleby, who reported the latest “Bill of the Month” feature, about a young woman, a grandfathered health plan, and a $14,000 IUD.

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A photo of the exterior of the Montana Capitol. A worker in a construction vest is seen in front of the entrance in a cherry picker.

Officials Seek To Dismantle Appeals Board for Montanans Denied Public Assistance

The Montana health department says the Board of Public Assistance is redundant and a bureaucratic hurdle that helps few people. Current and former board representatives say the rare cases in which the panel helps people are important.

By Katheryn Houghton

Feb. 6, 2025

A photo of signage outside a laundromat: "24 hours, SuperSuds,laundry."

Wash, Dry, Enroll: Finding Medicaid Help at the Laundromat

State Medicaid and Affordable Care Act programs have long struggled to connect with lower-income Americans to help them access care. Now some are trying an alternative approach: meeting them at the laundromat.

By Phil Galewitz

Feb. 5, 2025

A photo showing a group of people standing in front of a brick building, behind a red ribbon, for an opening ceremony on a sunny day.

Across the South, Rural Health Care Has Become ‘Trendy.’ Medicaid Expansion Has Not.

State legislatures nationwide, including several in the South, are spending millions to improve rural health outcomes and access. For years, though, most Southern states have refused billions of federal dollars to provide public health insurance to more low-income adults. That isn’t likely to change with Trump back in office.

By Lauren Sausser

Feb. 3, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

RFK Jr. in the Hot Seat

Episode 382

Jan. 30, 2025

President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the vast Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., faced sharp questioning from senators this week, particularly over his history of vaccine denialism. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s second week has been even more disruptive than its first, with an on-again, off-again funding freeze that left many around the country scrambling to understand what was going on. Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Nicholas Bagley, a University of Michigan law professor, who explains how the federal regulatory system is supposed to operate to make health policy.

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A photo of President Trump holding up a signed executive order while surrounded by news cameras and microphones.

Trump’s Funding ‘Pause’ Throws States, Health Industry Into Chaos

A sweeping Trump administration order threw the nation’s health system into disarray Tuesday, as states and the health industry tried to make sense of what looked like a freeze on federal Medicaid funding.

By Phil Galewitz

Jan. 28, 2025

A woman stands out in a wooded area by a pond in autumn.

A Program To Close Insurance Gaps for Native Americans Has Gone Largely Unused

Health leaders say a tool to boost medical coverage for Native Americans, a population that has long faced worse health outcomes than the rest of the nation, has been underused by many states and tribes since it was written into the Affordable Care Act more than a decade ago.

By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

Jan. 24, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Creating Chaos at HHS

Episode 381

Jan. 23, 2025

President Donald Trump was sworn in Monday and by Wednesday had virtually stopped scientific policymaking at the Department of Health and Human Services. While incoming administrations often pause public communications, the acting HHS head ordered an unprecedented shutdown of all outside meetings, travel, and publications. Meanwhile, Trump issued a broad array of mostly nonbinding executive orders, but notably none directly concerning abortion. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Rodney Whitlock, a former congressional staffer, who explains the convoluted “budget reconciliation” process Republicans hope to use to enact Trump’s agenda.

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What the Health? From KFF Health News

Hello, Trump. Bye-Bye, Biden.

Episode 380

Jan. 16, 2025

With just days to go before the official launch of a new administration, the GOP-led Congress is putting together plans on how to enact incoming President Donald Trump’s agenda, with a particular emphasis on cutting spending on the Medicaid program. Meanwhile, the Biden administration makes major moves in its last days, including banning a controversial food dye and ordering cigarette companies to minimize their nicotine content. Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Harris Meyer, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News “Bill of the Month” feature, about a colonoscopy that came with a much larger price tag than estimated.

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A photograph of the back of President-elect Donald Trump as he walks away from the camera.

Trump’s Return Puts Medicaid on the Chopping Block

Republicans in Washington are working on plans to shrink Medicaid, the nearly $900-billion-a-year government health insurance program that covers 1 in 5 Americans.

By Phil Galewitz

Jan. 13, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

New Year, New Congress, New Health Agenda

Episode 379

Jan. 9, 2025

Health is unlikely to be a top priority for the new GOP-led 119th Congress and President-elect Donald Trump. But it’s likely to play a key supporting role, with an abortion bill already scheduled for debate in the Senate. Meanwhile, it’s unclear when and how the new Congress will deal with the bipartisan bills jettisoned from the previous Congress’ year-end omnibus measure — including a major deal to rein in the power of pharmacy benefit managers. In this “catch up on all the news you missed” episode, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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A photo of new Montana state senators being sworn in.

Medicaid Expansion Debate Will Affect Other Health Policy Issues Before Montana Legislature

Legislative leaders say the decision whether to renew Montana’s Medicaid expansion program this year will loom over behavioral health spending and hospital regulation, among other topics.

By Mike Dennison and Sue O'Connell

Jan. 8, 2025

California governor Gavin Newsom stands behind a blue and white sign that reads "$30 insulin by CalRx"

Health Care Is Newsom’s Biggest Unfinished Project. Trump Complicates That Task.

As Gov. Gavin Newsom enters the second half of his final term, health care stands out as his most ambitious but glaringly incomplete initiative for California residents. The issue will likely shape his national profile for better or worse. And now, Donald Trump brings a new wrinkle.

By Angela Hart and Christine Mai-Duc

Jan. 7, 2025

A photo of Sen. Raphael Warnock and Sen. Jon Ossoff at the U.S. Capitol.

Democratic Senators Ask Watchdog Agency To Investigate Georgia’s Medicaid Work Rule

A group of Democratic senators asked the Government Accountability Office to examine a Georgia program that requires some Medicaid enrollees to work, study, or volunteer 80 hours a month for coverage. They cited KFF Health News’ reporting, which has documented the program’s high costs and low enrollment.

By Andy Miller, Renuka Rayasam, and Sam Whitehead

Dec. 18, 2024

A photo of a Latina woman standing outside with a clipboard.

Trump Threat to Immigrant Health Care Tempered by Economic Hopes

Donald Trump’s second term is reigniting mistrust in health services among California immigrants, making it harder for community health workers to get people enrolled in Medi-Cal. Yet the president-elect is also seen as someone who could improve their lives with a better economy, even if that means forgoing health care.

By Vanessa G. Sánchez

Dec. 17, 2024

An illustration of a laptop with medical equipment.

Asking Never Hurts

How Potential Medicaid Cuts Could Play Out in California

As Donald Trump prepares to reenter the White House with a Republican-controlled Congress, health officials and community advocates in California worry that large-scale Medicaid cuts could be enacted as soon as next year. More than 60% of California’s $161 billion Medi-Cal budget comes from Washington.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Dec. 5, 2024

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (left) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma (right) sit at a table facing the camera while they sign papers. Nine other individuals in business attire stand in a row behind them. Everyone is wearing face masks.

Georgia’s Work Requirement Slows Processing of Applications for Medicaid, Food Stamps

Georgia’s ability to process applications for Medicaid and other public benefits has lagged since the launch of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s “Pathways” Medicaid work requirement, leaving Georgia with persistently slow Medicaid application processing times.

By Andy Miller, Renuka Rayasam, and Sam Whitehead

Dec. 5, 2024

A photo of a map with the nine states that would undo Medicaid expansion if federal funding is cut.

9 States Poised To End Coverage for Millions if Trump Cuts Medicaid Funding

About 3.7 million people are at immediate risk of losing health coverage should the federal government cut funding for Medicaid expansions, as some allies of President-elect Donald Trump have proposed. Coverage could be at risk in the 40 states that have expanded Medicaid.

By Phil Galewitz

Dec. 4, 2024

Who Gets Obesity Drugs Covered by Insurance? In North Carolina, It Helps If You’re on Medicaid

GLP-1 agonist medications such as Ozempic accounted for 10% of the North Carolina state employee health plan’s prescription drug spending, so the state is no longer covering them for weight loss alone. Still, it did decide to cover them for Medicaid patients’ weight loss. A look inside the state’s coverage calculus.

By Melba Newsome

Dec. 2, 2024

A photo of a mother holding her daughter up to her face.

Florida’s Deloitte-Run Computer System Cut Off New Moms Entitled to Medicaid

Florida discovered a glitch in its Deloitte-run Medicaid eligibility system. The problem, alleged in court testimony, led to new mothers wrongly losing their insurance coverage.

By Daniel Chang and Samantha Liss

Nov. 26, 2024

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