Medicaid Archives - Page 27 of 97

The ‘Unwinding’ of Medicaid

Episode 292

April 6, 2023

As of April 1, states were allowed to begin reevaluating Medicaid eligibility for millions of Americans who qualified for the program during the covid-19 pandemic but may no longer meet the income or other requirements. As many as 15 million people could lose health coverage as a result. Meanwhile, the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is projected to stay solvent until 2031, its trustees reported, taking some pressure off of lawmakers to finally fix that program’s underlying financial weaknesses. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Daniel Chang, who reported the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature about a child not yet old enough for kindergarten whose medical bill landed him in collections.

Listen Now

In Texas, Medicaid Coverage Ends Soon After Childbirth. Will Lawmakers Allow More Time?

Pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage ends just two months after childbirth in Texas — some advocates and researchers say that cutoff contributes to maternal deaths and illnesses in the state.

By Elena Rivera, KERA

March 31, 2023

What the Health? From KFF Health News

A Judicial Body Blow to the ACA

Episode 291

March 30, 2023

A federal judge in Texas has dealt a big setback to the Affordable Care Act. The same judge who tried in 2018 to declare the entire ACA unconstitutional has now ruled that the law’s main provisions for preventive care are unconstitutional and, therefore, unenforceable nationwide. Also this week, North Carolina became the 40th state to expand Medicaid under the ACA. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

Listen Now

KHN On Air

Journalists Delve Into Insulin Costs and Prior Authorization Policy

KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

March 25, 2023

Health Providers Scramble to Keep Remaining Staff Amid Medicaid Rate Debate

The ranks of community-based behavioral health providers in Montana have diminished amid rising costs, greater need, and stagnant Medicaid reimbursement rates. Now, as state lawmakers debate solutions, providers are hoping just to cover their costs.

By Keely Larson

March 24, 2023

Medi-Cal Makeover

Prescription for Housing? California Wants Medicaid to Cover 6 Months of Rent

Gov. Gavin Newsom is making a bold push for Medicaid health plans to provide more housing support. He argues it’s cheaper to pay for rent than to allow homeless people to fall into crisis, which requires costly care in hospitals, nursing homes, and jails.

By Angela Hart

March 22, 2023

KHN On Air

Journalists Discuss Medicaid Unwinding and Clawbacks

KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

March 18, 2023

A photo illustration shows a woman handing over a health insurance card over an abstract background of a pulse reading.

Medicaid Health Plans Try to Protect Members — And Profits — During Unwinding

States are turning to the big health insurance companies to keep Medicaid enrollees insured once pandemic protections end in April. The insurers’ motive: profits.

By Phil Galewitz

March 9, 2023

A photo shows a man standing for a portrait outside his home. He is holding a cane.

Reentry Programs to Help Former Prisoners Obtain Health Care Are Often Underused

More than 600,000 people are released from prisons every year, many with costly health conditions but no medications, medical records, a health care provider, or insurance.

By Renuka Rayasam

March 8, 2023

Covid Aid Papered Over Colorado Hospital’s Financial Shortcomings

Financial pitfalls at the nation’s highest-elevation hospital serve as a cautionary tale as rural hospitals emerge from the pandemic on shaky ground.

By Markian Hawryluk

March 7, 2023

KHN On Air

Journalists Discuss Insulin Prices, Gun Violence, Distracted Driving, and More

KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

March 4, 2023

What the Health? From KFF Health News

March Medicaid Madness

Episode 287

March 2, 2023

President Joe Biden and Republicans in Congress spent last month sparring over whether to shield Medicare and Social Security from budget cuts — leading some to wonder if Medicaid was on the table instead. Biden and Democrats say no, but some Republicans seem eager to trim federal spending on the health program for Americans with low incomes. And ready or not, artificial intelligence is coming to medical care. Benefits, as well as unintended consequences, are likely. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of STAT News, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KHN’s chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more.

Listen Now

Carolina Morga Tapia stands outside in a park with her five children. Two of the youngest are sitting in a green wagon.

Faces of Medi-Cal

California’s Massive Medicaid Program Works for Some, but Fails Many Others

Medi-Cal serves more than one-third of the state’s population — offering a dizzying range of care to a diverse population. In the new “Faces of Medi-Cal” series, California Healthline will assess the program’s strengths and weaknesses through the lives and experiences of its enrollees.

By Angela Hart and Bernard J. Wolfson

March 2, 2023

After People on Medicaid Die, Some States Aggressively Seek Repayment From Their Estates

States take drastically different approaches to recovering Medicaid money from deceased participants’ estates. Demands for repayment of Medicaid spending can drain the assets a person leaves behind, depending on where they lived.

By Tony Leys

March 2, 2023

A photo shows President Joe Biden speaking at a podium while blurred hands hold up cellphones in the foreground.

Biden Promises to Fight GOP on ‘Gutting’ Medicaid. Budget Talks Seem Like Another Story.

As many lower-income Americans prepare to lose pandemic-era access to Medicaid, President Joe Biden vowed to stop Republicans from making deeper cuts to lower the national debt. Other changes may still be up for discussion.

By Michael McAuliff

March 1, 2023

An illustration shows the shape of Idaho next to a red rubber ink stamp that reads, "disenrolled."

Idaho Dropped Thousands From Medicaid in the Pandemic’s First Years

The removals, detailed in emails between state and federal health officials, hinged on disagreements over how states could disenroll people during the public health emergency. Consumer advocates fear the alleged violation signals the mess to come on April 1, when the pandemic-era Medicaid coverage mandate ends.

By Rachana Pradhan

March 1, 2023

Bertha Embriz is sitting on a chair in her house beside the window. The sun is shining in, highlighting her face as she looks up to the ceiling. In the background, a statue of the Virgin Mary can be seen hanging on the wall, as well as some plants on the windowsill.

Community Workers Fan Out to Persuade Immigrant Seniors to Get Covered

California has enrolled into Medi-Cal more than 300,000 older immigrant adults lacking legal residency since May, but the state doesn’t know how many more might be eligible. Community workers are now searching for them.

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett, California Health Report

Feb. 28, 2023

A photo shows a woman posing for a portrait outside by a fence.

California Explores Private Insurance for Immigrants Lacking Legal Status. But Is It Affordable?

Nearly half a million Californians without legal residency make too much to qualify for Medicaid yet they can’t afford to buy coverage. A state lawmaker is proposing to open up the state’s health insurance exchange as a first step to providing them affordable insurance.

By Rachel Bluth

Feb. 27, 2023

A photo shows a nursing home worker pushing a resident in a wheelchair.

California Dangles Bonuses for Nursing Homes That Add Staff

Rather than simply reward top-performing facilities, the state’s Medicaid program will hand bonuses to nursing homes — even low-rated ones — for hiring more workers and reducing staff turnover.

By Samantha Young

Feb. 24, 2023

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Senators Have Mental Health Crises, Too

Episode 286

Feb. 23, 2023

When U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania checked himself into the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment of depression this month, he got an unusual reaction from his colleagues in Congress: compassion. It’s a far cry from how politicians once kept their mental health issues under wraps at all costs. Meanwhile, GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley is stirring up controversy by proposing that all politicians over age 75 be required to pass a mental competency test to hold office. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too.

Listen Now

Trump 2.0

Public Health

Audio Reports

Special Reports

More Topics

Medicaid