Medicaid Archives - Page 33 of 97

Missouri Takes Months to Process Medicaid Applications — Longer Than Law Allows

Missouri has more people waiting to have their Medicaid applications processed than it has approved since the expansion of the federal-state health insurance program. Although most states process Medicaid applications within a week, Missouri is taking, on average, more than two months. Patient advocates fear that means people will stay uninsured longer, leading them to postpone care or get stuck with high medical bills.

By Bram Sable-Smith and Phil Galewitz

Feb. 18, 2022

A stethoscope rests on top of a sheet of health insurance paperwork.

Why Millions on Medicaid Are at Risk of Losing Coverage in the Months Ahead

State Medicaid agencies for months have been preparing for the end of a federal mandate that has prevented states from removing people from the safety-net program during the pandemic.

By Rachana Pradhan

Feb. 14, 2022

The reflection of the U.S. Capitol on the side of an ambulance is seen.

Skirmish Between Biden and Red States Over Medicaid Leaves Enrollees in the Balance

The Biden administration is getting rid of several policies implemented by Trump-era appointees that restricted enrollment. Federal officials now say states can no longer charge premiums to low-income residents enrolled in Medicaid and have ruled out work requirements.

By Phil Galewitz and Andy Miller

Feb. 10, 2022

‘Somebody Is Gonna Die’: Medi-Cal Patients Struggle to Fill Prescriptions

Problems with California’s new Medicaid prescription drug program are preventing thousands of patients from getting their medications, including some life-saving ones. State officials say they’re working on fixes.

By Samantha Young

Feb. 9, 2022

California Inks Sweetheart Deal With Kaiser Permanente, Jeopardizing Medicaid Reforms

The backroom deal with politically connected Kaiser Permanente, which infuriated other Medi-Cal health plans, allows the health care giant to continue selecting the enrollees it wants.

By Bernard J. Wolfson, Angela Hart, and Samantha Young

Feb. 3, 2022

Faxes and Snail Mail: Will Pandemic-Era Flaws Unleash Improved Health Technology?

The covid-19 pandemic exposed how state and local governments’ severely outdated technology can hinder unemployment benefits, food stamps, Medicaid, vaccine registrations, and the flow of other critical information. Now, with hefty federal pandemic relief and unexpected tax windfalls, states may finally have the chance to revamp their information technology for health care and social services. But can they?

By Bram Sable-Smith

Feb. 1, 2022

A view of the front portico of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington, DC.

COVID-19

Justices Block Broad Worker Vaccine Requirement, Allow Health Worker Mandate to Proceed

The Supreme Court temporarily blocked a federal rule requiring larger businesses to mandate employees be vaccinated or wear masks and undergo weekly testing. At the same time, however, it allowed a federal order that health care workers be vaccinated.

By Julie Rovner

Jan. 13, 2022

Left Behind: Medicaid Patients Say Rides to Doctors Don’t Always Come

States are required to set up transportation to medical appointments for adults, children and people with disabilities enrolled in the Medicaid program, and contracts can be worth tens of millions of dollars for transportation companies. But patients say the companies that deliver those rides are showing up late — and sometimes not at all — leaving them in bad weather, disrupting their care and even causing injuries.

By Rebecca Grapevine and Andy Miller

Jan. 12, 2022

Clinics Say State’s New Medicaid Drug Program Will Force Them to Cut Services

On Jan. 1, California started buying prescription drugs for its nearly 14 million Medicaid enrollees, a responsibility that had primarily been held by managed-care insurance plans. State officials estimate California will save hundreds of millions of dollars by flexing its purchasing power, but some health clinics expect to lose money.

By Samantha Young

Jan. 10, 2022

South Dakota Voters to Decide Medicaid Expansion

Despite state Republican leaders’ rigid opposition to expanding the health program designed for low-income residents, advocates successfully gathered enough signatures to get the measure on the fall ballot.

By Phil Galewitz

Jan. 6, 2022

Nursing Homes Bleed Staff as Amazon Lures Low-Wage Workers With Prime Packages

Add nursing homes to the list of industries jolted by Amazon’s handsome hourly wages. Enticed by an average starting pay rate of $18 an hour and the potential for benefits and signing bonuses, low-wage workers are fleeing entry-level elder care for jobs packing boxes.

By Sarah Varney

Dec. 23, 2021

After ‘Truly Appalling’ Death Toll in Nursing Homes, California Rethinks Their Funding

California wants to hold nursing homes accountable for the quality of care they provide by tying Medicaid funding more directly to performance. But the nursing home industry, an influential player in the Capitol, is gearing up for a fight.

By Samantha Young

Dec. 16, 2021

Medi-Cal Makeover

Mattresses and Mold Removal: Medi-Cal to Offer Unconventional Treatments to Asthma Patients

In January, California’s Medicaid program will begin offering nontraditional services —such as ridding homes of roaches, replacing mattresses and installing air purifiers — to some low-income asthma patients. But the rollout could be chaotic, with insurance companies struggling to identify groups that can deliver the services.

By Angela Hart

Dec. 15, 2021

A Rural Georgia Community Reels After Its Hospital Closes

A record number of hospitals closed in rural America last year. For the residents of Cuthbert, Georgia, the loss has meant many problems, including delayed care for emergencies that can turn deadly.

By Andy Miller

Dec. 10, 2021

West Virginia Sen. Manchin Takes the Teeth Out of Democrats’ Plan for Seniors’ Dental Care

In West Virginia, older residents often go without dental care, and a quarter of people 65 and older have no natural teeth, the highest rate of any state in the country. But a powerful senator from West Virginia, Joe Manchin, has rebuffed efforts to add a dental benefit to Medicare.

By Phil Galewitz

Dec. 10, 2021

Some Montana Nonprofit Hospitals Fall Short of Peers in Required Charitable Giving

Montana nonprofit hospitals receive millions of dollars in tax exemptions as charities each year in exchange for giving back to their communities. A KHN review found that some of Montana’s richest medical centers are falling behind most state and national hospitals.

By Katheryn Houghton

Dec. 9, 2021

A Tale of Two Medicaid Expansions: Oklahoma Jumps In, While Missouri Lags

Voters in Missouri and Oklahoma approved Medicaid expansion to begin in 2021. But while Oklahoma has enrolled over 200,000 people so far, Missouri has enrolled fewer than 20,000. Why are two such similar states handling the public insurance rollout so differently?

By Bram Sable-Smith

Dec. 3, 2021

Podcast

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Boosting Confusion

Federal health officials appear poised to extend a recommendation for covid boosters to all adults, following moves by some governors and mayors to broaden the eligible booster pool as caseloads rise. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration finally has a nominee to head the agency: former FDA chief Robert Califf. And Medicare premiums for consumers will likely rise substantially in 2022, partly due to the approval of a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Tami Luhby of CNN, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann, host of the “An Arm and a Leg” podcast.

Nov. 18, 2021

California Plans for a Post-Roe World as Abortion Access Shrinks Elsewhere

While other states dramatically restrict abortion and the conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court weighs Roe v. Wade, California is preparing to absorb the country’s abortion patients.

By Rachel Bluth

Nov. 17, 2021

Missouri’s Thin Dental Safety Net Stretched Amid Medicaid Expansion

An estimated 275,000 Missouri adults can get dental insurance now as the state has expanded who is eligible for Medicaid. But with so few dentists participating in the program, the state’s already-backlogged dental clinics are facing a glut of new clients.

By Bram Sable-Smith

Nov. 16, 2021

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