Latest Morning Briefing Stories

What the Health? From KFF Health News: RFK Jr.’s Very Bad Week

Podcast

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had another tough week. In addition to Kennedy having rotator cuff surgery, the nomination of his ally to become surgeon general is teetering, the controversial head of the FDA’s vaccine center is resigning next month, and a new survey shows Americans trust government health officials less than they do former Biden official Anthony Fauci. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

Florida no amplió Medicaid, pero igual algunos legisladores quieren imponer requisitos de trabajo

KFF Health News Original

La medida desconcierta a defensores de la atención médica y a expertos en Medicaid. Algunos dudan, incluso, que sea legal bajo la principal ley de política interna del presidente Donald Trump.

Florida Hasn’t Expanded Medicaid. Lawmakers Want To Add Work Requirements Anyway.

KFF Health News Original

Florida is not mandated to add work requirements for Medicaid, because the state has not expanded eligibility to more low-income adults. But lawmakers have proposed requiring some adults in the state’s program to work anyway, a policy that could leave many uninsured.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: 40 Years of Health Policy

Podcast

This month is 40 years since host Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KFF Health News, began reporting on health policy in Washington. To mark the anniversary, Rovner is joined by two longtime sources to discuss what has — and has not — changed since 1986.

Trump’s Cuts to Medicaid Threaten Services That Help Disabled People Live at Home

KFF Health News Original

Iowa patient advocates say that in the face of federal Medicaid cuts, the state is quietly reducing in-home services that help people avoid being institutionalized. National groups are bracing for similar cuts elsewhere.

Lawmakers, Health Groups Resist Their States’ Rural Health Fund Plans

KFF Health News Original

Some Republican state lawmakers and state health associations are pushing back against spending plans under the Trump administration’s $50 billion federal rural health fund. Federal administrators already approved states’ plans, but in many cases, state lawmakers must greenlight spending.

Families Defend Disability Services Amid Medicaid Cuts

KFF Health News Original

Idaho is positioning to slash Medicaid funding as state lawmakers grapple with the effects of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last year. On the table are in-home care services.

Medicaid Is Paying for More Dental Care. GOP Cuts Threaten To Reverse the Trend.

KFF Health News Original

More than three dozen states cover dental services for low-income and disabled individuals on Medicaid, in recognition of such care’s importance to overall health. But with about $900 billion in funding cuts expected to hit states over the next decade, many programs could roll back dental coverage.

When It Comes to Health Insurance, Federal Dollars Support More Than ACA Plans

KFF Health News Original

Questions of fairness came up in last year’s congressional debate about extending Obamacare’s enhanced subsidies. Critics wondered why the federal government should underwrite coverage costs for people with ACA coverage. In truth, though, almost all health insurance in the U.S. comes with some federal help.

Trump Required Hospitals To Post Their Prices for Patients. Mostly It’s the Industry Using the Data.

KFF Health News Original

Politicians have pushed for price transparency in health care. But instead of patients shopping for services, it’s mostly health systems and insurers that are using the information, as fodder for negotiations over pay.

Nuevas reglas de trabajo de Medicaid podrían impactar más fuerte en adultos de mediana edad

KFF Health News Original

Los adultos de entre 50 y 64 años, especialmente las mujeres, son quienes probablemente resulten más afectados por las nuevas reglas que imponen trabajar para acceder al programa de salud.

New Medicaid Work Rules Likely To Hit Middle-Aged Adults Hard

KFF Health News Original

Republicans have said new rules requiring many Medicaid participants to work 80 hours a month will pinpoint unemployed young people who should have jobs. Policy researchers say the rules are more likely to disrupt coverage for middle-aged adults, harming their physical and financial health.

Con ICE usando datos de Medicaid, hospitales y estados están en medio de una encrucijada: informar o no a sus pacientes inmigrantes

KFF Health News Original

Ponerlos al tanto de estos riesgos podría disuadirlos de inscribirse en el Medicaid de Emergencia, que ofrece atención médica de urgencias a inmigrantes que no califican para la cobertura regular de Medicaid.

With ICE Using Medicaid Data, Hospitals and States Are in a Bind Over Warning Immigrant Patients

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration’s move to give deportation officials access to Medicaid data is forcing hospitals and states to consider alerting immigrant patients that information from emergency medical coverage applications could be used in efforts to remove them from the country.

Newsom Walks Thin Line on Immigrant Health as He Eyes Presidential Bid

KFF Health News Original

Progressives are assailing Gov. Gavin Newsom for proposing to pull back coverage for some legal residents, such as refugees and asylum-seekers, while conservatives lambaste the California Democrat for using limited state funds on Medicaid coverage for immigrants without legal status.