Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Oz Escalates Medicaid Fraud Claims Against States After Focus on Minnesota
The Trump administration’s unprecedented actions targeting Medicaid funding in Minnesota are part of what could become a playbook as officials turn pressure toward California, Florida, Maine, and New York.
Oz Says California’s Not Fighting Health Care Fraud, but Data Shows It’s Part of a Larger Battle
Trump administration officials say the state allows rampant fraud and have promised to investigate, blaming the “Russian, Armenian mafia” in the hospice and home health care industry. But data shows hotbeds of health care fraud throughout the country, with California outperforming most other states in recovering fraud dollars.
Watch: Affordability Plagues Health Care in Its Shift From Nonprofit to Profit Machine
On “What the Health? From KFF Health News,” distributed by WAMU, chief Washington correspondent and host Julie Rovner sat down with Drew Altman, president and CEO of KFF, to talk about the likelihood of a national health care debate.
Journalists Talk Medicaid Work Mandate in Georgia and Wage Garnishment Bill in Colorado
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
What the Health? From KFF Health News: RFK Jr.’s Very Bad Week
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
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.
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.
Journalists Explain a Spat Over Sugary Coffee and How Measles Fools Doctors
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
What the Health? From KFF Health News: 40 Years of Health Policy
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
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
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.
Even Patients Are Shocked by the Prices Their Insurers Will Pay — And It Costs All of Us
Health care prices are on the rise, and patients are flummoxed that even insurance companies aren’t doing more to control costs.
Families Defend Disability Services Amid Medicaid Cuts
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.
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.
ICE, ALS, Addiction Medicine, and Robotic Ultrasounds: Journalists Sound Off on All That and More
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
When It Comes to Health Insurance, Federal Dollars Support More Than ACA Plans
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.
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
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
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.
Newsom Tries To Thread Needle on Immigrant Health as Ambitions Turn National
Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.
