States

Latest KFF Health News Stories

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.

NIH Grant Disruptions Slow Down Breast Cancer Research

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration has made the future of federal funding for cancer research uncertain. At one groundbreaking breast cancer research lab, work that could save lives has slowed significantly.

Your Next Primary Care Doctor Could Be Online Only, Accessed Through an AI Tool

KFF Health News Original

The largest hospital chain in Massachusetts is offering a new AI-assisted telehealth tool to patients who need primary care. Mass General Brigham says this and other AI tools can help relieve staff burnout and worker shortages, but some primary care physicians in the MGB system see it as a way to avoid fixing structural problems.

Cuando el seguro médico cuesta más que la hipoteca

KFF Health News Original

A pesar de las intensas discusiones y del cierre del gobierno más largo en la historia, el Congreso permitió que los subsidios mejorados de ACA expiraran el pasado 31 de diciembre.

‘I Can’t Tell You’: Attorneys, Relatives Struggle To Find Hospitalized ICE Detainees

KFF Health News Original

Some hospitals are registering patients detained by federal immigration officers under pseudonyms and prohibiting staff from contacting family members. Attorneys and health care workers say the practices facilitate rights violations and create ethical concerns. Hospitals say they’re trying to protect patients.

Blurry Line Between Medical and Vision Insurance Leaves Patient With Unexpected Bill

KFF Health News Original

A Wisconsin retiree with glaucoma needed her eyes examined. Her Medicare Advantage plan from UnitedHealthcare listed her optometrist’s clinic as in-network, but she learned the hard way that a clinic can be in-network and out-of-network at the same time.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: The Hazards of ICE for Public Health

Podcast

The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is not just roiling politics but also directly affecting the provision of health care, medical groups say. Meanwhile, in Washington, federal spending bills have been stalled by the fight over immigration enforcement funding after the shooting death of a second person in Minneapolis this month. Maya Goldman of Axios, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.

This Teen Never Got His Day in Vaccine Court. His Former Lawyer Now Advises RFK on Its Overhaul.

KFF Health News Original

The federal government’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program was supposed to help patients with their medical bills while protecting vaccine supply. But allies of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are routinely transferring cases from that program to launch lawsuits against drugmakers.

Trump Policies at Odds With Emerging Understanding of Covid’s Long-Term Harm

KFF Health News Original

Studies increasingly offer insights into the health risks and burdens faced by people who have had covid infections. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has narrowed covid vaccine recommendations and cut research.