States Rush To Figure Out How To Enforce Trump’s Medicaid Work Requirements
A KFF survey of state Medicaid officials offers insight into lingering uncertainty and differing plans for work requirement implementation as the Jan. 1 deadline approaches.
Mountain States Bureau
KFF Health News tells the stories of Colorado, Montana, and the rest of the region.
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Big Companies Position Themselves for Payday From $50B Federal Rural Health Fund
A $50 billion federal fund is supposed to modernize rural health with electronic health records, AI, telehealth, and more. But community clinics and rural health advocates fear that the contractors administering the money for states will bite off a big chunk before it reaches rural patients.
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The Help That Many Older Americans Need Most
With shortages of medical professionals and an aging population, thousands of community healthcare workers prevent older adults from falling through the cracks.
By Paula Span -
They’re in Remission, but Their Medical Bills Aren’t: Cancer Survivors Navigate Soaring Costs
The costs of posttreatment care are forcing cancer survivors to make tough choices. GOP proposals to bring down health insurance costs won’t help people who need constant care and monitoring, health policy researchers and patient advocates say.
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Montana Moves Ahead With Doula Pay but Warns Medicaid Cuts Still May Come
Montana health officials say they’re seeking to add doula services to the state’s Medicaid program, reversing a previous statement that they would “not be moving forward” amid a budget shortfall.
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Journalists Talk Hot Health Topics: Urgent Care Clinics Performing Abortions and Doulas’ Pay
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
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New Federal Medicaid Rules Require One Month of Work. Some States Demand More.
Starting next year, about 18.5 million adults will be subject to new Medicaid work rules in 42 states and Washington, D.C. Applicants must show they’ve been working for at least a month before receiving benefits. Some Republican-controlled states want to triple the required work period.
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Rural Nebraska Dialysis Unit Closes Despite the State’s $219M in Rural Health Funding
A rural Nebraska dialysis unit that was hemorrhaging money closed, upending patients’ lives. That’s despite a federal rural health program that granted the state more than $200 million this year to improve health care in rural communities.
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States Change Custody Laws To Keep Children of Detained Immigrants Out of Foster Care
As President Donald Trump’s heightened immigration enforcement continues across the country, some states are updating temporary guardianship laws to keep the children of detained and deported immigrants out of state custody.
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States Face Another Challenge With Medicaid Work Rules: Staffing Shortages
Some states already don’t have enough staff to quickly process Medicaid applications and answer enrollees’ phone calls. Researchers say they may not be prepared to handle new Medicaid work rules, predicting people will lose coverage as a result.
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Urgent Care Clinics Move To Fill Abortion Care Gaps in Rural Areas
When the only clinic that offered abortions in Michigan’s rural Upper Peninsula closed, an urgent care facility stepped in to fill the gap. Now, others are considering similar moves as brick-and-mortar clinics close in blue states.
By Kate Wells -
This Northern Cheyenne Doula Was About To Start Getting Paid — Then Medicaid Cuts Hit
Montana was on track to start reimbursing doulas, who support new and expectant parents, through Medicaid this year. But state officials halted that plan amid a budget shortfall. Other such services deemed optional under Medicaid are at risk nationwide as states brace for federal cuts.
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US Scientists Sequence 1,000 Genomes From Measles, a Disease Long Eliminated With Vaccines
This week, the CDC began to publish long-awaited data that will reveal the extent of measles’ comeback. While applauding the science, researchers say the Trump administration has done little to contain the virus. “That we’re even talking about this is nuts,” one virologist said.
By Amy Maxmen -
Trump’s Hunt for Undocumented Medicaid Enrollees Yields Few Violators
Federal health officials have ordered states to reverify the immigration status of hundreds of thousands of Medicaid enrollees. After seven months, findings from five states show the reviews have uncovered few immigrants without legal status who are improperly receiving benefits.
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Give and Take: Federal Rural Health Funding Could Trigger Service Cuts
States are rolling out plans for their share of a $50 billion fund meant to improve rural health care. In some states, the money may provoke rural hospitals to cut services.
By Aaron Bolton, MTPR and Arielle Zionts -
‘They Tricked Me’: A Father Was Chained After He Went to ICE To Reunite With His Kids
The administration has largely converted the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement into an arm of immigration enforcement, detaining children longer while helping immigration officers arrest their parents or other family members. One father was chained when he went to an ICE office to discuss being reunited with his son and daughter.
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‘How Low Can You Go?’ The Shifting Guidelines for Blood Pressure Control
The number doctors use to demarcate high blood pressure keeps going down, a trend applauded by many experts, who point to studies linking the condition and dementia.
By Paula Span -
Lawmakers Seek To Protect Crisis Pregnancy Centers as Abortion Clinic Numbers Shrink
Some states have tried to crack down on crisis pregnancy centers, accusing them of deceptive practices. But now conservative lawmakers are pushing legislation to increase protections for the organizations, which work to dissuade women from abortions.
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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.
By Don Thompson -
Psychiatrists’ Use of Biomarkers Could Open a New Window Into Mental Health Diagnoses
The world’s largest professional psychiatry organization is preparing for the day when biological indicators can help diagnose and treat mental illness.