States

Latest KFF Health News Stories

States Jostle Over $50B Rural Health Fund as Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Trigger Scramble

KFF Health News Original

States are battling for their piece of $50 billion in federal rural health funding, but it’s not just hospitals vying for the money. Tech startups and policy demands are raising the stakes as Medicaid cuts loom.

After Chiding Democrats on Transgender Politics, Newsom Vetoes a Key Health Measure

KFF Health News Original

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have expanded access to hormone therapy, a top priority for the trans community. Advocates say it would have ensured continuity in gender-affirming care amid Trump administration attacks. Analysts say it’s another sign of the Democrat’s move to the center.

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a Chemtrail? New Conspiracy Theory Takes Wing at Kennedy’s HHS

KFF Health News Original

The idea that airplane vapors are toxic to people or that there are ongoing efforts to intentionally change the climate made the social media rounds. Now, it has found advocates at the Department of Health and Human Services.

El mercado de seguros de salud de California se prepara para el caos mientras sigue el cierre del gobierno

KFF Health News Original

Analistas advierten que la cantidad de personas sin seguro médico en el país aumentará significativamente si los legisladores federales no renuevan los subsidios creados durante la pandemia de covid.

California’s Health Insurance Marketplace Braces for Chaos as Shutdown Persists

KFF Health News Original

Jessica Altman, the head of California’s Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace, warns letters will be sent out this week with sky-high premiums unless Washington extends covid-era enhanced tax credits by then. Even if Congress acts later and rates are lower than feared, she says, shoppers could be scared off.

Trump calificó de “racista” la Ley de Equidad Digital. Ahora, el dinero para que la gente del campo tenga internet ha desaparecido

KFF Health News Original

Políticos, investigadores, bibliotecarios y defensores afirmaron que la desfinanciación de los programas de banda ancha, pone en peligro los esfuerzos para ayudar a los residentes rurales y desfavorecidos a participar en la economía moderna y llevar una vida más saludable.

Senators Press Deloitte, Other Contractors on Errors in Medicaid Eligibility Systems

KFF Health News Original

As contractors position themselves to cash in on a gush of new business managing Medicaid work requirements, a cadre of senators has launched an inquiry into the companies paid billions to build eligibility systems.

La escasez de enfermeras en California se agrava, y las trabajadoras culpan a los directivos

KFF Health News Original

Según datos estatales, casi el 60% de los condados de California —que se extienden entre las fronteras con México y Oregon— enfrentan una falta importante de enfermeras.

Trump Called Digital Equity Act ‘Racist.’ Now Internet Money for Rural Americans Is Gone.

KFF Health News Original

President Donald Trump called the Digital Equity Act unconstitutional, racist, and illegal. Then the $2.75 billion program for rural and underserved communities to gain internet access disappeared.

Cops on Ketamine? Largely Unregulated Mental Health Treatment Faces Hurdles

KFF Health News Original

Ketamine, long used as an anesthetic or illegal party drug, is being combined with psychotherapy to treat severe depression and post-traumatic stress — a potential tool for those with high trauma rates, like firefighters and police officers. Yet the drug’s stigma and unregulated marketplace leave first responders in uncharted territory.

A pesar de las protecciones al consumidor, embargan parte del sueldo a trabajadores para saldar deudas médicas

KFF Health News Original

Detrás del cobro de esas deudas hay todo tipo de proveedores médicos: grandes cadenas de salud, hospitales rurales pequeños, grupos de médicos, servicios públicos de ambulancia, entre otros.

University of California Researchers, Patients Wary of Trump Cuts Even as Some Dollars Flow Again

KFF Health News Original

Biomedical researchers and patients are caught in the middle as the Trump administration continues its campaign to strip grants from universities accused of bias. Courts have restored some frozen funds to California universities, but academics studying brain tumors, lung cancer, and strokes worry their grant dollars remain a bargaining chip.

California’s Nursing Shortage Is Getting Worse. Front-Line Workers Blame Management.

KFF Health News Original

California’s nursing shortage is projected to worsen, and hospitals say funding cuts will only add strain. But front-line nurses blame heavy workloads, not a shortage, for driving workers away.

Wary of RFK Jr., Colorado Started Revamping Its Vaccine Policies in the Spring

KFF Health News Original

Amid concerns that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is undermining trust in vaccines and public health science, some states are seeking new sources of scientific consensus and changing how they regulate insurance companies, prescribers, and pharmacists. Colorado has been at the front of this wave.

Why Democrats Are Casting the Government Shutdown as a Health Care Showdown

KFF Health News Original

Democrats are pressuring Republicans to extend billions of dollars in federal tax credits that have dramatically lowered premiums and contributed to record-low rates of uninsured Americans. It’s a chance to talk about a winning issue — and maybe regain support from working-class voters.