Watch: Millions of Americans Live Where Telehealth Is Out of Reach
In this video report, InvestigateTV and KFF Health News take viewers to Alabama, Idaho, and West Virginia to explore how gaps in internet connectivity and telehealth access cause residents to live sicker and die younger on average than their peers in well-connected regions.
New Medicaid Federal Work Requirements Mean Less Leeway for States
More than a dozen states are seeking their own versions of Medicaid work requirements. But the incoming federal standards pose questions around how much leeway states have to design their rules.
Work Requirements and Red Tape Ahead for Millions on Medicaid
Work requirements are coming for the millions of Americans on Medicaid, due to the Republican tax and spend bill that President Donald Trump signed into law July 4. Currently, Georgia is the only state with a work requirement. Eligible Georgians say it’s very hard to get the system to confirm they qualify, putting their benefits at risk.
Deep Staff Cuts at a Little-Known Federal Agency Pose Trouble for Droves of Local Health Programs
The workforce of a federal agency that oversees billions in grants for primary health care, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health services, and workforce training has been slashed, sparking fears of what’s to come.
Chronically Ill? In Kennedy’s View, It Might Be Your Own Fault
In their zeal to “Make America Healthy Again,” top Trump administration officials depict patients and the doctors who treat them as partly responsible for whatever ails them.
Tribal Groups Assert Sovereignty as Feds Crack Down on Gender-Affirming Care
Native American groups declare that tribal sovereignty trumps state and federal efforts to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for two-spirit and LGBTQ+ tribal citizens. Tribes are analyzing the risk of opposing Trump’s policies, advocates say.
Immigrant Kids Detained in ‘Unsafe and Unsanitary’ Sites as Trump Team Seeks To End Protections
President Donald Trump’s Justice Department seeks to terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement, which since 1997 has required U.S. immigration officials to hold migrant children in facilities that are safe and sanitary, among other protections. Even with the consent decree in place, court records show unsafe conditions for immigrant kids.
A Brain-Dead Pregnant Woman Was Kept Alive in Georgia. It’s Unclear if State Law Required It.
The anti-abortion movement is rallying around new laws that establish fetal “personhood.” Doctors are scrambling to adjust, but even conservatives don’t always agree on how such laws should be applied.
Cosmetic Surgeries Led to Disfiguring Injuries, Patients Allege
A joint investigation by KFF Health News and NBC News found that cosmetic surgery chains have been the target of scores of medical malpractice and negligence lawsuits, including 12 wrongful death cases.
Fearing Medicaid Coverage Loss, Some Parents Rush To Vaccinate Their Kids
Worried parents are hurrying to get their children vaccinated, fearing future federal policy changes will limit access to free immunizations. Pediatricians worry that any changes to the childhood vaccine schedule will leave families without affordable options for essential shots.
Watch: What Are Medicaid Work Requirements?
KFF Health News’ Renuka Rayasam breaks down what you need to know about Medicaid work requirements.
Cuts to Food Benefits Stand in the Way of RFK Jr.’s Goals for a Healthier National Diet
The Trump administration has said improving American nutrition is a priority, but deep cuts to federal food assistance could lead people to forgo healthy food in favor of cheaper alternatives.
Louisiana Upholds Its HIV Exposure Law as Other States Change or Repeal Theirs
State lawmakers unsuccessfully attempted to extend the law this year to cover the intentional exposure of other sexually transmitted infections.
Georgia Shows Rough Road Ahead for States as Medicaid Work Requirements Loom
President Donald Trump signed legislation that requires many Medicaid recipients to prove they’re working to qualify for health care coverage, allocating $200 million for states that expanded Medicaid to prepare systems to verify people’s eligibility. Georgia’s program, which has been expensive and difficult to administer, has had limited enrollment.
Los Angeles Weighs a Disaster Registry. Disability Advocates Warn Against False Assurances.
Amid increasingly frequent natural disasters, several states have turned to registries to prioritize help for vulnerable residents. But while some politicians see these registries as a potential solution to a public health problem, many disability advocates say they endanger residents with mobility problems by giving a false sense of security.
Even Grave Errors at Rehab Hospitals Go Unpenalized and Undisclosed
For-profit hospitals provide most inpatient physical therapy but tend to have worse readmission rates to general hospitals. Medicare doesn’t tell consumers about troubling inspections.
In Rush To Satisfy Trump, GOP Delivers Blow to Health Industry
The health industry couldn’t persuade GOP lawmakers to oppose big Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill for many reasons. A big one: Congressional Republicans were more worried about angering Trump than a backlash from hospitals and low-income constituents back home.
The Foster Care System Has a Suicide Problem. Federal Cuts Threaten To Slow Fixes.
Children and young adults in the U.S. foster care system suffer from mental health disorders and die by suicide at far higher rates than the general population, yet the system doesn’t uniformly screen and treat children who are at risk.
Who’s Policing Opioid Settlement Spending? A Crowdsourced Database Might Help
Billions in opioid settlement money was meant to be spent on treating and preventing addiction — but what happens if it’s misspent? Some advocates say attorneys general need to pay closer attention. If they don’t, a new tool might empower the public.
Doulas, Once a Luxury, Are Increasingly Covered by Medicaid — Even in GOP States
Even as states brace for significant reductions in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade, conservative legislatures across the country are passing laws that grant doula access to Medicaid beneficiaries.
