Latest Morning Briefing Stories
‘Rest Of The Country Should Take A Good Look At The Situation In Texas’
Almost one in three people in Houston lacks health insurance, with many dependent on a fraying health care safety net.
Court Challenge Could Result In Medicaid Cutbacks Instead Of Expansion
Under the health law, Medicaid will grow to cover every American with a household income below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. A ruling against the expansion — or the entire law
College Students Bridge Chasm Between Medical Care And Poverty
The volunteers, part of a program called Health Leads, help low-income families connect with social service groups providing food, clothes, housing and other services so that children can overcome some of the obstacles contributing to health problems.
Uninsured And Unaware Of Supreme Court Case Against Health Law
‘What new law?’ ask patients attending a free weekend clinic in rural Tennessee. Few people understood that their future benefits are at stake as the Supreme Court weighs the fate of the federal health overhaul law.
Table: Caring for Migrant Farmworkers
Details about the 156 health centers that get federal funds to provide primary care to migrant and seasonal farmworkers regardless of immigration status.
Health Care Increasingly Out Of Reach For Millions Of Americans
More privately insured Americans are delaying treatment, while safety net programs cannot meet demand by those people who are under- and uninsured.
Los Angeles Is Betting On One Crusading Doc To Turn Public Health System Around
Los Angeles has some 2 million uninsured residents. It has long had one of the most disorganized public health systems, too. Now, Dr. Mitch Katz is looking to reshape the system and match patients with their own doctors.
Community Health Centers Under Pressure to Improve Care
Quality is uneven at federally funded clinics that treat millions of poor people.
Rural Georgia Center Relies on Educators, Electronic Records To Boost Patients’ Health
But some patients still struggle to find specialists.
In Conservative California, Confusion And Contempt For Health Law
Residents of a largely conservative region in California where 1 out of every 3 people lack coverage share their attitudes toward the health law.
Two (Very Different) Miami Hospitals Prepare For Health Law’s Medicaid Expansion
Even as Florida leads the Supreme Court challenge against the health law, a private and a public hospital are anticipating an influx of new patients who will be covered by Medicaid if the law stands.
People In State High-Risk Insurance Plans Often Feel Left Behind
The federal health law set up new plans that are cheaper and more comprehensive than the older ones run by states but consumers need to go without insurance for six months to qualify.
Court: Massachusetts Must Cover Legal Immigrants
Massachusetts’ highest court ruled Thursday that the state must offer the same level of subsidized insurance to legal immigrants as to citizens. The decision affects roughly 40,000 residents and could cost the state at least $150 million per year.
Florida Grappling With Questions About Taxes For Indigent Care
A special panel appointed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been meeting to figure out a way to scale back what taxpayers at the local level contribute to hospital costs in some parts of the state.
Unconventional Clinic Providing Safety Net For Women
Marilyn Ringstaff’s clinic fills a void for low-income uninsured women in Rome, Georgia.
Q&A: Is It Legal For Insurers To Deny Coverage Because Of A Pregnancy?
KHN’s “Insuring Your Health” columnist Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader about whether or not insurers are required to cover maternity care on the individual market.
Letters To The Editor: Readers’ Thoughts On Children’s Hospitals Series
Letters to the Editor is a periodic KHN feature. This installment offers a selection of comments on KHN’s recent “Building Ambitions” series that explores the world of funding for children’s hospitals.
Disparities Cloud Health Improvements In Past Decade, Report Finds
Federal officials note that minorities and low-income Americans continue to have less access to health care even as the country makes improvements in life expectancy and lowering death rates related to several conditions.
Administration Scales Back Expansion Of Community Health Centers
Health centers fear they won’t be able to expand fast enough to meet the growing demand from the current uninsured and the influx of people to Medicaid in 2014.
HCA May Face Big Revenue Hit If Feds Approve Texas Medicaid Plan
Hospital Corporation of America receives hundreds of millions of dollars in supplemental Medicaid money to help cover the poor and uninsured, but Texas officials suggest HCA may be benefiting the most.
