Latest KFF Health News Stories
Coverage Denied: Medicaid Patients Suffer As Layers Of Private Companies Profit
Managed-care plans, which reap billions in taxpayer dollars to coordinate care for low-income Americans on Medicaid, outsource crucial treatment decisions to subcontractors that aren’t directly accountable to the government. In California, health officials say one firm improperly withheld or delayed care for hundreds of people.
Montana’s Legislature Could Decide Medicaid Expansion’s Fate
A ballot initiative to fund Medicaid expansion with a tobacco tax failed in Montana on Tuesday. The expansion will expire in the state in June 2019, unless the legislature finds another way to fund it.
Midterm Election Boosts Medicaid Expansion, But Challenges Remain
Following the vote, nearly 500,000 uninsured adults in five states are poised to gain Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, say advocates. But many conservatives remain opposed to the expansion.
Tobacco Tax Battle Could Torch Montana Medicaid Expansion
A ballot initiative in Montana would tax cigarettes $2 a pack to help pay for the state’s Medicaid expansion. But the tobacco industry has spent more than $17 million fighting the effort.
Billions In ‘Questionable Payments’ Went To California’s Medicaid Insurers And Providers
The money was paid on behalf of more than 400,000 people who may have been ineligible for the public program, a state audit found. One had been dead for four years before payments stopped.
Gun Store Owner Marshals Voters To Expand Medicaid In Idaho
Idaho is one of four conservative states where voters next month will determine whether to buck the GOP’s resistance to the Affordable Care Act and implement or renew its expansion of Medicaid to adults.
Booming Economy Helps Flatten Medicaid Enrollment And Limit Costs, States Report
The drop in the number of people enrolled in the federal-state program for low-income residents is the first since 2007.
As Billions In Tax Dollars Flow To Private Medicaid Plans, Who’s Minding The Store?
Insurance companies profit from government contracts but are subject to little oversight of how they spend the money or care for patients. The expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act has only exacerbated the problem.
As States Try To Rein In Drug Spending, Feds Slap Down One Bold Medicaid Move
Medicaid drug spending doubled in five years in Massachusetts. The state wanted to exclude expensive drugs that weren’t proven to work better than existing alternatives from its Medicaid plan, but the federal government blocked the effort.
From Syria To Southern California: Refugees Seek Care For Wounds Of War
A clinic in El Cajon, Calif., treats patients recovering from anything from gunshot wounds to PTSD and anxiety about family left behind.
Medicaid Covers Foster Kids, But Daunting Health Needs Still Slip Through The Cracks
Nearly all children in the foster care system are covered by Medicaid. Yet, foster parents still struggle to meet the extraordinary health needs of their children. To solve this, some states are experimenting with a coordinated approach to care — with mixed results.
In Weary Post-Storm Puerto Rico, Medicaid Cutbacks Bode New Ills
The island’s government must squeeze $840.2 million in annual savings from Medicaid by 2023, part of the U.S. territory’s agreement with the federal government as Puerto Rico claws its way back from fiscal oblivion. Experts warn such drastic cuts defy actuarial science.
Children With Disabilities Endure Long Waits For Life-Changing Medical Equipment
Some California children with serious health care problems wait more than a year for wheelchairs, bath benches, commodes, specialized crutches and other crucial medical equipment. Critics blame the delays on a confusing bureaucratic maze of private insurers and public programs.
In Florida, Midterm Elections Hold Faint Hope For Medicaid Expansion
Republicans’ overwhelming majorities in the state legislature make pursuing a policy that could benefit 660,000 uninsured adults a “long shot,” political analysts say.
Insurers Fall Short In Catching And Reporting Medicaid Fraud, Inspectors Find
Medicaid has struggled for years with poor oversight and billions lost to improper payments. A new report finds that despite their fraud-fighting rhetoric, Medicaid managed-care companies are not as rigorous as they should be in ensuring the integrity of the Medicaid payment system.
Despite U.S. Court’s Ruling, Medicaid Work Requirements Advance In Other States
It’s not yet clear what impact the decision on Kentucky’s mandate will have on other state programs.
Judge Blocks Kentucky Medicaid Work Requirement
The program’s rollout was scheduled to begin Sunday.
Fearing Deportation, Immigrant Parents Are Opting Out Of Health Benefits For Kids
Advocates in Texas say immigrant families, nervous about a higher degree of scrutiny in applications for health and food benefits, are choosing to drop out of Medicaid and SNAP for citizen children.
Rx: Zucchini, Brown Rice, Turkey Soup. Medicaid Plan Offers Food As Medicine
A small group of insurers offers some members with serious illnesses medically tailored meals to improve their health.
As Medicaid Costs Soar, States Try A New Approach
New programs, known as ACOs, reward hospitals and physician groups that hold down costs by keeping enrollees healthy. The health care providers are asked to address social issues — such as homelessness, lack of transportation and poor nutrition — that can cause and exacerbate health problems.
