Category: Medicaid

Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes

Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.

Payroll Tax Is One State’s Bold Solution To Help Seniors Age At Home

Under a program enacted in Washington state this spring, workers can get up to $36,500 to help pay for long-term health care and services such as installing grab bars in the shower or respite care for family caregivers.

Mired In Medical Debt? Federal Plan Would Update Overdue-Bill Collection Methods

More than half of Americans contacted about an overdue bill said it related to medical debt. A federal agency has proposed new guidance for what debt collectors are allowed to do when pursuing many types of overdue consumer bills, including medical debt. But some consumer advocates have panned the effort.

Use Of Buprenorphine To Treat Opioid Addiction Proliferates In California

Buprenorphine is becoming an increasingly popular choice among doctors in California for treating opioid addiction. Use of methadone, while still more common, has not gained ground in recent years.

Analysis: A Health Care Overhaul Could Kill 2 Million Jobs, And That’s OK

Reform has a cost. But the point of a health care system is to treat patients, not to buttress the economy.

New Analysis Compares Prescription Drug Spending and Use Across Large Employer Plans, Medicare, and Medicaid

As policymakers debate how to address the high cost of prescription drugs, a new KFF analysis compares data on prescription drug spending and use across large employer plans, Medicare Part D and Medicaid, and provides context for policy discussions abo…

How Does Prescription Drug Spending and Use Compare Across Large Employer Plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid?

Prescription drug costs are a pressing concern for both consumers and policymakers. This analysis compares prescription drug spending and use in large private employer plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid, based primarily on claims data by payer, which…

‘Sham’ Sharing Ministries Test Faith Of Patients And Insurance Regulators

Officials in Washington and other states are cracking down on companies that avoid health insurance regulations by masquerading as faith-based care.

Newsom Changes Course On Plan To Pay For Immigrant Health Coverage

California’s governor Friday scuttled his plan to siphon public health money from four counties to help provide health coverage for unauthorized immigrants ages 19 through 25.

‘John Doe’ Patients Sometimes Force Hospital Staff To Play Detective

The 50-something man with a shaved head and brown eyes was unresponsive when the paramedics wheeled him into the emergency room. His pockets were empty: no wallet, no cellphone, not a single scrap of paper that might reveal his identity to the nurses and doctors working to save his life. His body lacked any distinguishing […]