Category: Kaiser Health News

Our 300th Episode!

When KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” podcast launched in 2017, Republicans in Washington were engaged in an (ultimately unsuccessful) campaign to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act. The next six years would see a pandemic, increasingly unaffordable care, and a health care workforce experiencing unprecedented burnout. In the podcast’s 300th episode, host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner explores the past and possible future of the U.S. health care system with three prominent “big thinkers” in health policy: Ezekiel Emanuel of the University of Pennsylvania, Jeff Goldsmith of Health Futures, and Farzad Mostashari of Aledade.

More States OK Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Beyond Two Months

Montana, Alaska, Mississippi, Missouri, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming are among the latest states moving to provide health coverage for up to a year after pregnancy through the federal-state health insurance program for low-income people.

As Medicaid Purge Begins, ‘Staggering Numbers’ of Americans Lose Coverage

In what’s known as the Medicaid “unwinding,” states are combing through rolls to decide who stays and who goes. But the overwhelming majority of people who have lost coverage so far were dropped because of technicalities, not because officials determined they are no longer eligible.

How a Medical Recoding May Limit Cancer Patients’ Options for Breast Reconstruction

The federal government’s arcane process for medical coding is influencing which reconstructive surgery options are available, creating anxiety for breast cancer patients.

Health Care Coalition Jockeys Over Medi-Cal Spending, Eyes Ballot Initiative

KFF Health News has learned that a coalition of doctors, hospitals, insurers, and community clinics want to lock in a tax on health insurance companies to draw in extra Medicaid funding. It also wants to make the tax permanent.

California Governor and Democratic Lawmakers at Odds Over Billions in Health Care Funds

Gov. Gavin Newsom is getting pressure from his political allies to begin spending money on health care that the state raised by fining Californians who go without health insuance. But Newsom says the state can’t afford to.

Mammograms at 40? Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Spark Fresh Debate

There is no direct evidence that screening women in their 40s will save lives, yet modeling suggests expanding routine mammography to include them might avert 1.3 deaths per 1,000. Highlighting the risk of false positives, some specialists call for a more personalized approach.

Many People Living in the ‘Diabetes Belt’ Are Plagued With Medical Debt

The “Diabetes Belt,” as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comprises 644 mostly Southern counties where diabetes rates are high. Of those counties, KFF Health News and NPR found, more than half also have high levels of medical debt.

Cardiovascular Disease Is Primed to Kill More Older Adults, Especially Blacks and Hispanics

Cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer of older Americans, with Black and Hispanic people at higher risk. Despite medical advances, researchers say, disparities are expected to worsen in the coming decades.

A Catch-22 for Clinics: State Bans Limit Abortion Counseling. Federal Title X Rules Require It.

Family planning clinics are getting caught between state abortion bans and a federal requirement to refer patients for abortion care on request.