Category: states

Medi-Cal To Expand Eligibility To Young Undocumented Adults. But Will They Enroll?

California will become the first state to allow unauthorized immigrant adults to receive full Medicaid coverage when it expands eligibility to people ages 19 to 25 in January. But health officials and immigrant rights advocates wonder whether fear of federal immigration policy combined with a youthful sense of not needing health insurance will keep those young adults from joining.

Despite Supreme Court Win, Texas Abortion Clinics Still Shuttered

Three years after winning a big legal battle, abortion providers still find themselves losing the war when it comes to keeping clinics open across the huge, populous state.

‘An Arm And A Leg’: Mom Vs. Texas In A Fight To Get Kids’ Hearing Aids Covered

Health insurance in Texas didn’t cover hearing aids for kids — which can cost $6,000 and need to be replaced about every three years. So Stephanie Wittels Wachs teamed up with other moms to lobby the Texas legislature for change, and they won.

Verma Attacks Critics Of Medicaid Work Requirement, Pushes For Tighter Eligibility

The Trump administration’s top Medicaid official says the effort to thwart these work mandates “stifles innovation.”

Some Academics Quietly Take Side Jobs Helping Tobacco Companies In Court

Faced with lawsuits from sick smokers, tobacco firms argue the health risks were “common knowledge” for decades, and they often pay professors to help make that point as expert witnesses.

Some Academics Quietly Take Side Jobs Helping Tobacco Companies In Court

Faced with lawsuits from sick smokers, tobacco firms argue the health risks were “common knowledge” for decades, and they often pay professors to help make that point as expert witnesses.

Flavor Bans Multiply, But Menthol Continues to Divide

As states and communities ban the sale of flavored tobacco products linked to vaping, anti-smoking activists are piggybacking on the momentum to target menthol cigarettes. But some African Americans say menthol cigarette bans will lead to discrimination.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Elections Matter

Key Democratic wins in 2019 state elections in Virginia and (probably) Kentucky could have big implications for health care in general and Medicaid in particular. And in the Democratic presidential primary, Elizabeth Warren is catching flak from all sides over her “Medicare For All” plan. This week, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Caitlin Owens of Axios and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Laura Ungar, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month.” For “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.

Rural Seasonal Workers Worry About Montana Medicaid’s Work Requirements

Montana is one of several states that want Medicaid recipients to prove they work a steady, minimum number of hours monthly. Will federal courts allow the Montana rule change to stand?

The Air Ambulance Billed More Than His Surgeon Did For A Lung Transplant

After Tom Saputo underwent double lung transplant surgery in 2018, he was stunned by a surprise bill of more than $11,000 for the 27-mile air ambulance ride to the hospital. State and federal proposals would crack down on extreme air ambulance charges, including a new California law that will limit how much some patients pay for air ambulance rides.