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Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the states and federal government, and is managed by the states.

Staffing levels and quality linked to COVID-19 toll in nursing homes

A new study shows that residents of long-term care facilities with lower nurse staffing levels, poorer quality scores, and higher concentrations of disadvantaged residents suffer from higher rates of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths.

18 Jun 2020

Pandemic upends the lives of people with disabilities — and of their caregivers

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Stacy Ellingen, 34, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, lost two of the three caregivers she depends on to dress, shower, eat and use the bathroom. The caregivers — both University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh students — returned to their parents’ homes when the university canceled in-person classes.

17 Jun 2020

Multilevel interventions improve overall rate of HPV vaccinations

New research from Boston Medical Center shows that providing education and training to pediatric and family medicine providers about the importance of human papillomavirus vaccines, in tandem with healthcare systems changes including starting an HPV vaccination series before the age of 11, improves the overall rate of HPV vaccinations among adolescent patients.

15 Jun 2020

If you’ve lost your health plan in the COVID crisis, you’ve got options

The coronavirus pandemic — and the economic fallout that has come with it — boosted health insurance enrollment counselor Mark Van Arnam's workload. But he wants to be even busier.

12 Jun 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Say what? The spread of coronavirus confusion

As we gain more and more information about the coronavirus and COVID-19, we seem to have less and less understanding of how the disease works and how prevalent it is in areas around the country and world.

11 Jun 2020

Federal help falters as nursing homes run short of protective equipment

Around the country, nursing homes trying to protect their residents from the coronavirus eagerly await boxes of masks, eyewear and gowns promised by the federal government. But all too often the packages deliver disappointment — if they arrive at all.

11 Jun 2020

When a doctor no longer accepts Medicare, patients left holding the bag

Pneumonia. Heart problems. High cholesterol. Betsy Carrier, 71, and her husband, Don Resnikoff, 79, relied on their primary care doctor in Montgomery County, Maryland, for help managing their ailments.

9 Jun 2020

Rapid changes to health system spurred by COVID might be here to stay

The U.S. health care system is famously resistant to government-imposed change. It took decades to create Medicare and Medicaid, mostly due to opposition from the medical-industrial complex. Then it was nearly another half-century before the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

8 Jun 2020

Long-term care facilities are a major driver of total COVID-19 deaths

Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are a major driver of total COVID-19 deaths. Reported today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) geriatricians Rossana Lau-Ng, Lisa Caruso and Thomas Perls studied the past month's case and death data reported by the Massachusetts Department of Health's COVID-19 daily Dashboard along with data provided by the Kaiser Family Foundation and other countries.

5 Jun 2020

Social media fears about lack of coverage for protest injuries may be overblown

Thousands of protesters thronged the streets in recent days to express their anger over the killing of an African American man, George Floyd, in police custody in Minneapolis.

5 Jun 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Protests and the pandemic

Following the death of George Floyd while in custody in Minneapolis, protests have mushroomed around the U.S. to decry police violence, raising concerns among public health officials about the potential for further spread of the coronavirus.

4 Jun 2020

In hard-hit areas, COVID’s ripple effects strain mental health care systems

In late March, Marcell's girlfriend took him to the emergency room at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, about 11 miles south of Detroit.

4 Jun 2020

New guidelines improve outcomes in colon cancer patients

A new University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center study finds that many Kentucky patients with colon cancer are not receiving the recommended standard of care therapy for their disease.

3 Jun 2020

Academic emergency departments provide unconditional care to COVID-19 patients

"Academic emergency departments never deny emergency care to any person." That is the statement put forth in a commentary from the Board of Directors of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and the Senior Editorial Board of Academic Emergency Medicine journal.

2 Jun 2020

Out-of-pocket health care costs for patients with type 1 diabetes is $2,500 a year, study reveals

Adults and children with type 1 diabetes will spend an average of $2,500 a year out-of-pocket for health care - but insulin isn't always the biggest expense - new research suggests.

1 Jun 2020

Democratic super PAC uses familiar political play to hit Trump on Medicare

Priorities USA Action, a Democratic super PAC, announced a new digital and TV ad series criticizing President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

1 Jun 2020

‘Why do we always get hit first?’ Proposed budget cuts target vulnerable Californians

Shirley Madden, 83, relies on a caregiver and her two grown daughters to remain living at home — and not in a nursing home.

1 Jun 2020

No-deductible preventive drugs can reduce out-of-pocket costs for diabetic patients

For patients with diabetes - especially those with lower incomes - preventive drug lists (PDLs) of essential medications available with no deductible can reduce out-of-pocket costs while increasing use of important treatments, reports a study in a June supplement to Medical Care.

27 May 2020

Researchers examine quality measures for medical care of homebound older adults

There are an estimated 2 million older adults who are homebound or unable to leave their homes due to multiple chronic conditions and functional impairment.

22 May 2020

ACR warns about the economic impact of COVID-19 on rheumatology practices

In virtual meetings with lawmakers and on Twitter tomorrow, physician and health professional leaders from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) are sounding the alarm about the economic impact of COVID-19 on rheumatology practices and the urgent need for more targeted relief that will help specialty practices remain solvent and continue to serve patients.

22 May 2020