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Study reveals impact of Medicaid unwinding on children's emergency department visits in Texas

As the COVID-19 pandemic wound down, so did the federal government's funding to states that allowed all Medicaid enrollees to keep their coverage even if they no longer would have been eligible otherwise.

9 Sep 2025

Using AI models to improve prediction of CKD's progression to end-stage renal disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a complex condition marked by a gradual decline in kidney function, which can ultimately progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

9 Sep 2025

AI voice agents helped improve accuracy of blood pressure measurements in older adults

Artificial intelligence (AI) voice agents helped older adults with high blood pressure to accurately report their blood pressure readings and improved blood pressure management, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2025.

8 Sep 2025

Trump administration investigates Medicaid spending on immigrants in blue states

The Trump administration is taking its immigration crackdown to the health care safety net, launching Medicaid spending probes in at least six Democratic-led states that provide comprehensive health coverage to poor and disabled immigrants living in the U.S. without permanent legal status.

5 Sep 2025

Fighting a health insurance denial? Here are 7 tips to help

When Sally Nix found out that her health insurance company wouldn't pay for an expensive, doctor-recommended treatment to ease her neurological pain, she prepared for battle.

4 Sep 2025

As insurers struggle with GLP-1 drug costs, some seek to wean patients off

After losing 50 pounds on the injectable weight loss medication Zepbound, Kyra Wensley received a surprising letter from her pharmacy benefit manager in April.

4 Sep 2025

Daily probiotic reduces pouchitis risk after colon removal surgery but may not be cost-effective

A new UCLA Health study found that taking an 8-strain probiotic daily may reduce the risk of pouchitis, a common inflammatory condition that occurs after colon removal surgery for ulcerative colitis, but the treatment may not be worth the cost depending on a patient's likelihood of flare-ups.

3 Sep 2025

Flooding from Hurricane Sandy raises heart disease risk years later

Although the material damage from 2012's Hurricane Sandy may have been repaired, the storm left a lasting impact on cardiovascular health, according to new findings from Weill Cornell Medicine and New York University researchers.

3 Sep 2025

Medicaid expansion boosts access to opioid use disorder treatment

Medicaid plays a key role for giving people with opioid-use disorder access to treatment, according to a Rutgers Health study.

2 Sep 2025

Most US neurologists prescribing multiple sclerosis drugs receive pharma industry payments

Nearly 80% of US neurologists prescribing drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS) received at least one pharma industry payment, with higher volume prescribers more likely to be beneficiaries, finds a 5 year analysis of Medicare database payments, published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

27 Aug 2025

Insurance status influences survival chances for critically ill patients

Does insurance play a role in which critically ill patients live or die? The unfortunate answer may be yes, due in part to a difference in the rate of inter-hospital transfer, according to new research from the University of Michigan.

26 Aug 2025

Native Americans want to avoid past Medicaid enrollment snafus as work requirements loom

Jonnell Wieder earned too much money at her job to keep her Medicaid coverage when the covid-19 public health emergency ended in 2023 and states resumed checking whether people were eligible for the program.

22 Aug 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Happy 60th, Medicare and Medicaid!

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed landmark legislation creating Medicare and Medicaid. Sixty years later, the programs represent a fifth of the federal budget and provide coverage to nearly 1 in 4 Americans.

21 Aug 2025

Health care groups aim to counter growing ‘national scandal’ of elder homelessness

At age 82, Roberta Rabinovitz realized she had no place to go. A widow, she had lost both her daughters to cancer, after living with one and then the other, nursing them until their deaths.

18 Aug 2025

Breaking down why Medicare Part D premiums are likely to go up

Medicare enrollees who buy the optional Part D drug benefit may see substantial premium price hikes — potentially up to $50 a month — when they shop for next year's coverage.

17 Aug 2025

Study shows economic benefits of continued COVID-19 vaccination

As the nation gears up for the rollout of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, a new study shows the economic benefits of continued broad vaccination in adults.

14 Aug 2025

Pregabalin raises heart failure risk in older adults compared to gabapentin, study finds

A large Medicare cohort study found that older adults prescribed pregabalin had a significantly higher risk of developing heart failure compared to those prescribed gabapentin. The elevated risk was most pronounced in individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, especially women and White patients.

13 Aug 2025

Considering a life change? Brace for higher ACA costs

People thinking about starting a business or retiring early — before they're old enough for Medicare — may want to wait until November, when they can see just how much their Affordable Care Act health insurance will cost next year. Sharp increases are expected.

12 Aug 2025

A guide to finding insurance at 26‌

It was supposed to be easier than this. When the Affordable Care Act was passed in March 2010, the goal was to help more Americans get health insurance. And, indeed, the establishment of online marketplaces and a broadening of the eligibility guidelines for Medicaid accomplished that.

11 Aug 2025

Even in states that fought Obamacare, Trump’s new law poses health consequences

GOP lawmakers in the 10 states that refused the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion for over a decade have argued their conservative approach to growing government programs would pay off in the long run.

8 Aug 2025