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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.

Unwitting patients, copycat comments play hidden role in federal rule-making

A proposal to sharply cut a drug discount program that many hospitals rely on drew some 1,400 comments when the Trump administration announced its plan last year. Hundreds appeared to come from patients across the country — pleas from average Americans whose treatments for diseases such as cancer depend on costly medicines.

11 Sep 2018

ACR cautions policymakers that reducing E/M services can compromise patient access to care

In comments submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding the 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, the American College of Rheumatology cautioned policymakers against implementing a proposal to reduce physician reimbursement for evaluation and management services, arguing that doing so could severely compromise patient access to care and further exacerbate the growing rheumatology workforce shortage.

10 Sep 2018

Insulin’s high cost leads to deadly rationing

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a terrible way to die. It’s what happens when you don’t have enough insulin. Your blood sugar gets so high that your blood becomes highly acidic, your cells dehydrate, and your body stops functioning.

7 Sep 2018

Heart attack and stroke prevention efforts need a boost says CDC

According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the efforts to prevent heart attacks and strokes in the United States have reached a plateau and are not making any further progress.

7 Sep 2018

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Health policy goes to court

A federal judge in Texas seemed sympathetic to the argument by GOP state officials that the Affordable Care Act soon will no longer be constitutional since Congress eliminated the penalty for not having insurance. The case was filed by 18 state attorneys general and two governors.

6 Sep 2018

Avoidable sepsis infections send thousands of seniors to gruesome deaths

Shana Dorsey first caught sight of the purplish wound on her father's lower back as he lay in a suburban Chicago hospital bed a few weeks before his death.

6 Sep 2018

Rudy Giuliani’s consulting firm had hand in halting Florida’s opioid investigation

Six months after hiring former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani's consulting firm, Purdue Pharma settled a Florida state investigation that had threatened to expose early illegal marketing of its blockbuster drug OxyContin, company and state records show.

5 Sep 2018

Democratic, GOP attorneys general square off in Texas showdown over health law

Wednesday is looking like yet another pivotal day in the life-or-death saga that has marked the history of the Affordable Care Act.

4 Sep 2018

Low-income Californians feel twice the burn from wildfires

Viviana Aguirre, 14, knows the air is bad when she has to reach for her inhaler once, maybe twice a week.

4 Sep 2018

Patients who develop AFib following TAVR have greater risk for complications

Patients developing AFib after TAVR are at higher risk of death, stroke and heart attack compared to patients who already had AFib prior to the procedure, according to a study today in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. The paper is the first nationwide examination of patients who developed AFib for the first time following TAVR.

3 Sep 2018

Children experiencing homelessness for more than six months have high risk of poor health outcomes

Experiencing homelessness at any time during the pre- or postnatal period can negatively affect a young child's health.

3 Sep 2018

Medicaid expansion may fill gap in reproductive health care access, study finds

Medicaid expansion may fill a significant gap in reproductive health care access, especially among young and low-income women, a new Michigan Medicine study finds.

31 Aug 2018

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Ask us anything!

This week, KHN's "What the Health?" panelists answered questions submitted by listeners.

31 Aug 2018

Californians living longer with cancer — some longer than others

As he grew older, Dale Kunitomi paid closer attention to his health — and to his doctor's advice. When he noticed rectal bleeding in 2010, he went to see his physician, who ordered a colonoscopy.

30 Aug 2018

Wis. board will again cover state workers seeking transgender treatment

In a surprising reversal, a Wisconsin board has voted to again offer insurance coverage to transgender state employees seeking hormone therapy and gender confirmation surgery.

29 Aug 2018

Study shows that clinical diagnosis is not best predictor of avoidable hospitalization

The care of long-term nursing home patients can be fragmented by hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations, which are especially burdensome for frail older adults.

29 Aug 2018

Helping young patients gain more access to stroke preventive medications

People who survive a stroke in their 40s, 50s or early 60s may still have decades to live – but only if they take blood thinners, blood pressure drugs and other medications that can reduce their risk of a second stroke.

28 Aug 2018

Medicaid health coverage expansion due to ACA decreases uninsured cardiac-related hospitalizations

States that expanded eligibility for their Medicaid program in 2014 when the Affordable Care Act was implemented, saw fewer uninsured patients among major cardiac-related hospitalizations in the first year compared with states that did not expand the program, according to a study released today in JAMA Network Open.

25 Aug 2018

ACA Medicaid expansion linked to decline in uninsured hospitalizations for cardiovascular events

Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act was associated with a decline in the proportion of uninsured hospitalizations for major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

24 Aug 2018

Health insurance education contributes to higher enrollment in ACA plans

Community outreach and educational support for navigating health insurance options available in the Affordable Care Act marketplace are crucial for helping people choose the best plan based on their individual needs, according to researchers, health policy experts and community partners across Missouri - one of 19 states that hasn't expanded Medicaid eligibility.

23 Aug 2018