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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.

Recovery on the reservation: Montana sisters help peers stop using drugs

There’s a narrative about the meth epidemic in Montana that says the state tackled the problem in the 2000s yet it’s back with a vengeance because of super labs and drug cartels in Mexico. Within the Fort Belknap Indian Community, though, it never really went away.

6 Jun 2017

A community seeks answers, assurances about health care — in 10 languages

Ten years ago, Mary Thach unexpectedly needed throat surgery to improve her breathing and spent two weeks in the hospital. Her bill: $69,000.

5 Jun 2017

Senators’ dueling web shoutouts echo nation’s partisan divide on Obamacare

Politically, Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) are not all that far apart. Both are moderates who rejected proposed cuts in Medicaid funds. And yet, in the highly polarized atmosphere of Washington, D.C., they find themselves rallying constituents along diametrically opposed positions.

1 Jun 2017

GOP health bill pleases most Republicans, but not many other Americans

The health overhaul bill passed by the House earlier this month accomplishes one major feat: It is even less popular than the not-very-popular Affordable Care Act it would largely replace, a new poll finds.

31 May 2017

California’s new single-payer proposal embraces some costly old ways

Three of the dirtiest words in health care are "fee for service." For years, U.S. officials have sought to move Medicare away from paying doctors and hospitals for each task they perform, a costly approach that rewards the quantity of care over quality. State Medicaid programs and private insurers are pursuing similar changes.

31 May 2017

Study finds opioid dependence and overdose rates after urologic surgery

About 1 in 1,111 patients who undergo urologic surgery for conditions such as prostate cancer and kidney stones experience opioid dependence or overdose (ODO), a Loyola Medicine study has found.

30 May 2017

Target of Medicare insider trading case boasted he was unstoppable ‘beast’

In his prime, consultant David Blaszczak bragged that he made millions for his hedge-fund clients when he predicted important Medicare funding changes.

30 May 2017

Prolaris becomes first genetic test to receive Medicare coverage for favorable intermediate and low-risk prostate cancer

Myriad Genetics, Inc., a leader in molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine, today announced that Palmetto GBA, a Medicare Administrative Contractor that assesses molecular diagnostic technologies, has issued a positive final Local Coverage Determination to expand Medicare coverage of the Prolaris test.

29 May 2017

Molina Healthcare, a top Obamacare insurer, investigates breach of patients’ data

Molina Healthcare, a major insurer in Medicaid and state exchanges across the country, has shut down its online patient portal as it investigates a potential data breach that may have exposed sensitive medical information.

27 May 2017

A busy week for health: Budget cuts, CBO scores and Mitch Mcconnell’s cryptic signal

It was a hectic week for people who follow news about health politics. Kaiser Health News' veteran reporters Mary Agnes Carey and Julie Rovner sat down to discuss some of the major developments.

27 May 2017

New study finds clear trend of HIV patients persisting with treatment longer than usual

With antiretroviral drugs, HIV has become a manageable chronic condition, but only so long as patients continue to take the medication.

26 May 2017

Health care law would increase hunger and poverty among millions in the U.S.

Bread for the World is alarmed that 23 million people, including 14 million on Medicaid, would lose health insurance coverage under the American Health Care Act passed by the House of Representatives on May 4.

25 May 2017

Study finds variations among hospitals in transitioning stroke patients from treatment to comfort care

Hospitals vary widely in how often they transition people with strokes from active treatment to comfort or hospice care within 48 hours after they get to the hospital, according to a new study published in the May 24, 2017, online issue of Neurology Clinical Practice, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

25 May 2017

Researchers shed light on variations in care and complications across bariatric surgery centers

Every year, nearly 200,000 Americans turn to surgeons for help with their obesity, seeking bariatric surgery to lose weight and prevent life-threatening health problems.

23 May 2017

Researchers identify new strategy that doubles screening rates for colorectal cancer

University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have identified a strategy that doubled screening rates for colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, among patient groups who historically have had lower rates.

16 May 2017

Two-dose HPV vaccine provides effective protection against genital warts

As of this year, kids under the age of 15 only need 2 doses of HPV vaccine. New research out of Boston Medical Center, published online in the STD Journal, is the first published clinical evidence to support new recommendations by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for a two-dose HPV vaccine to prevent genital warts.

15 May 2017

Research finds that only few women receive long-lasting contraception due to poor access

Before leaving the hospital after childbirth, more women are opting to check one thing off their list: birth control.

10 May 2017

Republican congressmen send fiery response to HHS

Two influential Republican congressmen are blasting a Department of Health and Human Services memo to division heads as a "potentially illegal and unconstitutional" infringement on whistleblowers' rights to call attention to waste, fraud and abuse in the executive branch.

9 May 2017

Social smokers' risk for high blood pressure and cholesterol is identical to regular users, study finds

Social smokers' risk for high blood pressure and high cholesterol is identical to those who light up every day, new research has found.

3 May 2017

Bread for the World: 10 hungriest states in the U.S. revealed

New analysis by Bread for the World of the latest hunger data has revealed the 10 hungriest states in the United States. To accompany the analysis, Bread for the World has created a new infographic mapping out those 10 hungriest states.

29 Apr 2017