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The big squeeze: More enrollees and smaller networks plague some ACA plans

The Affordable Care Act may be struggling with its own success.

6 Apr 2023

Gov. Newsom wanted California to cut ties with Walgreens. Then federal law got in the way.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared last month that California was "done" doing business with Walgreens after the pharmacy chain said it would not distribute an abortion pill in 21 states where Republicans threatened legal action. Since then, KHN has learned that the Democratic governor must compromise on his hard-line tweet.

6 Apr 2023

Illness severity and clinical instability linked to risk of psychiatric hospitalization

For patients with psychiatric conditions, illness severity and instability are key factors in predicting future risk of hospitalization, according to a new study by Holmusk, a leading behavioral health real-world evidence and data analytics company, that has been published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

28 Mar 2023

Two counties square off with California over mental health duties

Sacramento and Solano counties are in a standoff with the state over mental health coverage for a portion of Medicaid patients in those counties — a dispute that threatens to disrupt care for nearly 50,000 low-income residents receiving treatment for severe mental illness.

15 Mar 2023

Medicaid health plans try to protect members — and profits — during unwinding

The federal covid-19 pandemic protections that have largely prohibited states from dropping anyone from Medicaid since 2020 helped millions of low-income Americans retain health insurance coverage — even if they no longer qualified — and brought the U.S. uninsured rate to a record low.

9 Mar 2023

After people on Medicaid die, some states aggressively seek repayment from their estates

Fran Ruhl's family received a startling letter from the Iowa Department of Human Services four weeks after she died in January 2022.

2 Mar 2023

UCLA Health receives two-year state grant to expand access to health care services for the homeless

The UCLA Health Homeless Healthcare Collaborative has received a $25.3 million, two-year state grant to expand access and enhance coordination of medical and behavioral health care provided to people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles.

1 Mar 2023

Government lets health plans that ripped off Medicare keep the money

Medicare Advantage plans for seniors dodged a major financial bullet Monday as government officials gave them a reprieve for returning hundreds of millions of dollars or more in government overpayments — some dating back a decade or more.

30 Jan 2023

California’s resolve questioned after it grants Medi-Cal contract concessions

California's decision last month to cancel the results of a long-planned bidding competition among commercial health plans in its Medicaid program has some industry insiders and consumer advocates wondering whether the state can stand up to insurers and force improvements in care for millions of low-income beneficiaries.

27 Jan 2023

Unmet needs: Critics cite failures in health care for vulnerable foster children

One night last month, a 9-year-old boy who had autism and talked about killing himself was among about 70 foster care children and youth under state supervision sleeping in hotels across Georgia.

25 Jan 2023

Centene, under siege in America, moved into Britain’s National Health Service

In the final days of 2020, the U.S. health insurer Centene made a swift incursion into Britain's prized National Health Service, one of the world's largest employers.

22 Dec 2022

Worries about emergency care costs keep older adults from seeking medical attention

Worries about what emergency care might cost them have kept some older adults from seeking medical attention even when they felt they might need it, a new study shows.

16 Dec 2022

After election win, California’s AG turns to investigating hospital algorithms for racial bias

California Attorney General Rob Bonta sailed to victory in the Nov. 8 election, riding his progressive record on reproductive rights, gun control, and social justice reform.

21 Nov 2022

Centene showers politicians with millions as it courts contracts and settles overbilling allegations

On Nov. 2, 2021, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak's reelection campaign received 10 separate $10,000 contributions from what appeared to be unrelated health insurance plans from across the country.

4 Nov 2022

Study analyzes Medicaid programs for children with medical complexity

Medicaid eligibility and coverage for children with medical complexity vary substantially by state, which gives rise to health equity concerns, especially if families move across state lines, according to a study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago published in the journal JAMA Network Open. The study focused on Medicaid programs for these children beyond the traditional family income-based eligibility.

1 Nov 2022

Food insufficiency increased in US households by 25% after expiration of Child Tax Credit payments

When Congress failed to renew advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments last year, public health experts feared that the loss of this monthly federal pandemic relief benefit would push millions of families and children in America back into poverty and hunger.

21 Oct 2022

Centene gave thousands to Georgia leaders’ campaigns while facing Medicaid overbilling questions

A health insurance giant that has paid out more than $485 million in legal settlements with states over pharmacy billing allegations has also been a major donor to Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr, according to campaign finance records.

18 Oct 2022