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Study reveals massive payment gap between Medicaid and other insurers

Medicaid has a reputation for paying doctors less than other health insurers. But exactly how much less has been difficult to establish, particularly for the vast majority of Medicaid patients whose care is provided through private health plans.

4 Sep 2026

Five large corporations dominate Medicaid mental health care for adolescents

The United States is in the middle of a well-documented adolescent mental health crisis. Because Medicaid provides medical coverage for roughly half of all children in the country, the program has an essential role in responding to that crisis.

3 Aug 2026

High costs continue limiting insurance coverage for GLP-1 medications

Despite growing evidence that GLP-1 medications improve health and are worth their cost, many insurance plans still limit coverage. University of Mississippi researchers are examining why, and where that leaves patients.

20 Jul 2026

Insurance denials for brand-name drugs surge over past six years

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the American Enterprise Institute found that insurance denials of first attempts to fill prescriptions for brand-name prescription drugs with no generic competitors increased more than two-thirds between 2018 and 2024.

11 Jul 2026

Medicare prescriptions for Wegovy spike after heart disease coverage expansion

Medicare prescriptions for Wegovy increased sharply after the program started covering the anti-obesity medication to prevent heart problems, but just a fraction of beneficiaries likely eligible received the treatment, according to new research from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics.

9 Jul 2026

New study reveals barriers to Medicaid-funded home care access

Obtaining home care for older adults with Medicaid can be a complex, multi-step process marked by delays and uncertainty, often resulting in long wait times, according to a new Weill Cornell Medicine study.

26 May 2026

Addressing depression and anxiety in primary care improves chronic pain management

A study published this month in the American Journal of Managed Care explores how integrating behavioral health care into primary care can improve outcomes and be cost-effective for adults with depression, anxiety and chronic pain who are on long-term opioid therapy.

15 May 2026

Experts call for expanded Medicaid coverage to improve children’s health

As states reassess Medicaid coverage following recent federal policy changes and the end of pandemic-era protections, researchers are advocating for evidence-based health care policy reform and expanded Medicaid coverage for children.

9 Apr 2026

New obesity definition could delay treatment and widen health gaps

The Lancet obesity framework aims to improve risk assessment but risks delaying treatment and deepening health inequities, according to recent evaluations.

7 Apr 2026

State-run insurance plans for foster kids leave some of them without doctors

Ollie Super has moved in and out of cancer treatment since she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma as a toddler in foster care. Now 8, the second grader is dealing with it again. Her cancer came back late last year.

2 Apr 2026

In switching to original medicare, beware of Medigap plan refusals

It's open enrollment season for Medicare Advantage, when people currently enrolled in private managed-care plans can either sign up for a new one or switch to original Medicare through March 31.

16 Mar 2026

Young adults with complex conditions face Medicaid coverage disruptions at age 19

In most states, Medicaid eligibility rules shift at age 19, when individuals transition from child to adult classification.

18 Feb 2026

Three PBMs dominate retail prescriptions in Medicare Part D and Medicaid markets

Just three pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) dominate retail prescriptions in Medicare Part D and Medicaid managed care across much of the country, with markets in in nearly every state considered highly concentrated for at least one program, according to a new study from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics.

10 Feb 2026

Barriers to testosterone therapy drive men toward underground sources

Some men are resorting to obtaining testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) from underground sources due to significant barriers to accessing the therapy through formal medical channels, according to new Griffith University research.

9 Feb 2026

This California strategy safeguarded some Medicaid social services funding from Trump

When Virginia Guevara moved into a studio apartment in California's Orange County in 2024 after nearly a decade of homelessness, she needed far more than a roof and a bed.

13 Jan 2026

Medical bills can be vexing and perplexing. Here’s this year’s best advice for patients.

A Texas boy's second dose of the MMRV vaccine cost over $1,400. A Pennsylvania woman's long-acting birth control cost more than $14,000.

23 Dec 2025

Medicaid health plans step up outreach efforts ahead of GOP changes

Carmen Basu, bundled in a red jacket and woolly scarf, stood outside the headquarters of her local health plan one morning after picking up free groceries. She had brought her husband, teenage son, and 79-year-old mother-in-law to help.

22 Dec 2025

They need a ventilator to stay alive. Getting one can be a nightmare.

On vacation in Mexico last year, Michael DiPlacido passed out twice while scuba diving and again in his hotel. Back in St. Louis, doctors diagnosed him with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, an incurable disease that often requires mechanical ventilation.

2 Dec 2025

Implementing lifestyle medicine as a high-value care solution can lead to better outcomes

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has published a position paper calling for the implementation of lifestyle medicine as a high-value care solution that delivers on the Quintuple Aim-better health outcomes, higher patient and clinician satisfaction, greater health equity, and lower costs.

25 Nov 2025

Private Medicare, Medicaid plans exaggerate in-network mental health options, watchdogs say

Companies running private Medicare and Medicaid insurance plans inaccurately list many mental health professionals as being available to treat the plans' members, a new federal watchdog report says.

20 Oct 2025