A Tale of Two Medicaid Expansions: Oklahoma Jumps In, While Missouri Lags
By Bram Sable-Smith
Voters in Missouri and Oklahoma approved Medicaid expansion to begin in 2021. But while Oklahoma has enrolled over 200,000 people so far, Missouri has enrolled fewer than 20,000. Why are two such similar states handling the public insurance rollout so differently?
Medical Exiles: Families Flee States Amid Crackdown on Transgender Care
By Bram Sable-Smith and Daniel Chang and Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez and Sandy West
As more states restrict gender-affirming care for transgender people, some are relocating to more welcoming destinations, such as California, Illinois, Maryland, and Nevada, where they don’t have to worry about being locked out of medical care.
Familias huyen de los estados que niegan atención de salud a las personas trans
By Bram Sable-Smith and Daniel Chang and Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez and Sandy West
Más de una cuarta parte de los adultos trans encuestados por KFF y The Washington Post a fines del año pasado dijeron que se mudaron a otro vecindario, ciudad o estado en busca de un ambiente más tolerante.
Epidemic: The Tata Way
Episode 5 of the “Eradicating Smallpox” podcast explores how a partnership between public health institutions and a huge, influential private company was key in the campaign to eliminate smallpox.
If Congress Adds Dental Coverage to Medicare, Should All Seniors Get It?
By Bram Sable-Smith
Health equity advocates see a once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide a dental benefit to millions of older Americans as Congress considers expanding Medicare services. But complicating that push is a debate over how many of the more than 60 million Medicare recipients should receive dental coverage.
Patients’ Perilous Months-Long Waiting for Medicaid Coverage Is a Sign of What’s to Come
By Bram Sable-Smith and Rachana Pradhan
The pandemic crisis has overwhelmed understaffed state Medicaid agencies, already delaying access to the insurance program in Missouri. As the public health emergency ends, low-income people nationwide could find it even harder to have coverage.
Missouri Takes Months to Process Medicaid Applications — Longer Than Law Allows
By Bram Sable-Smith and Phil Galewitz
Missouri has more people waiting to have their Medicaid applications processed than it has approved since the expansion of the federal-state health insurance program. Although most states process Medicaid applications within a week, Missouri is taking, on average, more than two months. Patient advocates fear that means people will stay uninsured longer, leading them to postpone care or get stuck with high medical bills.
Why Millions on Medicaid Are at Risk of Losing Coverage in the Months Ahead
By Rachana Pradhan
State Medicaid agencies for months have been preparing for the end of a federal mandate that has prevented states from removing people from the safety-net program during the pandemic.
‘Are You Going to Keep Me Safe?’ Hospital Workers Sound Alarm on Rising Violence
By Bram Sable-Smith and Andy Miller
Health care workers already bore the brunt of workplace violence in the U.S. Now, tensions from an exhausting pandemic are spilling over into hospitals.
Pandemic Upends The Lives Of People With Disabilities — And Of Their Caregivers
By Bram Sable-Smith, Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin already faced a shortage of caregivers who offer crucial health services and independence to their clients. Then the pandemic struck. In a survey of nearly 500 Wisconsinites with disabilities and older adults, every respondent said the pandemic had disrupted their caregiving service.
