KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Medicaid in the Crosshairs, Maybe
President Donald Trump has said he won’t support major cuts to the Medicaid health insurance program for people with low incomes, but he has endorsed a House budget plan that calls for major cuts, leaving the program’s future in doubt. Meanwhile, thousands of workers at the Department of Health and Human Services were fired over the holiday weekend, from the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with possibly more cuts to come.
Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Daily Edition for Thursday, February 20, 2025
Sutter Health Expanding In East Bay: Sutter Health plans to build a $1 billion comprehensive medical campus in Emeryville with outpatient care and a 200-bed hospital. It will replace the 339-bed Alta Bates hospital. Outpatient care, including primary or family medicine as well as specialties, is set to start in 2028, with the hospital opening in 2032-33. Read more from Berkeleyside, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Becker’s Hospital Review.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, February 19, 2025
California Bill Would Prevent Youths From Buying Anti-Aging Products: Under a bill introduced Tuesday by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San José), retailers would be prohibited from selling cosmetic products to shoppers under 18 if they contain retinol, alpha hydroxy acid, or other anti-aging ingredients. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
The Covid ‘Contrarians’ Are in Power. We Still Haven’t Hashed Out Whether They Were Right.
By Arthur Allen
Jay Bhattacharya, nominated to lead the National Institutes of Health, opposed most covid mandates. Without an honest public debate about what worked and what didn’t, public health experts say, we’re even less prepared for the next pandemic.
Republicans Are Eyeing Cuts to Medicaid. What’s Medicaid, Again?
By Renuka Rayasam and Sam Whitehead
Republicans in Congress have suggested big cuts to Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities. The complex, multifaceted program touches millions of Americans and has become deeply woven into state budgets and the U.S. health care system.
Los republicanos están considerando recortes a Medicaid. De nuevo, ¿qué es Medicaid?
By Renuka Rayasam and Sam Whitehead
Más de 79 millones de personas reciben servicios de Medicaid o del relacionado Programa de Seguro de Salud Infantil (CHIP). Esto representa aproximadamente el 20% de la población total de Estados Unidos.
Deny and Delay? California Seeks Penalties for Insurers That Repeatedly Get It Wrong
By Christine Mai-Duc
A state lawmaker wants health insurers to disclose denial rates and explain those denials as anger grows over rising costs and uncovered medical care. If the bill is signed into law, health experts say, it could be one of the boldest attempts in the nation to rein in denials.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Workers Plan Strike Next Week At All UC Medical Centers, Campuses: Tens of thousands of unionized University of California workers are poised to strike Feb. 26 to 28 across all 10 UC campuses and five medical centers over what the unions say are unfair labor practices. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times.
Pain Clinics Made Millions From ‘Unnecessary’ Injections Into ‘Human Pin Cushions’
By Brett Kelman
Illustration by Oona Zenda
Pain MD, which once ran as many as 20 clinics across three states, gave chronic-pain patients about 700,000 total injections near their spines, according to court documents. Last year, federal prosecutors proved at trial that the shots were medically unnecessary and part of an extensive fraud scheme.
Iowa Medicaid Sends $4M Bills to Two Families Grieving Deaths of Loved Ones With Disabilities
By Tony Leys
States are required to claw back health care costs from the estates of many Medicaid recipients. Some, including Iowa, are particularly aggressive in their pursuit.
