Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Years Later, Centene Settlements With States Still Unfinished
At least 20 states have settled disputes with health insurance giant Centene since 2021 over allegations that its pharmacy benefit manager operation overcharged their Medicaid programs. Two holdouts appear to remain: Georgia has not yet settled, and Florida officials won’t answer questions about its Centene situation.
To Patients, Parents, and Caregivers, Proposed Medicaid Cuts Are a Personal Affront
At a town hall in Orange County, California, angry residents said Congress should keep its hands off Medicaid. The cuts contemplated in a House budget blueprint would bore a giant hole in California’s version of the safety net health insurance program, Medi-Cal, which covers nearly 15 million residents.
UnitedHealth Wins Ruling Over $2B in Alleged Medicare Advantage Overpayments
A special master found the Justice Department failed to prove wrongdoing by the giant health insurer.
Home Improvements Help People Age Independently. But Medicare Seldom Picks Up the Bill.
A small program celebrated by its proponents helps people modify their homes and safely live independently as they age. But most insurers won’t pay for it, including Medicare.
A Runner Was Hit by a Car, Then by a Surprise Ambulance Bill
A San Francisco man had friends drive him to the hospital after he was hit by a car. Doctors checked him out, then sent him by ambulance to a trauma center — which released him with no further treatment. The ambulance bill? Almost $13,000.
Future of Cancer Coverage for Women Federal Firefighters Uncertain Under Trump
In the waning days of the Biden administration, the Labor Department added ovarian, uterine, cervical, and breast cancer coverage for wildland firefighters. It’s unclear whether the new protections will stick under Trump.
Watch: What Is Medicaid, Again?
KFF Health News correspondent Sam Whitehead discusses Medicaid’s history and role in the U.S. health system.
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.
Republicans Are Eyeing Cuts to Medicaid. What’s Medicaid, Again?
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?
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.