Medicaid is under threat — again. Republicans, who narrowly control Congress, are pushing proposals that could sharply cut funding to the government health insurance program for poor and disabled Americans, as a way to finance President Donald Trump’s agenda for tax cuts and border security. Democrats, hoping to block the GOP’s plans and preserve Medicaid … Read more
As told to Jacquelyne Froeber February 21, 2025, is National Caregivers Day. My dad was the fun parent. Growing up, we did pretty much everything together, but Saturday mornings were my favorite. Dad would turn on the radio and blast the bluegrass music he loved while we tossed a softball in the side yard. Dad … Read more
A Kentucky county nestled in the heart of Appalachia, where the opioid crisis has wreaked devastation for decades, spent $15,000 of its opioid settlement money on an ice rink. That amount wasn’t enough to solve the county’s troubles, but it could have bought 333 kits of Narcan, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses. Instead, … Read more
The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner Read Julie’s stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book “Health Care Politics and Policy A to … Read more
In October, Stanford University professor Jay Bhattacharya hosted a conference on the lessons of covid-19 in order “to do better in the next pandemic.” He invited scholars, journalists, and policy wonks who, like him, have criticized the U.S. management of the crisis as overly draconian. Bhattacharya also invited public health authorities who had considered his … Read more
Renuka Rayasam and Sam Whitehead In January, during a congressional hearing on his way to becoming secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got basic details wrong about Medicaid — a program he now oversees. He said that Medicaid is fully funded by the federal government (it’s not) and … Read more
By KIM BELLARD I found a new way to think about patients in an opinion piece by Ezra Klein: they’re NPCs. For those of you unfamiliar with gaming, NPCs are those characters in video games that aren’t controlled by live players; they’re part of the game, serving as background for the actions the actual players … Read more
Christine Mai-Duc When Colleen Henderson’s 3-year-old daughter complained of pain while using the bathroom, doctors brushed it off as a urinary tract infection or constipation, common maladies in the potty-training years. After being told her health insurance wouldn’t cover an ultrasound, Henderson charged the $6,000 procedure to her credit card. Then came the news: There … Read more
Brittani Blizinski was scrolling through TikTok last year when a post about making sourdough bread caught her eye. She’d never thought of herself as a “bread person,” but there was something about the unique fermenting process and the bubbly, tangy final product that spoke to her. “It just looked like fun,” Blizinski said. And when … Read more
Feb. 13 Sam Whitehead reads this week’s news: Hospital systems are looking for ways to help people in the U.S. without legal status get care, and some schools say staffing shortages make it hard to meet the needs of students with diabetes who use continuous glucose monitors. Feb. 6 Katheryn Houghton delivers this week’s news: … Read more