Medicaid

Democratic presidential candidates former Vice President Joe Biden (left), Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (right) debate different ways to expand health coverage in America.

Health & Safety

Why Even Universal Health Coverage Isn't Enough

9:54am November 15, 2019

by Suhas Gondi

As U.S. presidential candidates prep for their next debate, a doctor-to-be asks them, and us all, to remember that even universal access to health care won't fix other disparities that hurt health.

Kate Clyatt, 28, works seasonally as a ranch hand in southwest Montana, and relies on the state's Medicaid program for health coverage. "Ranching is just not a job with a lot of money in it," Clyatt says. "I don't know at what point I'm going to be able t

Health & Safety

Rural Seasonal Workers Worry About Montana Medicaid's Work Requirements

8:10am November 03, 2019

by Corin Cates-Carney

Montana is one of several states that want Medicaid recipients to prove they work a steady, minimum number of hours monthly. Will federal courts allow the Montana rule change to stand?

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Colorado estimates that about 15% of the 12 million letters it sends to beneficiaries of public assistance programs each year are returned unopened, left to pile up in county offices like this one in Colorado Springs. That amounts to about 1.8 million pie

Return To Sender? Just One Missed Letter Can Be Enough To End Medicaid Benefits

5:00am November 01, 2019

by Markian Hawryluk

Colorado, like a number of states, is struggling with huge piles of returned mail linked to public aid programs such as Medicaid or food stamps. But is dropping people from such assistance the answer?

Enrollment Begins For Medicaid Managed Care

11:14am October 15, 2019

by Neal Charnoff

While Medicaid expansion is still being debated in North Carolina, thousands of residents will be impacted by changes to the government-run program that were implemented this week.

Multiple groups are trying to delay — and ultimately block — the Trump administration's public charge rule. The new rule makes it more difficult for immigrants to get green cards if it seems they might need public assistance.

Advocates Try To Help Migrants Navigate Trump's Public Charge Rule

5:00am October 11, 2019

by Pam Fessler

Advocacy groups are trying to help immigrants navigate the Trump administration's rule change that says legal immigrants will be less likely to be able to stay in the U.S. if they use public benefits.

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Missouri resident Patricia Powers had no health insurance when she was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago; she and her disabled husband were struggling to get by on, at most, $1,500 a month. If they'd lived across the river in Illinois, she'd have bee

State Border Splits Neighbors Into Medicaid Haves And Have-Nots

9:11am October 01, 2019

by Laura Ungar

On the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, many families struggling financially can get health care, thanks to Medicaid expansion. Meanwhile, their neighbors on the Missouri side don't qualify.

The rate of uninsured children has risen in the last two years, after declining since 2008.

Health & Safety

Fewer Children Had Health Insurance In 2018 Than Year Before, Census Data Shows

6:30pm September 10, 2019

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

After years of decline, rates of uninsured children on on the rise. Immigrants and Hispanics saw large growth, possibly because of Trump administration policies.

In rugged, rural areas, patients often have little choice about how they'll get to the hospital in an emergency. "The presence of private equity in the air ambulance industry indicates that investors see profit opportunities," a 2017 report from the feder

Wyoming Wants To Use Medicaid To Reduce Air Ambulance Bills For All Patients

12:57pm August 23, 2019

by Markian Hawryluk

Frustrated with sky-high bills from air ambulance companies, Wyoming hopes to hammer down those charges with more regulation. The companies say such a proposal undermines free enterprise.

John Poynter of Clarksville, Tenn., uses a wall calendar to keep track of all his appointments for both behavioral health and physical ailments. His mental health case manager, Valerie Klein, appears regularly on the calendar — and helps make sure he ge

Health & Safety

Coordinating Care Of Mind And Body Might Help Medicaid Save Money And Lives

4:35pm August 07, 2019

by Blake Farmer

Tennessee's innovative Medicaid program is offering bonuses to mental health providers who help make sure their Medicaid patients get preventive help and treatment for physical ailments too.

Demonstrators rallied in Sacramento in May for Medi-Cal expansion to undocumented Californians. When the state's budget was finalized, only young adults up to age 26 were authorized to be included in the expansion. Gov. Gavin Newsom says that's an importa

Health & Safety

Young Undocumented Californians Cheer Promise Of Health Benefits

2:48pm July 11, 2019

by Sammy Caiola

In January, California expects to enroll 138,000 undocumented, low-income residents under age 26 in the state's version of Medicaid. But young adults say their parents need health care coverage, too.