This brief describes Medicare coverage of sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception, and compares that coverage with private insurance plans and Medicaid. These benefits are particularly relevant to nearly 1 million women of reproductive age (20-49) who are eligible for Medicare due to having a long-term disability. from KFF https://ift.tt/ftgZCO1
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Revisions to Federal Standards for Collecting and Reporting Data on Race and Ethnicity: What are They and Why do They Matter?
Revisions to Federal Standards for Collecting and Reporting Data on Race and Ethnicity: What are They and Why do They Matter?
This brief discusses why and how federal standards for collecting race and ethnicity data have been revised, highlights some of the key changes to data collection and reporting starting in 2024, and discusses the implications of these changes. The brief also includes analysis of how self-reported racial and ethnic classifications have changed among the U.S. population over time. from KFF https://ift.tt/twQ4oqR
Florida’s Recent Heat Protection Preemption Law Could Disproportionately Affect Hispanic and Noncitizen Immigrant Workers
Florida’s Recent Heat Protection Preemption Law Could Disproportionately Affect Hispanic and Noncitizen Immigrant Workers
The Florida legislation prevents city and county governments from requiring that employers, including government contractors, provide heat protections for outdoor workers outside of those required under state or federal law. These protections include requiring water breaks and other cooling measures for outdoor workers. The law could impact nearly 1.8 million nonelderly adult outdoor workers in Florida, who are disproportionately Hispanic and noncitizen immigrant workers. from KFF https://ift.tt/tYIeE6r
This report provides an analysis of donor government funding to address family planning in low- and middle-income countries in 2022, which totaled US$1.35 billion and was a decline of 9% (US$129 million) compared to the 2021 amount (US$1.48 billion). While the decline was due to decreases in funding by most donor governments, a significant share can be attributed to exchange rate fluctuations resulting from the rise in value of the U.S. dollar against most currencies during 2022. from KFF https://ift.tt/p1bN7IA
The FDA recently approved a new use for Wegovy, the blockbuster anti-obesity drug, to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke in people with cardiovascular disease who are overweight or obese - a decision that opens the door to Medicare coverage of Wegovy, which is prohibited by law from covering drugs used for obesity. This brief analyses how many Medicare beneficiaries could be eligible for the new use of Wegovy and the potential impact on Medicare spending. from KFF https://ift.tt/NqEb0V3
In light of worsening mental health among youth, strategies have been implemented to improve access to behavioral health services in recent years, including expanding school-based care for students. Leveraging Medicaid to improve and address gaps in school-based behavioral health services has been a key strategy in recent years as youth mental health concerns have grown. Provisions from the Safer Communities Act of 2022 utilize Medicaid to expand both school-based health care and other mechanisms of youth behavioral health care. This issue brief explores the implementation of these provisions from the Safer Communities Act thus far, with a focus on the guidance issued from CMS. from KFF https://ift.tt/7OKeqkL
On April 24, the Supreme Court will hear Idaho v. United States—the second case this term involving access to abortion. In a new brief, KFF examines what’s at stake, focusing on whether the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)—a federal law requiring nearly all hospitals to ensure emergency room patients are stable before … More from KFF https://ift.tt/c5RAPTE
On April 24, 2024, the Supreme Court will hear the second case this term involving access to abortion: Idaho v. United States. At stake in this case is whether the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, a federal law requiring hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment to patients who present to their emergency rooms, preempts state abortion laws and requires hospitals that accept Medicare to provide abortion care when it is necessary to stabilize a patient’s condition, even when this abortion care violates state law. from KFF https://ift.tt/2gfPA5X
Community health centers are a national network of over 1,300 safety-net primary care providers, serving more than 30 million patients in 2022. They are located in medically underserved urban and rural communities and serve all patients regardless of their ability to pay. Health centers also played a major role in the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, particularly for hard-to-reach populations. This brief analyzes the changes in health center patients, services, and financing from 2019 (pre-pandemic) through 2022, using the Uniform Data System (UDS), to which all health centers are required to report annually. from KFF https://ift.tt/ewv4jfN
In April 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance encouraging states to apply for a new Section 1115 demonstration opportunity to test transition-related strategies to support community reentry for people who are incarcerated. To date, CMS has approved Section 1115 reentry waiver requests from three states (California, Montana, and Washington). This Waiver Watch reviews CMS guidance and summarizes key features of the three approved 1115 reentry waivers. from KFF https://ift.tt/1jcGhCb
Explainer: How States Are Using Medicaid Waivers to Help Incarcerated Individuals Get Care and Transition Back into Their Communities
Explainer: How States Are Using Medicaid Waivers to Help Incarcerated Individuals Get Care and Transition Back into Their Communities
Compared to the general population, individuals who are incarcerated have higher rates of mental illness, substance use disorder, and chronic disease. However, the federal “inmate exclusion” policy prohibits Medicaid coverage for people who are incarcerated (except for limited inpatient hospital services). When people leave incarceration, they are at greater risk of overdose death and suicide, … More from KFF https://ift.tt/KaORcF8
In a new brief, KFF examines how the Comstock Act, an 1873 anti-vice law banning the mailing of obscene matter and articles, could be used by an anti-abortion presidential administration to sharply restrict the availability of abortion nationwide. The Biden Administration’s Department of Justice has said the Comstock Act should not be interpreted literally with … More from KFF https://ift.tt/Kjnyc4L
This brief provides background on the Comstock Act, reviews how it has been interpreted by the Biden Administration’s DOJ, and considers how it could be enforced by an administration that is hostile toward abortion to severely restrict the distribution of drugs and supplies used for abortion, with implications for abortion access in all states across the country. from KFF https://ift.tt/TlvL53u
Nearly a Quarter of People Who Say They Were Disenrolled from Medicaid During the Unwinding Are Now Uninsured
Nearly a Quarter of People Who Say They Were Disenrolled from Medicaid During the Unwinding Are Now Uninsured
Nearly a quarter (23%) of adults who say they were disenrolled from Medicaid since early 2023 report being uninsured now, finds a new KFF national survey examining how the unwinding affected enrollees. Overall, 19% of adults who had Medicaid prior to the start of unwinding say they were disenrolled at some point in the past … More from KFF https://ift.tt/8wFHLyT
Black immigrants come to the U.S. seeking more opportunities for themselves and their children, and most report improved educational opportunities and employment and financial situations as a result of moving to the U.S. However, Black immigrant report disproportionate levels of unfair treatment and discrimination in their workplaces, communities, and when seeking health care, reflecting the intersectional impacts of racism and anti-immigrant sentiment. from KFF https://ift.tt/e62WH17
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has recently taken actions to increase transparency in Medicare Advantage, however substantial data gaps remain that limit the ability of policymakers and researchers to conduct oversight and assess the program's performance, and for Medicare beneficiaries to compare Medicare Advantage plans offered in their area. from KFF https://ift.tt/WRlzqpb
This brief discusses the longstanding legal doctrine, Chevron deference, being challenged in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and includes examples of what could be at stake for health care consumers should federal courts no longer use this doctrine to address litigation related to federal health regulations. The focus here is on patient and consumer protection regulation, but overturning the Chevron deference would have implications in all areas of health care. from KFF https://ift.tt/UDezIkC
In this column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman examines the conservative Republican Study Committee’s sweeping proposals to remake Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act and their potential to make waves in this year’s elections. Whether former President Trump ignores, embraces, or repudiates their ideas will be key. from KFF https://ift.tt/VdLOi0P
From Drew Altman Drew Altman is president and chief executive officer of KFF, a position he has held for more than 30 years since founding the modern-day KFF organization in the 1990s. He is a leading expert on national health policy issues and an innovator in health journalism and the nonprofit field. President’s Message This … More from KFF https://ift.tt/obPXzB8
One in Five Women of Reproductive Age in States with Abortion Bans Say They or Someone They Know Has Had Difficulty Accessing an Abortion Since Dobbs
One in Five Women of Reproductive Age in States with Abortion Bans Say They or Someone They Know Has Had Difficulty Accessing an Abortion Since Dobbs
According to new KFF polling, in states with abortion bans, one in five (21%) women of reproductive age (18 to 49) and one in seven (14%) of all women say either they or someone they know has had difficulty accessing an abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The survey finds that among … More from KFF https://ift.tt/kwX4ep0
Women’s Views of Abortion Access and Policies in the Dobbs Era: Insights From the KFF Health Tracking Poll
Women’s Views of Abortion Access and Policies in the Dobbs Era: Insights From the KFF Health Tracking Poll
Our latest poll finds one in five women of reproductive age in states with abortion bans say either they or someone they personally know has had difficulty obtaining an abortion. Majorities of women across states—including in those with abortion bans—think abortion should be legal in all or most cases and support a range of policies that protect abortion access. from KFF https://ift.tt/qWwfEGg
KFF Health News and Cox Media Group’s Series on Social Security Overpayments Wins the Goldsmith Awards’ Inaugural Government Reporting Prize
KFF Health News and Cox Media Group’s Series on Social Security Overpayments Wins the Goldsmith Awards’ Inaugural Government Reporting Prize
KFF Health News and Cox Media Group Television Stations announced today that they received the 2024 Goldsmith Awards’ inaugural Government Reporting Prize for their joint reporting in the series “Overpayment Outrage,” which exposed how the Social Security Administration routinely reduced or suspended monthly checks to take back funds to pay off large debts that were … More from KFF https://ift.tt/k9BeUOs
Experience of the Five Largest Publicly Traded Companies Operating Medicaid Managed Care Plans During Unwinding
Experience of the Five Largest Publicly Traded Companies Operating Medicaid Managed Care Plans During Unwinding
This brief takes a closer look at the five largest publicly traded companies (also referred to as “parent” firms) operating Medicaid MCOs, which account for half of Medicaid MCO enrollment nationally. This analysis presents the latest enrollment and financial data (through the end of 2023) as well as key takeaways from the firms’ unwinding experience. from KFF https://ift.tt/rT1J7i5
LGBT Adults’ Experiences with Discrimination and Health Care Disparities: Findings from the KFF Survey of Racism, Discrimination, and Health
LGBT Adults’ Experiences with Discrimination and Health Care Disparities: Findings from the KFF Survey of Racism, Discrimination, and Health
This report focuses on LGBT adults' experiences with discrimination in their daily lives and reveals that LGBT adults are more likely than non-LGBT adults to report experiences with discrimination and unfair treatment in health care. It also examines LGBT adults' experiences with mental health, accessing care, and homelessness. from KFF https://ift.tt/0PBOf8o
Countries are seeking to create a new 'pandemic agreement' at WHO to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. This brief explains what the pandemic agreement is, where the U.S. stands on issues included in the agreement, and potential outcomes of the ongoing negotiations. It also evaluates several criticisms of the agreement and the evidence for each. from KFF https://ift.tt/6SaJTfD