KFF Health News

Consumers who were enrolled fraudulently in Affordable Care Act coverage could receive unexpected tax bills — the first and possibly only clue they were a victim of fraud. Getting help may become difficult as federal workers are laid off and funding for assistance programs is cut. Here's what you need to know. ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/ec6QtJSt

#ICYMI: A week into the reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services announced by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the scope of the staff cuts and program cutbacks is starting to become clear. Among the biggest targets for reductions were the nation’s premier public health agencies: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the FDA. Meanwhile, Kennedy did not show up as invited to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, known as HELP, but he did visit families in Texas whose unvaccinated children died of measles in the current outbreak and called for an end to water fluoridation during a stop in Utah. Listen to the latest ep. of #WTHealth: https://lnkd.in/e7qaBFQi

I asked Jerome Adams, the former surgeon general in the first Trump administration, about the federal cuts that are closing vaccine clinics around the country, even as measles surges. "We can't make America healthy again by going backwards on our historically high U.S. vaccination rates," he told me. "You can't die from chronic diseases when you're 50 if you've already died from measles or polio or whooping cough when you're 5." Read my latest for NPR and KFF Health News, with Arielle Zionts and Jackie Fortiér 👇 https://lnkd.in/guEQrTqw

After years of addiction that began with prescription painkillers and resulted in 10 overdoses, Christopher Julian received $324.58 in opioid settlement money from one pharmaceutical company. Meanwhile his state, Maine, has received over $68M in settlement payouts to date. I’ve gotten tons of emails from victims of the opioid crisis, like Christopher, asking why they haven’t received payments or why the amounts are so small. In this KFF Health News & CBS News article, I dug into the answer. The article also has a table where you can look up how much money your city, county, or state has received and expects in future years -- thanks to the work of Henry Larweh, Lydia Zuraw & Holly Hacker.

A federal judge in Texas blocked a Biden administration rule to boost staffing at nursing homes, even though many homes lack enough workers to maintain residents’ care. KFF Health News walked through the decision from the judge and what it could mean for nursing home staffing.  

As news of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSAgov), HHS cuts trickles in, anyone wanting to share tips or their experience, can find me on Signal:

We're excited to announce a new partnership with Deep South Today's Verite News New Orleans! Reporter Halle Parker will be joining Verite News to report on health issues impacting Southern communities. She will work closely with KFF Health News’ Southern Bureau. Learn more about our work to expand regional health journalism: https://lnkd.in/gVCDWHcn

#ICYMI: The Department of Health and Human Services underwent an unprecedented purge this week, as thousands of employees from the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies across the department were fired, placed on administrative leave, or offered transfers to far-flung Indian Health Service facilities in such places as New Mexico, Montana, and Alaska. Altogether, the layoffs mean the federal government, in a single day, shed hundreds if not thousands of years of health and science expertise. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court heard a case about whether states can bar Planned Parenthood from providing non-abortion-related services to Medicaid patients. But by the time the case is settled, it’s unclear how much of Medicaid or the Title X Family Planning Program will remain intact. Listen to the latest episode of #WTHealth: https://lnkd.in/e3c-m-FF

Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has made combating fraud a centerpiece of his administration. But Trump’s present-day crackdown starkly contrasts with his history of showing leniency to convicted fraudsters. Read the "Week in Brief" by Brett Kelman. ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/eJs-XR7c

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality helped improve health care safety in a country where thousands die of medical errors each year. It was effectively dissolved Tuesday. https://lnkd.in/dJmybgjA