News
Collaborating with KFF Health News with focus on Medicaid, Medicare, Rural & Public Health
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Poll: 1 in 3 Adults Are Turning to AI Chatbots for Health Information, Equaling the Share Who Use Social Media for Health
Posted on March 25, 2026
1 in 5 Who Use AI for Health Cite Affordability and Access Concerns as Major Reasons, Including Larger Shares of Young and Lower Income People
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What to Know About the BALANCE Model for GLP-1s in Medicare and Medicaid
Posted on March 24, 2026
GLP-1s, a class of drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions, have exploded in popularity in recent years due to their demonstrated effectiveness, but are often not covered by insurance, particularly for the treatment of obesity. According to KFF polling, about half (56%) of GLP-1 users say these drugs were difficult to afford, including one in four who say they were “very difficult” to afford. The Trump administration is pursuing various approaches to lowering the cost and expanding coverage of these medications.
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Oz Escalates Medicaid Fraud Claims Against States After Focus on Minnesota
Posted on March 20, 2026
The Trump administration has signaled a willingness to halt billions of dollars in federal health payments to multiple states, mirroring moves they made against Minnesota.
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What to Know About Medicare Coverage of Telehealth
Posted on March 19, 2026
Introduction
Use of telehealth, which includes a range of health care services delivered to patients by providers at a separate location, has grown rapidly in recent years, among both privately-insured patients and Medicare beneficiaries. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth utilization in traditional Medicare was very low, but it rose dramatically in 2020 following temporary measures put in place at the start of the COVID-19 public health emergency that greatly expanded the scope of Medicare coverage of telehealth. Since early 2021 telehealth use has declined steadily, but it remains higher than pre-pandemic levels, with considerable variation by level of income, disability, and urban versus rural location, among other factors.
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Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Extension Tracker
Posted on March 19, 2026
The Medicaid program finances about 4 in 10 births in the U.S. Federal law requires states to provide pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage through 60 days postpartum. After that period, some postpartum individuals may qualify for Medicaid through another pathway, but others may lose coverage, particularly in non-expansion states. To help improve maternal health and coverage stability and to help address racial disparities in maternal health, a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 gave states a new option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months via a state plan amendment (SPA).
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Lawmakers Seek To Protect Crisis Pregnancy Centers as Abortion Clinic Numbers Shrink
Posted on March 19, 2026
Conservative lawmakers in multiple states are pushing legislation drafted by an anti-abortion advocacy group to increase protections for crisis pregnancy centers, organizations that provide some health-related services but also work to dissuade women from having abortions.
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5 Key Facts About Medicaid Program Integrity – Fraud, Waste, Abuse and Improper Payments
Posted on March 18, 2026
Medicaid is the primary program providing comprehensive coverage of health and long-term care to 83 million low-income people in the United States and accounts for one-fifth of health care spending. Medicaid is jointly financed by states and the federal government but administered by states within federal rules. The recently passed House budget resolution targets cuts to Medicaid of up to $880 billion or more over a decade. While several options appear to be under consideration to significantly reduce Medicaid spending, President Trump publicly said recently about Medicaid, “We are not going to touch it. Now, we are going to look for fraud.” Speaker Johnson has said, “Medicaid is hugely problematic because it has a lot of fraud, waste, and abuse.”
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Eight Trends Shaping 2026 Health Care Costs
Posted on March 17, 2026
Health care affordability is top of mind for many Americans, rising well above other necessities based on recent KFF polling.
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In Switching to Original Medicare, Beware of Medigap Plan Refusals
Posted on March 16, 2026
It’s open enrollment season for Medicare Advantage, when people currently enrolled in private managed-care plans can either sign up for a new one or switch to original Medicare through March 31.
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5 Key Facts About Medicaid Prescription Drugs
Posted on March 13, 2026
Medicaid is the primary program providing comprehensive health and long-term care to low-income people, including access to prescription drugs to treat acute problems and manage ongoing chronic conditions, covering about one in five people in the United States. In recent years, Medicaid spending on prescription drugs has grown substantially, in part due to the emergence of new, high-cost drugs, including GLP-1s and cell and gene therapies that treat, and sometimes cure, rare diseases.