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Large employers want hospitals to know they will not pay up if President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans follow through with their plan to deeply slash Medicaid funding. The threat of a shrunken Medicaid program, leading to more uninsured people and more unpaid hospital bills, reignites a long-running debate about whether, or to what extent, providers raise prices on commercial insurers and employers to compensate for lower Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. (Tepper, 2/28)

Democrats are taking to the airwaves to attack Republicans on potential Medicaid cuts, with ads in at least four states featuring a chainsaw-wielding Elon Musk. In the TV and digital ads, part of a seven-figure buy from House Majority PAC, the flagship Democratic super PAC, Democrats harp on President Donald Trump and Republicans’ campaign pitch in 2024, when “they claimed they’d lower costs.” (Schneider, 2/28)

Every time a baby is born in Louisiana, where Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson handily won reelection last year, there’s more than a 60% chance taxpayers will finance the birth through Medicaid. In Republican Rep. David Valadao ’s central California district, 6 out of 10 people use Medicaid to pay for doctor visits and emergency room trips. And one-third of the population is covered by Medicaid in GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Alaska, one of the nation’s costliest corners for health care. (Seitz, 3/2)

The cap on enrollment and work requirements are the two most concerning parts of a Medicaid bill that the Indiana legislature is considering, said two public health researchers. At the federal level, Medicaid doesn’t have work requirements or a cap on those who can enroll in the program, Leo Cuello, a research professor with the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. (Kukulka, 3/2)

The federal agency that oversees Medicare, Medicaid, and other major health care programs is facing employee firings, flagging morale, confusing messaging, and the specter of additional disruption — compromising its oversight and administration of key programs that finance care for half of Americans. (Herman, 3/1)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Home Improvements Can Help People Age Independently. But Medicare Seldom Picks Up The Bill

Chikao Tsubaki had been having a terrible time. In his mid-80s, he had a stroke. Then lymphoma. Then prostate cancer. He was fatigued, isolated, not all that steady on his feet. Then Tsubaki took part in an innovative care initiative that, over four months, sent an occupational therapist, a nurse, and a handy worker to his home to help figure out what he needed to stay safe. In addition to grab bars and rails, the handy worker built a bookshelf so neither Tsubaki nor the books he cherished would topple over when he reached for them. (Kenen, 3/3)