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Georgia has dropped at least 488,000 from Medicaid, the government health insurance for the poor, as part of a federally mandated project to ensure those covered by the program qualify to remain on it. Georgia began the process of redetermination with 2.8 million Medicaid recipients, which account for a quarter of the state’s population. (Hart, 1/22)

New Medicaid numbers reveal Florida seems to have a growing number of children without health insurance. The state's December update shows that over 911,000 Floridians were disenrolled from Medicaid since the Department of Children & Families began its redetermination process in April. Of that total, about 420,000 were children. (Pedersen, 1/19)

The House Budget Committee did not take measures to protect systems like Medicare and Social Security on Thursday, despite advancing legislation to create a bipartisan fiscal commission designed to find a solution to the government’s budget. The committee approved the bill 22-12, with three Democrats joining Republicans in passing the measure. (Irwin, 1/19)

Physicians confronted a Medicare reimbursement cut this year, but the American Medical Association and other organizations are also looking ahead to a bigger fight: completely overhauling how the program pays doctors. Under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System, or MIPS, that exists today, physicians complain not only about inadequate compensation but also about red tape and standards some say fail to accurately capture quality. (Bennett, 1/22)

In the fall of 2020, Robert Sachs was prescribed a medication to treat prostate cancer that had metastasized into some of his bones. He welcomed the treatment, but was surprised by the $740 monthly copay cost, even after coverage from Medicare and supplemental insurance. (Silverman, 1/22)

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: Watch: Older Americans Say They Feel Stuck In Medicare Advantage Plans 

As enrollment in private Medicare Advantage plans grows, so do concerns about how well the coverage works, including from people who say they are stuck in the private plans as their health declines. Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News’ Sarah Jane Tribble explains. (Tribble, 1/22)

While staffing and reimbursement issues have certainly contributed to closures in some cases, especially for smaller, rural facilities, experts say the debate often omits some important facts and nuance: specifically, that many facilities that close are poor quality, have high staff turnover and are located in areas where multiple other homes and alternatives exist, making it difficult to fill empty beds. Others turn into assisted living facilities, which are more loosely regulated. A handful were kicked off of the Medicare program for low quality. (Hellmann, 1/19)

Every year, wildfires across the western U.S. and Canada send plumes of smoke into the sky. When that smoke blows into southwestern Idaho's Treasure Valley, it blankets Boise-area residents in dirty air. They include seniors living in long-term care facilities, many of whom are considered an at-risk population for smoke exposure because of respiratory or cardiac diseases. "An astonishing amount of smoke gets inside these facilities," said Luke Montrose, an environmental toxicologist and researcher at Colorado State University. Data from monitors Montrose installed in four Idaho long-term care facilities in 2020 showed that large amounts of smoke pollution recorded outside during wildfire season seeped into the facilities. One building let in 50% of the particulate matter outside; another, 100%. In some cases, Montrose said, "it was no better to be inside than to be outside during those smoke events." (Mohr, 1/22)