Blurry Line Between Medical and Vision Insurance Leaves Patient With Unexpected Bill

麻豆女优 Health News Original

A Wisconsin retiree with glaucoma needed her eyes examined. Her Medicare Advantage plan from UnitedHealthcare listed her optometrist鈥檚 clinic as in-network, but she learned the hard way that a clinic can be in-network and out-of-network at the same time.

Sick of Fighting Insurers, Hospitals Offer Their Own Medicare Advantage Plans

麻豆女优 Health News Original

Breakups between insurers and health systems, on top of plan cuts, left more than 3.7 million Medicare Advantage enrollees facing a tough choice last year: find new insurance or new doctors. But hospital systems say their Advantage plans can avert such upheaval, giving patients peace of mind.

Farmers Now Owe a Lot More for Health Insurance

麻豆女优 Health News Original

More than a quarter of the agricultural workforce purchases health insurance through the individual marketplace, a much larger share than the overall percentage of U.S. adults. After a tough year for farmers, the loss of enhanced ACA subsidies is putting health insurance out of reach for many.

Native Americans Are Dying From Pregnancy. They Want a Voice To Stop the Trend.

麻豆女优 Health News Original

Native American women face higher rates of death than other demographics. In response, Native Americans have been working with state and federal officials to boost tribal participation and leadership in maternal mortality review committees to better track and address pregnancy-related deaths.

States Race To Launch Rural Health Transformation Plans

麻豆女优 Health News Original

Every state will receive at least $100 million annually from the federal Rural Health Transformation fund, but some scored millions more based on how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services judged the 鈥渜uality鈥 of their plans and willingness to pass policies embracing “Make America Healthy Again” initiatives.

This California Strategy Safeguarded Some Medicaid Social Services Funding From Trump

麻豆女优 Health News Original

Programs like Jamboree Housing Corp. have leveraged Medi-Cal funding to offer residents access to social services that experts say are key to keeping them off the streets. California intends to keep it that way, despite federal cuts.

RFK Jr.鈥檚 MAHA Movement Has Picked Up Steam in Statehouses. Here鈥檚 What To Expect in 2026.

麻豆女优 Health News Original

鈥淢ake America Healthy Again鈥 policies driven by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have made major strides in state legislatures, with food additives among the most common targets. The trend is expected to continue this year.

Millions of Americans Are Expected To Drop Their Affordable Care Act Plans. They鈥檙e Looking for a Plan B.

麻豆女优 Health News Original

An estimated 4.8 million people are expected to go without health coverage because Congress did not extend enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans. But even without a health plan, people will need medical care in 2026. Many of them have been thinking through their plan B to maintain their health.

What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News: New Year, Same Health Fight

Podcast

Congress returned from its break facing a familiar question: whether to extend the expanded subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans that expired at the end of 2025. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. broke a promise to Bill Cassidy, the chairman of Senate health committee, by overhauling the federal government鈥檚 childhood vaccine schedule to reduce the number of diseases for which vaccines will be recommended. Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.

In Lodge Grass, Montana, a Crow Community Works To Rebuild From Meth鈥檚 Destruction

麻豆女优 Health News Original

Meth is a problem most everywhere, but particularly in Indian Country. On the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, new buildings serve as symbols of a town trying to rebuild after being devastated by addiction.

On the Hook for Uninsured Residents, Counties Now Wonder How They鈥檒l Pay

麻豆女优 Health News Original

Millions of people gained health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, reducing pressure on counties in states that fund care for the uninsured. With federal policies expected to reverse that trend, county officials wonder how they will fill the gap 鈥 and who will pay for it.

Iowa Doesn’t Have Enough OB-GYNs. The State鈥檚 Abortion Ban Might Be Making It Worse.

麻豆女优 Health News Original

Abortion bans like Iowa鈥檚 have put OB-GYNs under increasing strain and surveillance, complicating the standard medical treatments for miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, premature membrane rupture, and other pregnancy problems. As many rural areas face worsening maternity care deserts, some physicians fear these laws could drive much-needed doctors out of state and dissuade others from moving in and establishing a practice.

It鈥檚 the 鈥楪old Standard鈥 in Autism Care. Why Are States Reining It In?

麻豆女优 Health News Original

States facing yawning budget shortfalls have begun cutting Medicaid reimbursements for a wide variety of services. In some states, dramatic cuts are targeting therapies that many families of autistic people say are essential to caring for their loved ones.

Oregon Hospital Races To Build a Tsunami Shelter as FEMA Fights To Cut Its Funding

麻豆女优 Health News Original

Columbia Memorial Hospital near Oregon鈥檚 coastline planned to add a tsunami shelter, counting on a FEMA grant. After the Trump administration cut the funding, hospital officials are building anyway, saying waiting is too risky. A judge ruled Dec. 11 that the administration unlawfully ended the program without congressional approval.

In the Vast Expanses of Indian Country, Broadband Gaps Create Health Gaps, Too

麻豆女优 Health News Original

On Idaho鈥檚 remote Fort Hall Reservation, thousands live without reliable high-speed internet, which supports health care, education, and daily life. Facing delays and wavering federal policy, Frances Goli is determined to spend more than $22 million in federal grant money before she runs out of time.