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Last year, the Trump administration announced a voluntary pledge by dozens of insurers to improve prior authorization, which often requires patients to seek approval before treatments. But prior authorization remains commonplace, and there's no evidence the government is trying to hold insurers to account.
A ballot measure to eliminate Missouri鈥檚 income tax would give the state legislature broad authority to levy new sales taxes to replace the lost revenue. Critics say that could mean adding a sales tax on medical services or prescription medicines. Those types of taxes are unusual, but not unheard of, in the U.S.
With the federal Medicaid work requirements looming in January, Democrats are considering state legislation to call out big companies that employ workers enrolled in the safety net health program. Business giants such as Amazon and Walmart said the figures are misleading.
California鈥檚 laws still leave extradition decisions related to reproductive rights and gender-affirming care to its governor. But as states with abortion bans target California physicians who prescribe abortion pills across state lines, Democrats want to lock in protections for doctors, no matter who the next governor is.
Over the past 70 years, the number of inpatient psychiatric beds has dropped dramatically, leaving many without critical care when they experience mental health crises. I was one of the lucky ones to get a bed 鈥 after 21 hours of waiting.
Thousands of people who had a Medicare drug plan with zero-dollar premiums last year got small premium increases this year 鈥 and didn鈥檛 know it. They were dropped from their coverage for failing to pay amounts as little as $8, and most can鈥檛 get it again until 2027.
The Trump administration鈥檚 cuts to Medicaid and SNAP may complicate Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo鈥檚 reelection chances.
Massachusetts passed laws and joined lawsuits to protect access to gender-affirming care for minors. But faced with the Trump administration鈥檚 threats, some hospitals voluntarily stopped care. Families are outraged.
Medicare is testing the use of artificial intelligence to preapprove several healthcare services. Federal health officials say prior authorization can help reduce fraud and contain costs. But doctors and patients describe the trial as 鈥渉orrendous鈥 and full of red tape so far.
Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, framed the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program as 鈥渂old, creative plans鈥 led by states. But as states have started to roll out their plans, federal officials control where and how the money is spent.
California is considering expanding financial help for low-income residents struggling to pay high health insurance premiums after losing federal subsidies. But relief for state marketplace customers will be limited. Here鈥檚 who may get help and what it could mean for premiums.
The Trump administration has laid out what millions of Americans on Medicaid must do to prove they鈥檙e working or completing other activities. Health policy researchers and consumer advocates say there are some important takeaways.
Measles has been spreading in Utah for nearly a year, straining hospitals, schools, and parents. The state鈥檚 outbreak provides a glimpse into a new era in America鈥檚 health, in which vaccine-preventable diseases become common again.
Despite widespread support in polls for legalizing aid in dying, the number of people who go through with the practice remains very small.
Immigrant detainees have told courts across the nation that detention officials have failed to treat or stabilize their conditions, from pregnancy to prostate cancer, suggesting that systemic lapses in care extend well beyond record deaths in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
Last spring, a woman started exhibiting unusual memory problems after a hike in Arizona. It turns out she was experiencing a disorder called transient global amnesia. She has fully recovered, but a dispute over nearly $60,000 in hospital charges has been a source of stress for over a year.
The state is ramping up to implement the federal work requirements six months ahead of the deadline. But Montana is one of several states already struggling to pay for health services.
Congress' decision not to extend enhanced marketplace tax credits has boosted the appeal of alternative health coverage with lower monthly premiums. Consumer advocates dismiss the plans as "junk insurance,鈥 while proponents say patients need alternatives to pricey marketplace options.
A crisis pregnancy center in Sandpoint, Idaho, wants to expand women鈥檚 healthcare three years after the labor and delivery unit at the town鈥檚 hospital closed and its OB-GYNs moved out of state.
The data behind alcohol-related traffic deaths is well studied. Less understood is the toll of vehicle deaths involving drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol. Attempts to fix that have been stymied by federal budget and staffing cuts.
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