Rethinking the Use of Race in Medicine March 8, 2022 News Release The COVID-19 pandemic has shined a spotlight on racial disparities in health and health care, but disparities are hardly new. They have been driven by longstanding inequities within and beyond the health care system that are rooted in racism. KFF Vice President Samantha Artiga, who directs the Racial Equity and…
Combined Federal and State Spending on Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Totaled $116 billion in FY 2020, Serving Millions of Elderly Adults and People with Disabilities March 4, 2022 News Release The federal government and the states together spent a total of $116 billion on Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) in FY 2020, serving millions of elderly adults and people with disabilities, a new KFF analysis finds. Medicaid is the nation’s primary payer for such services, which include assistive technology,…
Large Shares of the Public Worry about the Consequences of Both Ending and Keeping COVID-19 Restrictions, with Partisans Largely Split on Which Direction is Most Concerning March 1, 2022 News Release As federal, state, and local authorities move to roll back COVID-19 restrictions, a new KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey finds many people ready to get back to normal but a public also nervous about the potential consequences. Large shares of the public are worried about the implications of both keeping…
New KFF Analyses on Women and Medicaid: State Family Planning Benefits and Contraceptive Provision February 17, 2022 News Release Medicaid, the state and federal health coverage program for low-income people, finances family planning services for millions of women across the nation. National statistics, however, can mask important state-level Medicaid policy and utilization differences. Two new KFF state-level analyses have just been posted that provide up-to-date coverage policies and practices…
Analysis Finds The Share of Nursing Home Staff Who Have Been Vaccinated Against COVID-19 Varies Substantially by State February 17, 2022 News Release The share of nursing home staffers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 varies considerably by state, from 70 percent in Ohio to 99 percent in Maine, Rhode Island, New York and Massachusetts, a new KFF analysis finds. The national average is 84 percent. The analysis of federal nursing home…
Telehealth Accounted for 8% of Outpatient Visits More Than a Year into COVID-19 Pandemic, Suggesting a More Permanent Shift in How Patients Receive Care February 10, 2022 News Release Telehealth use skyrocketed during the early months of the pandemic. While it has since decreased somewhat from that high, it still represents a much more substantial share of health care than before COVID, a new KFF-Epic Research analysis finds. From March through August 2021, 8% of all outpatient visits were…
Medication Abortion Via Telehealth: What You Need to Know About State Regulations February 7, 2022 News Release With the country waiting on the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case that could overturn Roe v. Wade, many are looking towards telehealth as an alternative to expand access to medication abortion. A new KFF issue brief explains the newly revised Food and Drug…
Vaccine Monitor: 6 in 10 Parents of Teens and One-Third of Parents of 5-11 Year-Olds Say Their Child is Vaccinated for COVID-19, Both Up Since November February 1, 2022 News Release 3 in 10 of Those with Children Under 5 Expect to Get Them a Shot Right Away Once Eligible 1 in 4 Parents Say Their Student Had to Quarantine in January Due to COVID-19 Infection or Exposure; Overall 4 in 10 Report Some Education Disruption Growing shares of parents say…
42% of Adults, and 70% of Those Likely Booster-Eligible, Now Say They’ve Gotten a COVID-19 Booster Shot; The Share Who Received At Least One Dose Inches Up to 77% in Omicron’s Wake January 28, 2022 News Release 6 in 10 Who Tried to Purchase an At-Home Test and a Third Who Sought an In-Person Test Say It Was Difficult to Find, Though Most Were Eventually Able to Get a Test Black and Hispanic Adults are More Likely Than White Adults to Worry About Omicron’s Effects, Including Becoming…
Millions of Medicare Beneficiaries Use Prescription Drugs That Could Be Subject to Price Negotiation, But Build Back Better Act Provision Exempts Many Drugs With High Federal Spending January 27, 2022 News Release Twenty drugs and dozens of insulin products used by 8.5 million Medicare beneficiaries would be subject to government drug price negotiation if the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) were enacted and fully implemented in 2022, according to a new KFF analysis. The 20 drugs include 18 drugs available to beneficiaries…