Rural Hospitals Face Renewed Financial Challenges, Especially in States That Have Not Expanded Medicaid February 23, 2023 Issue Brief This data note examines rural hospitals’ operating margins in recent years. After seeing higher margins early in the pandemic, likely due to government relief funds, rural hospitals now face renewed challenges, especially in states that have not expanded Medicaid.
Leveraging Medicaid for School-Based Behavioral Health Services: Findings from a Survey of State Medicaid Programs February 16, 2023 Issue Brief Concerns about youth mental health and access to care continues to increase. Schools can be an easy access point for behavioral health services and Medicaid provides significant financing for the delivery of these services in schools. In this analysis, we explore the strategies state Medicaid programs are taking to promote and improve access to school-based behavioral health services, and how recent policies call on Medicaid to expand access to care for youth, particularly in schools.
Claims Denials and Appeals in ACA Marketplace Plans in 2021 February 9, 2023 Issue Brief This analysis of HealthCare.gov Marketplace insurers’ transparency data finds that 17% of in-network claims were denied in 2021, with denial rates varying widely across insurers. Consumers appealed less than two-tenths of 1% of denied in-network claims.
Enrollment and Spending Patterns Among Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees (Dual Eligibles) January 31, 2023 Issue Brief This brief examines national and state-level data on enrollment and spending for Medicare-Medicaid enrollees using the 2019 and 2020 Medicare Beneficiary Summary Files and the 2019 Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS). Spending data for Medicare includes beneficiaries in traditional Medicare only, since spending data for beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans are unavailable. State-level data on Medicare-Medicaid enrollment and spending are available through KFF’s State Health Facts.
Medicaid: What to Watch in 2023 January 24, 2023 Issue Brief As 2023 kicks off, a number of issues are at play that could affect coverage and financing under Medicaid. This issue brief examines key issues to watch in Medicaid in the year ahead.
State Policies for Expanding Medicaid Coverage of Community Health Worker (CHW) Services January 23, 2023 Issue Brief Community Health Workers (CHWs) are frontline workers who have close relationships with the communities they serve, allowing them to better liaise and connect community members to health care systems. States may authorize Medicaid payment for certain CHW services under state plan or Section 1115 demonstration authority. States may allow or require managed care organizations (MCOs) to provide CHW services or include CHWs in care teams. Many states use CHW services to address the health needs of targeted populations including enrollees with chronic conditions or complex behavioral or physical health needs, enrollees receiving targeted case management services, or frequent users of health care services
Legal Challenges to State Abortion Bans Since the Dobbs Decision January 20, 2023 Issue Brief This issue brief presents an overview of the legal challenges presented in state courts since the Dobbs ruling in June 2022 and highlights some of the novel strategies that are being used to defend access to abortion in states that have enacted abortion bans.
KFF’s Kaiser Health News Launches Weekly “KHN Health Minute” on CBS News Radio January 20, 2023 News Release KFF’s Kaiser Health News (KHN) is launching a weekly one-minute health information segment for CBS News Radio stations that will help millions of listeners stay informed and make better health decisions. CBS News Radio began offering the KHN Health Minute to its more than 700 affiliate stations weekly on Jan.…
Telehealth Delivery of Behavioral Health Care in Medicaid: Findings from a Survey of State Medicaid Programs January 10, 2023 Issue Brief This issue brief reports findings from KFF’s Behavioral Health Survey of state Medicaid programs about policies and trends related to telehealth delivery of behavioral health services.
How Does the ACA Expansion Affect Medicaid Coverage Before and During Pregnancy? October 26, 2022 Issue Brief This brief looks at length of Medicaid coverage before delivery among enrollees with a live birth in Medicaid Expansion and non-Expansion states using the 2019 T-MSIS data.