Listen to the Latest KFF Health News Minute

What’s Happening

Breaking it down: The “KFF Health News Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from our newsroom to the airwaves each week.

Listen to the Latest KFF Health News Minute Republish This Story Dec. 18 Arielle Zionts reads the week’s news: Cuts to federal programs may limit the Trump administration’s plan to help Americans have more babies, and states face a challenge determining which Medicaid recipients are medically frail enough to keep their benefits without proving they are working, volunteering, or going to school. (it feels like chaos)

11 Sam Whitehead reads the week’s news: To get food benefits, more people now have to prove they’re working, and doctors say all newborns benefit from a hepatitis B shot, despite changing federal guidelines.

The Details

4 Zach Dyer reads the week’s news: Immigration enforcement personnel are showing up in hospitals, and road-safety advocates worry regulations aren’t keeping up with the popularity of e-bikes. 27 Katheryn Houghton reads the week’s news: The Trump administration is making it easier for health care companies to merge, which can push patients’ bills up, and air pollution from fuel exhaust and wildfire smoke can contribute to cognitive decline.

20 Sam Whitehead reads the week’s news: Some American cities such as L. And Houston have more traffic fatalities than homicides, and though most children and adults would benefit from annual covid shots, few are getting them.

Why This Matters

13 Jackie Fortiér reads the week’s news: You have until Jan. 15 to pick an Affordable Care Act health plan for next year, and the Trump administration is taking aim at state laws that protect people’ credit scores from medical debt. 6 Zach Dyer reads the week’s news: What to do when your health insurer stops covering your medical provider, and the Republican budget law will make it harder for some people to pay for medical school.

Medical professionals are taking note of this development.

The Bottom Line

6 Zach Dyer reads the week’s news: What to do when your health insurer stops covering your medical provider, and the Republican budget law will make it harder for some people to pay for medical school.

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