"But the state Department of Public Health and Human Services postponed adding doula services to its Medicaid program in late March, citing a budget shortfall driven in part by higher-than-expected Medicaid costs."

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/doula-care-indigenous-health-medicaid-cuts-montana-tribe/

#healthcare #medicaid #ReproHealth #ReproJustice #pregnancy #doulas #RuralHealth #NativeAmerican #Indigenous #Cheyenne #CostsOfCare

"She’s contributed tens of thousands of dollars into Medicare and Social Security over 24 years, according to her Social Security Administration earnings record, reviewed by El Tímpano and KFF Health News. But Carranza and an estimated 100,000 other lawfully present immigrants will soon be cut out of Medicare."

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/immigrant-seniors-medicare-california-big-beautiful-bill-eligibility-taxes/

#healthcare #medicare #SocialSecurity #HHS #aging #immigration #CostsOfCare #taxes #USpol

"Burge is one of thousands of patients served by RAM, a volunteer-run charity providing free medical, dental, and vision care to underserved communities across the United States. About half of the patients have no insurance. The rest have insurance they can't afford to use because of co-pays and deductibles."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rams-free-clinics-full-of-needy-patients-but-slowed-by-red-tape-60-minutes/

#healthcare #clinics #insurance #medicine #dental #CostsOfCare #poverty #licensure

"Tax time can come with big surprises for some people who have Affordable Care Act coverage, including owing money back to the government for premium subsidies received during the previous year.

More changes lie ahead that make it important for those getting subsidies in 2026 to track their income and take steps to protect against that kind of financial hit."

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/tax-tips-aca-affordable-care-act-obamacare-subsidies-income-owing/

#healthcare #ACA #obamacare #insurance #CostsOfCare #taxes #PersonalFinance

"When TrumpRx launched in February, it joined a chorus of websites claiming to have deals on prescription drugs.

Despite the hype, many of the medicines on TrumpRx include brand-name drugs that patients can find cheaper elsewhere — as generics."

https://www.npr.org/2026/03/29/nx-s1-5724143/prescription-drug-shopping-deals

#healthcare #medications #PrescriptionDrugs #GenericDrugs #DrugPrices #CostsOfCare #insurance

New case study from the center left think tank #thirdway about #maine #hospital consolidation and how it's "ripping off patients"

As a Maine doc, the only omission I see is that they fail to discuss Maine's #certificateofneed law which allows hospitals here to block lower cost competitors. That's part of why we send some patients out of state for lower cost tests and surgeries.

https://www.thirdway.org/report/fixing-maines-broken-hospitals-a-case-study

#costsofcare #healthreform

#Capitation involves a lot more than paying #primarycare a monthly fee. It creates perverse incentives for #familymedicine docs and other PCPs to ration care.

#directprimarycare #costsofcare #healthreform

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/compensation-pay-primary-care-shortage-solution/