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This piece provides an analysis of COVID-19 vaccination rates among 5-11 year-old children across the states. Overall, we find wide variation in share of children who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine across the states.
This brief examines abortion laws in countries that received certain U.S. foreign assistance to better understand the implications of the Helms Amendment (which prohibits the use of foreign assistance to pay for the performance of abortion as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortion) for abortion access globally.
As 2022 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.
This data note explores findings from on an 8-day online search for at home COVID-19 tests at major retailers. The findings are described against the backdrop of the Biden Administration policy requiring plans to cover the cost of these tests. We find that these tests remain hard to find and that this limited availability could negatively affect the success of the reimbursement strategy.
State Medicaid programs are using managed care and an array of other service delivery and payment system reforms, financial incentives, and managed care contracting requirements to help achieve better outcomes and lower costs. This brief examines what delivery system and payment reform initiatives are in place across states; how are states linking financial incentives and using transparency to improve quality and outcomes; and how are states leveraging managed care plan contracts to advance delivery system…
This updated analysis for the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker estimates that the preventable costs of treating unvaccinated patients in hospitals total $13.8 billion during the six-month period from June through November when the delta variant led to a surge in admissions.
The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified pre-existing health disparities for justice-involved populations, with coronavirus infection rates among incarcerated populations higher than overall infection rates in nearly all states. Justice-involved individuals are disproportionately low-income and often have complex and/or chronic conditions, including behavioral health needs. Although the statutory inmate exclusion policy prohibits Medicaid from covering services provided during incarceration (except for inpatient services), states may take other steps to leverage Medicaid to improve continuity of care for…
The U.S territories and the Freely Associated States (FAS) have faced an array of longstanding fiscal and health challenges, made worse by recent natural disasters and the coronavirus pandemic. Community health centers are an important part of health care system in the territories and FAS, providing access to a range of primary care services to low-income and vulnerable individuals. Based on findings from a survey of health centers, data from the Uniform Data System (UDS),…
This issue brief examines the new regulations, explains the status of the pending litigation, and identifies issues to watch.
This brief describes the characteristics of fully vaccinated hospitalized patients who have COVID-19 breakthrough infections, in comparison to people who are not fully vaccinated and hospitalized with COVID-19.
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