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In this video, residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands describe progress but also a long, slow road to recovery of the U.S. territories’ health care systems, economies and infrastructure six months after hurricanes Irma and Maria.
En este video, los residentes de Puerto Rico hablan sobre su vida cotidiana y puntos de vista de los esfuerzos de recuperación dos meses después del huracán María. Describen un clima de frustración, la pérdida de empleo y problemas económicas, la falta de servicios básicos como la electricidad y el efecto en la salud mental y física de la población
Medicaid, the provider of health insurance coverage for about one in five Americans and the largest payer for long-term care services in the community and nursing homes, continues to be a key part of health policy debates at the federal and state level. Important Medicaid issues to watch in 2019 include Medicaid expansion developments amid ongoing litigation about the ACA’s constitutionality as well as Medicaid demonstration waiver activities, including those focused on work requirements and…
This partnership survey from The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation explores how Puerto Ricans are faring one year after Hurricane Maria struck the U.S. territory. This face-to-face survey of those living in Puerto Rico examines the impact the hurricane had on their lives, including their housing situation, financial status, and mental and physical health. It also covers issues of access to water and electricity and Puerto Ricans' views of the government’s response to…
Drew Altman compares residents' views of hurricane-recovery efforts based on five surveys of residents affected by Hurricanes Maria, Harvey and Katrina.
Poll Reveals a Deep Partisan Divide in Perceptions, with Republicans Much More Likely Than Democrats and Independents to View the Federal Government’s Response Favorably As President Trump threatens to scale back the federal response to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria, most Americans say that Puerto Ricans affected by Hurricane Maria are not yet getting the help they need (62%), and about half say that the federal government has been too slow to respond…
The November Kaiser Health Tracking poll finds that 70 percent of the public say people in Puerto Rico affected by Hurricane Maria are not yet getting needed help, up from 62 percent in October. Similarly, most of the public (59 percent) says the federal government is not doing enough to restore electricity and access to food and water in Puerto Rico. As with Puerto Rico’s recovery effort, most of the public also reports closely following…
More than a year into the public health emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the lives of Americans including those living in the U.S. territories. Differences in Medicaid financing, including a statutory cap and match rate, have contributed to broader fiscal and health systems challenges for the territories. While additional federal funds have been provided over the statutory caps, these funds are set to expire at the end of September 2021. Without additional Congressional…
A new KFF analysis examines how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting U.S. territories as well as issues related to the upcoming expiration of temporary Medicaid funding for the territories at the end of September. Prior to the pandemic, the U.S territories –– American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) -- faced an array of longstanding fiscal and health challenges that were exacerbated by…
The U.S territories have faced an array of longstanding fiscal and health challenges that were exacerbated by recent natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. This policy watch examines how Medicaid funding for the territories works, the current allotments, and how the Build Back Better Act (BBA) would change Medicaid funding for the territories going forward. While a version of BBBA has passed the house, its fate in the Senate remains uncertain.
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