Holly Hacker

@hackwriter.bsky.social

Data editor @ KFF Health News

As federal cuts loom, MT's stalled Medicaid coverage for doulas shows how fast optional services can disappear. Misty Pipe hoped to be a full-time doula in her hometown, 100 miles from a birthing hospital. But she’s still juggling that care with her paid post office job. My latest:

This Northern Cheyenne Doula Was About To Start Getting Paid — Then Medicaid Cuts Hit - KFF Health News

Montana was on track to start reimbursing doulas, who support new and expectant parents, through Medicaid this year. But state officials halted that plan amid a budget shortfall. Other such services d...

kffhealthnews.org

One of the 100K+ people who lost their health insurance when Missouri slashed Medicaid in 2005 was a woman working a $6.70/hour McDonald’s job. Her ~$300/week pay put her over the stricter income limits despite supporting 3 kids. Now, congressional GOP are considering cuts that could be bigger...

KFF Health News@kffhealthnews.org · last yr.

If Congress cuts $880 billion from Medicaid, Missouri could face a yearly shortfall of $2 billion. An early 2000s budget gap of about $2.4 billion prompted the state to drop 100,000 people from Medicaid. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

My latest, for @kffhealthnews.org and @cbsnews.com: Social Security is cracking. It's declaring people wrongly dead. Beneficiaries and lawyers say records are getting misplaced. Checks are getting sent to the wrong address. The agency is getting worse, they think, at sending money to people:

At Social Security, these are the days of the living dead

In recent weeks, Social Security has been plagued by problems related to technology, system errors, and even the marking of living people as dead.

cbsnews.com

"The man responsible for a $1.3 billion fraud scheme. A doctor who gave unnecessary eye injections. A CEO who made a fortune on pain+pee. President Trump claims he will stop health care fraudsters. In his first term, he let these fraudsters go" — Brett Kelman on X kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Trump Says He’ll Stop Health Care Fraudsters. Last Time, He Let Them Walk. - KFF Health News

In his first term, President Donald Trump granted pardons or clemency to more than 60 convicted fraudsters, including health care executives who defrauded Medicare out of hundreds of millions of dolla...

kffhealthnews.org

In 15 yrs of reporting, I've never had so many health & biomed researchers & outreach orgs tell me they're afraid to talk w/press or barred from speaking bc of new comms policies. I understand the fear of losing funds. I don't know if silence does more harm than good. If you can speak up, pls do.