sales pitches are often from biased sources, the choices can be overwhelming and impartial help is not equally available to all

The 67 million Americans eligible for Medicare make an important decision every October: Should they make changes in their Medicare health insurance plans for the next calendar year? The decision…

Hospice care for those with dementia falls far short of meeting people’s needs at the end of life

Jimmy Carter, who chose to forgo aggressive medical care for complications of cancer and frailty in February 2023, recently reached his one-year anniversary since enrolling in hospice care. During this…

Free school meals for all may reduce childhood obesity, while easing financial and logistical burdens for families and schools

School meals are critical to child health. Research has shown that school meals can be more nutritious than meals from other sources, such as meals brought from home. A recent…

Michigan Gov. Whitmer proposes a caregiver tax credit − an idea many Americans support

People caring for elderly or disabled relatives need a break – and, in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has a proposal to give them one. Whitmer’s recently proposed $5,000 tax credit,…

Family caregivers face financial burdens, isolation and limited resources − a social worker explains how to improve quality of life for this growing population

Millions of Americans have become informal family caregivers: people who provide family members or friends with unpaid assistance in accomplishing daily tasks such as bathing, eating, transportation and managing medications.…

Where the government draws the line for Medicaid coverage leaves out many older Americans who may need help paying for medical and long-term care bills – new research

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Medicaid, which provides low-income Americans with health insurance coverage, currently excludes large numbers of adults over…

More than 1.5 million Americans lost Medicaid coverage in the spring of 2023 due to the end of pandemic policies – and paperwork problems

CC BY-ND At least 1.5 million Americans lost Medicaid coverage in April, May and the first three weeks of June 2023, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit that…

What does ending the emergency status of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US mean in practice? 4 questions answered

The COVID-19 pandemic’s public health emergency status in the U.S. expires on May 11, 2023. And on May 5, the World Health Organization declared an end to the COVID-19 public…

Medicaid work requirements would leave more low-income people without health insurance – but this policy is unlikely to pass this time around

The legislative package the U.S. House of Representatives passed on April 26, 2023, by a narrow margin would pare federal spending over the next decade while also raising the debt…

Why it’s hard for the US to cut or even control Medicare spending

President Joe Biden’s 2024 proposed budget includes plans to shore up the finances of Medicare, the federal health insurance program that covers Americans who are 65 and up and some…