Medicare's financial future unexpectedly got a lot rosier, at least according to some federal budget wonks. The Congressional Budget Office recently published its long-term predictions of the federal budget and buried a big surprise for people who follow the Medicare program. The government's primary piggy bank that pays for Medicare benefits won't be depleted until 2052 — 17 years later than what CBO analysts predicted last year.
Mangione maintains his innocence in the shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. But in a country where loathing for the for-profit healthcare industry is widespread, Thompson's murder and Mangione's coming trial have taken on broader cultural significance far beyond any normal slaying. The death penalty decision deepens that even further. Veteran defense attorneys told the Guardian that the death penalty decision also means it's all the more important for Mangione's legal team to present context as part of their legal strategy in his federal case; the defense might now even de-emphasize core questions of guilt or innocence and focus primarily on fighting the death penalty.
Ohio plans to add work requirements for some and red tape for others covered under the state's Medicaid expansion. The move is expected to take health insurance from tens, if not hundreds of thousands of the lowest income residents in the state, a group that already has poor health outcomes. Lawmakers are moving forward, even after hearing that efforts to take similar action in other states did not lead to more employment, just less access to healthcare.
The Senate has confirmed Mehmet Oz as administrator for CMS, making him the head of Medicaid at a time where its funding is at risk of being severely cut. The Senate voted 53-45 along party lines to confirm Oz.
Steep federal funding cuts have forced public health officials in one of Texas' most populous counties — Dallas — to cancel dozens of vaccination clinics and lay off 21 workers on the front lines of combatting the state's growing measles outbreak.