Los residentes de Florida que dependen de Medicaid dicen que temen por su futuro mientras los legisladores consideran recortes federales de $2.3 billones que podrían obligar a los estados a reducir los servicios, recortar la elegibilidad o reducir los pagos a los proveedores. La propuesta, reportada por primera vez por Politico, ha generado la oposición de los defensores de la salud que dicen que las reducciones afectarían más a los niños, las personas mayores y las personas con discapacidades. Durante una conferencia de prensa organizada por el Florida Policy Institute, Virginia, beneficiaria de Medicaid en el condado de Alachua, compartió cómo el programa le ha dado independencia a pesar de vivir con una discapacidad.

"Si el Congreso recortara Medicaid o el gobierno recortara Medicaid, no sé cómo viviría. No tengo familia a quien acudir. Mis dos padres viven en viviendas para personas de bajos ingresos. Mi padre está prácticamente discapacitado. No puede ayudarme en absoluto. Con mi madre no puedo contar," explicó además Virginia.

Los posibles recortes incluyen reducciones de $9.800 millones per cápita que limitarían la cantidad de fondos que Florida podría recibir. Los defensores sugieren que reducir la financiación federal de Medicaid obligaría a los estados a tomar decisiones más prudentes con respecto a sus presupuestos de atención sanitaria.

Joan Alker, directora ejecutiva del Center for Children and Families de la Universidad de Georgetown, advirtió que estos recortes dejarían a los estados con opciones difíciles.

"Recortes de esta magnitud obligarían a los estados a tomar decisiones muy dolorosas sobre recortes de servicios, de beneficios, reducción de pagos a proveedores y de elegibilidad," argumentó Alker.

Para la reverenda Latifah Griffin, cuyo hijo de 10 años tiene parálisis cerebral, Medicaid le permite acceder a atención especializada, dispositivos de movilidad y un centro de atención pediátrica extendida.

"Literalmente lucharía por cuidarlo. Probablemente tendría que dejar mi trabajo y tendría que quedarme en casa porque no puedo pagar los servicios para él sin Medicaid. Entonces, yo también me convertiría en una carga para un sistema que ya está roto," insistió Griffin.

Medicaid presta servicios a cuatro punto dos millones de floridanos y cubre a dos de cada cinco niños en el estado. Una interrupción a nivel nacional en los sistemas de procesamiento de pagos del gobierno congeló temporalmente la financiación de Medicaid a los estados, lo que provocó una confusión generalizada. La crisis fue ocasionada por las recientes órdenes ejecutivas del presidente Donald Trump que detuvieron el gasto federal en varios programas, excluyendo Medicare y el Seguro Social.

A bill in the Tennessee General Assembly is reigniting debate over how rural hospitals can staff anesthesia providers. House Bill 979 would address the shortage of anesthesiologists in rural Tennessee by allowing hospitals in counties with fewer than 105,000 residents to directly employ physician anesthesiologists.

Hospitals now have to use third-party anesthesiology services.

Dr. Louis Chemin III, anesthesiologist and physician with Tennessee Anesthesiology Consultants Exchange, supports physician supervision in what's known as the "Anesthesia Care Team" model. He said anyone hired as an anesthesiologist would be required to follow strict medical guidelines.

"Currently under state law, a hospital cannot employ an anesthesiologist, a radiologist, a pathologist or an emergency medicine physician. If this bill were to pass, it would allow hospitals in these rural communities the option to hire an anesthesiologist," he contended.

Chemin said the bill would allow a hospital anesthesiologist to perform anesthesia in one operating room, or to supervise the process in up to four operating rooms.

On Wednesday, the bill passed the House with a vote of 72 to 5, with 11 members "present but not voting." It now heads to the state Senate.

When a physician anesthesiologist provides medical direction to Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists or Anesthesiologist Assistants, Chemin explained, they must comply with seven steps outlined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to qualify for reimbursement under Medicare.

"This law means that if a hospital employs an anesthesiologist, that they must allow the anesthesiologist to practice in a way that is safe and is in agreement with these seven steps," he continued.

Chemin added that these requirements would ensure the anesthesiologist's active involvement in the patient's care and safety.


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A new report found Missouri's public health agencies are not sharing information effectively and fixing the problem could lead to better health care for people in the state.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services released its first assessment of the state's digital health system, highlighting ways to improve how health data is shared and used. The evaluation uncovered significant gaps in sharing critical information such as disease rates, hospital visits, birth outcomes and access to care.

Joshua Wymer, chief health information and strategy officer for the department, shared key insights from the report.

"Data is still often siloed," Wymer pointed out. "There was an opportunity with data to advance inoperability, there's an opportunity to always be better at privacy and security because we know that the threat of that is always evolving."

The report recommended establishing clear rules and strong leadership for better data management. More than 200 organizations took part in the assessment, through 25 meetings across nine regions.

A separate study found health care providers said patient access to electronic health records improved communication and treatment discussions. Wymer also shared what citizens expect from the systems as health data grows in importance.

"They expect their data to not only be available and readily accessible, but they expect it to be private and secure," Wymer reported. "And they expect an experience that moves closer and closer to them and their routine and their priority."

The assessment revealed Missouri's public health agencies have different digital capabilities but are ready to adopt new data systems.


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Wednesday is National Healthcare Decisions Day and advocates are calling attention to Florida's pressing need for advance care planning, particularly among vulnerable groups.

About one in five Floridians is over 65 and the state also struggles with one of America's highest uninsured rates, at 10.7%, significantly above the 8% national average.

Brandi Alexander, chief engagement officer for the national end-of-life advocacy group Compassion & Choices said Latino residents have nearly double the uninsured rate of white Floridians. She noted there are good reasons for anyone to plan for their future health care needs.

"Nearly half of the population are people of color in Florida," Alexander pointed out. "A 2021 study found that the preventable mortality rate for Black individuals was 1.5 times higher than it was for their white peers."

The annual awareness day encourages families to discuss and document their medical preferences before a crisis strikes. Florida's 52 licensed hospice organizations serve patients through hundreds of care teams statewide, according to state health data. Alexander emphasized clarifying care wishes can alleviate burdens on families and reduce preventable suffering.

Alexander added normalizing the conversations can empower patients and reduce disparities.

"The more we have tools and the more we normalize the conversation, we can start changing some of the negative stigma that comes with talking about death," Alexander stressed. "Because once you're talking about it and you know what options are available to you, you can then really advocate for yourself within the health care system - and that's how we really create change."

Free resources, including advance directive forms and multilingual guides, are available through the state health department and advocacy groups like Compassion & Choices.