Medicaid is the primary source of insurance in 43% of childbirths, and that percentage is much higher the younger the mother is, according to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why it matters: It's a reminder that women and children are among the most affected when state and federal lawmakers talk about cutting Medicaid funds. That's one reason there was such a backlash when Republicans tried to do it during their attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released new data on accountable care organizations that, on a high level, show the networks of hospitals and doctors saved Medicare money in 2017 and scored high quality marks.
The bottom line: ACOs have reduced federal health care spending more than what skeptics expected. But there are still questions of whether ACOs could have reduced Medicare spending even more if hospitals and doctors were on the hook for paying back losses sooner and if there is a limit to how much they could really save in the future.
Investigative projects from Kaiser Health News/NPR and Vox have exposed pernicious billing practices from hospitals and doctors that have left patients shocked, angered and exasperated.
The bottom line: Hospitals have taken PR hits with the airing of surprise bills, but nothing suggests their practices will change in the short term.
