Millions of Americans who are working full-time jobs still rely on federal health care and food assistance programs because of low wages, a bipartisan congressional watchdog says.

A report from the Government Accountability Office found that about 70% of adult workers participating in Medicaid, which provides health care to low-income Americans, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, are working full time. Most worked for private sector employers in places like restaurants, department stores and grocery stores, according to the report.

While oversights occasionally happen, the Minnesota Department of Human Services reviews state death records to identify Medicaid enrollees who have passed away. AllSides highlights content from Gigafact, a network of newsrooms that respond to online claims. View the full fact brief on MinnPost.

Medicaid reform doesn’t mean abandoning the disadvantaged.

Medicaid costs taxpayers nearly $900 billion a year. That figure is on track to exceed $1 trillion by the end of this decade.

The entitlement is growing faster than the economy. That kind of growth is unsustainable -- and risks shredding the safety net for those who need it most.

Republicans are confronting that mathematical reality as they hunt for savings in a program that now provides health coverage to nearly 80 million people.

In its first abortion-related case since Donald Trump retook control of the White House, the US supreme court will hear oral arguments on Wednesday morning in a case challenging South Carolina’s attempt to effectively “defund” Planned Parenthood because the reproductive health giant performs abortions.

Health insurers got double-paid by the Medicaid system for the coverage of hundreds of thousands of patients across the country, costing taxpayers billions of dollars in extra payments.

The insurers, which are paid by state and federal governments to cover low-income Medicaid recipients, collected at least $4.3 billion over three years for patients who were enrolled—and paid for—in other states, a Wall Street Journal analysis of Medicaid data found. 

There is a lot of panic in Washington over what might be “cut” by the Department of Government Efficiency – everyone is protective of their own territory. However, like Congress having record low disapproval ratings while having a 95 percent reelection rate, idea of Elon Musk and the gang taking a sledgehammer to waste is appealing, except when it is to a program or policy you like. But a sledgehammer should never be the first tool anyone reaches for. It should absolutely be in the toolbox and used when necessary, but the smart move is to start off with the scalpel and go from there.

Data from the Oklahoma Health Care Authority shows that 1,043,474 people – 25% of Oklahoma’s population – are enrolled in Oklahoma SoonerCare, or Medicaid, as of June 2024. AllSides highlights content from Gigafact, a network of newsrooms that respond to online claims. View the full fact brief on Oklahoma Watch.

Democrats and Republicans are accusing one another of “lying” about what a House Republican budget resolution means for Medicaid, and both sides have made misleading or speculative comments. There’s little doubt the health care program would face cuts under the plan — and it would have to if Medicare cuts are off limits.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ended a longstanding transparency rule on Friday, supercharging his authority to change policies in areas ranging from Medicaid to the National Institutes of Health without advance notice to the public.

Dubbed the "Richardson Waiver" after the former health secretary who issued the rule in 1971, the policy Kennedy repealed had required regulations related to property, loans, grants, benefits or contracts to go through the federal "rulemaking" process.

House Republicans hunting for ways to pay for President Trump’s tax cuts have called for cutting the federal government’s share of Medicaid spending, including a proposal that would effectively gut the Affordable Care Act’s 2014 expansion of the program.

Cutting Medicaid spending, which is central to the budget bill that House Republicans may bring to a vote on Tuesday, could result in millions of Americans across the country losing health coverage unless states decide to play a bigger role in its funding.