New @cahsperiph.bsky.social brief

Work Experience of Medicaid Recipients in Missouri

HR1 directs states to establish work reporting requirements for Medicaid. About 67% of working-age Medicaid recipients are employed; many others may be exempt from requirement:
cahsper.wustl.edu/files/2026/0...

Work Experience of Medicaid Recipients in Missouri

HR1 directs states to establish work reporting requirements for Medicaid recipients
About 67% of working age Medicaid population is already employed, and many others may be exempt from work reporting requirement:
cahsper.wustl.edu/files/2026/0...

ACA Marketplace Signups Update:
Plan Choices show significant shift to bronze plans in both rural & urban areas

Shift raises concerns about out of pocket costs: bronze plans have higher deductibles; could raise medical debt, uncompensated care
timothymcbride.substack.com/p/aca-market...

Missouri Medicaid update 2025:
Procedural concerns remain for Medicaid recipients

Although some improvements in state processes are evident. concerns remain about procedures used to enroll in Medicaid &renew eligibility, on precipice of implementation of Big Bill open.substack.com/pub/timothym...

ACA Marketplace (Obamacare) Signups Update: Plan Choices show significant shift to bronze plans, rise in premiums Latest interim report shows effects of higher ACA marketplace (Obamacare) premiums; drop in enrollment, customers shifted to bronze plans from silver plans, and premiums rose

ACA Marketplace (Obamacare) Signups Update:
Plan Choices show significant shift to bronze plans, rise in premiums

New analysis from @cahsperiph.bsky.social based on new data from CMS open.substack.com/pub/timothym...

Missouri Medicaid update, II: Procedural concerns remain for Medicaid recipients

Although some improvements in state processes are evident. concerns remain about procedures used to enroll in Medicaid and renew eligibility, on precipice of changes ordered by H.R.1
open.substack.com/pub/siftinga...

Why is Missouri Medicaid losing children on its rolls?

Since January 2025, enrollment of children on Medicaid in Missouri has dropped 28,845, about 5%, despite no change in eligibility criteria
[Update, Feb 2026 data]
siftingandwinnowing.substack.com/p/why-is-mis...

Rural Missourians far more likely to be uninsured than urban residents Rural Missourians rely more on Medicaid but are still more likely to be uninsured than urban Missourians, as lack of employer coverage and access barriers take hold across the state.

Rural Missourians far more likely to be uninsured than urban residents

Rural Missourians rely more on Medicaid in part because of lack of employer coverage and other access barriers

Article citing work by @cahsperiph.bsky.social
thebeaconnews.org/stories/2026...

I wonder if the differential has something to do with how isolated rural communities of given states are.
Kansas is more rural than Missouri but those rural communities have more tightly knit and connected networks vs, Missouri's version of "rural" which are islands unto themselves.

Rural Missourians far more likely to be uninsured than urban residents Rural Missourians rely more on Medicaid but are still more likely to be uninsured than urban Missourians, as lack of employer coverage and access barriers take hold across the state.

Rural Missourians far more likely to be uninsured than urban residents

Rural Missourians rely more on Medicaid in part because of lack of employer coverage and other access barriers

Article citing work by @cahsperiph.bsky.social
thebeaconnews.org/stories/2026...

Don't miss this exciting discussion on the future of U.S. health care! The event will bring together leading voices who approach today’s most urgent health policy challenges from across the political and professional spectrum, including our co-director Timothy McBride.
@mcbridetd.bsky.social

Missouri Medicaid update, II: Procedural concerns remain for Medicaid recipients

Although some improvements in state processes are evident. concerns remain about procedures used to enroll in Medicaid and renew eligibility, on precipice of changes ordered by H.R.1
open.substack.com/pub/siftinga...

Missouri Medicaid February Update: Applications, enrollment steady but enrollment of children falling In February, applications dropped, as is typical after open enrollment period ends. In 2025, Medicaid enrollment remained steady, but enrollment of children despite no changes in eligibilty criteria

Missouri Medicaid February Update:
Applications, enrollment steady but enrollment of children falling

Applications (and pending applications) dropped in Feb, but the days to process applications increased; some trends affected by reverification process
open.substack.com/pub/siftinga...

Missouri Medicaid February Update: Applications, enrollment steady but enrollment of children falling In February, applications dropped, as is typical after open enrollment period ends. In 2025, Medicaid enrollment remained steady, but enrollment of children despite no changes in eligibilty criteria

Missouri Medicaid February Update:
Applications, enrollment steady but enrollment of children falling

Applications (and pending applications) dropped in Feb, but the days to process applications increased; some trends affected by reverification process
open.substack.com/pub/siftinga...

Study finds that Missouri has 4th highest differential in the U.S. between rural and urban uninsured rates
Latest analysis from @cahsperiph.bsky.social
siftingandwinnowing.substack.com/p/rural-miss...

Listening to a great lecture by Mitesh Patel, MD delivering the annual Samuel and Rhoda Nussbaum lecture at Washu School of Medicine, co-sponsored by @cahsperiph.bsky.social

Percentage with Medicaid dropped by 1.9 percentage points in rural Missouri from 2023 to 2024, with largest drop (down 4.8 points) in rates for children (under age 19), as unwinding of the public health emergency (PHE) finalized.
New from: @cahsperiph.bsky.social
cahsper.wustl.edu/files/2026/0...

Rural Missourians more likely to lack health insurance than urban residents A WashU analysis highlights how geography, employment and Medicaid changes shape health insurance access across Missouri communities.

Rural Missourians more likely to lack health insurance than urban residents
- The Source - WashU
New brief from @cahsperiph.bsky.social
source.washu.edu/2026/03/rura...

Rural Missourians more likely to lack health insurance than urban residents A WashU analysis highlights how geography, employment and Medicaid changes shape health insurance access across Missouri communities.

Rural Missourians more likely to lack health insurance than urban residents
- The Source - WashU
New brief from @cahsperiph.bsky.social
source.washu.edu/2026/03/rura...

New: People living in rural Missouri are more likely than those in urban areas to be covered by public programs incl. Medicaid (21.9% v 16%), less likely to have private insurance and more likely to be uninsured (9.9% v 6.9%)
New from: @cahsperiph.bsky.social
cahsper.wustl.edu/files/2026/0...

A Missouri pilot program reimagines rural hospitals as the central hub for more than health care The Missouri pilot program taps a federal waiver to allow rural hospitals to use funding for things like home repairs, utility costs or food assistance in hopes of improving rural Missourians’ health ...

Missouri Medicaid pilot reimagines the role of a rural hospital for patients

"The ToRCH program is the brainchild of Kirk Mathews, MOHealthNET's chief transformation officer and Abigail Barker, a health economist at WashU" and @cahsperiph.bsky.social
thebeaconnews.org/stories/2026...

Why is Missouri Medicaid losing children on its rolls?

Since January 2025, enrollment of children on Medicaid in Missouri has dropped 28,845, about 5%, despite no change in eligibility criteria
[Update, Feb 2026 data]
siftingandwinnowing.substack.com/p/why-is-mis...

CAHSPER is hosting its 3rd Data Bootcamp on Chronic Disease Research and Policy
Keynote Elbert Huang from U of Chicago

Why heart disease and stroke are projected to rise significantly in women, even younger ones Obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure are fueling increases in cardiovascular disease, even among much younger women, the American Heart Association said.

Heart disease and stroke projected to rise significantly in women in the next 25 years
New study by @cahsperiph.bsky.social Co-Director Karen Joynt Maddox
www.nbcnews.com/health/heart...

Updated:
MISSOURI Medicaid DASHBOARD
with Jan 2026 data on enrollment, applications, managed care

Final report showing impact after open enrollment; applications up but below 2024 levels.
Enrollment steady at about 1.3 million;
@cahsperiph.bsky.social analysis

cahsper.wustl.edu/impact/medic...

Missouri Medicaid Update, Jan 2026:
Enrollment steady but enrollment of children falling

Number of children on Medicaid has dropped almost 24,000 in last year despite no changes in eligibility criteria

Latest from @cahsperiph.bsky.social
siftingandwinnowing.substack.com/p/missouri-m...

Missouri and Kansas families pay nearly 10% of their income on employer-provided health insurance A new report found that nearly 10% of median household income in Missouri and Kansas goes toward deductibles and premiums. At that level, economists say those households are underinsured.

Employer health insurance costs in Missouri and Kansas near 10% of household income

from MO Beacon
[with comments by @cahsperiph.bsky.social Co-Director @mcbridetd.bsky.social
thebeaconnews.org/stories/2026...

Health Affairs Journal

The FDA and Its Changing Relationship to Industry

Join Health Affairs Feb 17 for an event exploring recent changes at FDA and what it means for industry&consumers. Join an expert panel moderated by our briliant colleague @rachelsachs.bsky.social from WashU
www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/h...

Why is Missouri’s Medicaid losing children on its rolls?
open.substack.com/pub/siftinga...

Health Affairs Journal

Analyzing The Drugs Selected For The 2028 Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Cycle
by @cahsperiph.bsky.social affiliated scholar @rachelsachs.bsky.social
| Health Affairs www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...