Trump Signs Order for New Women's Health Programs, RFK Jr. and Peptides, Healthcare on the Ballot

➡️ President Trump signed an executive order to establish women’s health programs at the White House and NIH. ➡️ RFK Jr. submitted an initial plan to the White House to allow specialty pharmacies to produce peptides, even though they’re largely unregulated. ➡️ Several states have key health issues on their midterm ballots. Want more of the top healthcare and health policy issues each week? KFF Health News will be back with a weekly video recap of the news you need to know.

First time buying health insurance during open enrollment? Here’s what to know

Buying health insurance can be overwhelming, but there are people who can help you figure it out — free of charge. HealthQ checks in with an “independent assister” to learn more.

North Dakota’s Bipartisan Push To Cap Insulin Costs

Republicans and Democrats in North Dakota worked together to limit what people with diabetes have to pay for insulin, joining a growing bipartisan push across the country to protect patients. For years, healthcare issues have divided Americans. But there’s a lot about healthcare that people agree on. KFF Health News and ‪@NPR‬ are exploring some of the hopeful — and sometimes unexpected — ways that Americans are putting aside their differences and taking on big healthcare challenges like high costs, corporate influence, and shrinking access to care. Reporter: Noam N. Levey/KFF Health News Video producer: Hannah Norman/KFF Health News Additional visuals: Francis Ying, Ang Kritzberger, Getty Images, and the North Dakota Legislative Council Music: Fermin Canyon, Campfire Rounds, and Base Camp by Blue Dot Sessions

What You Need to Know About the Opioid Settlement Funds

States and localities are receiving more than $54 billion over nearly two decades from companies like Purdue Pharma, McKesson, CVS, and others that made, distributed, and sold opioid painkillers. The money is meant as restitution for the companies' roles in fueling the epidemic. KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani breaks down the money’s path – from when it lands to how it’s spent.

Payback Tracking the Opioid Settlement Cash

Payback Tracking the Opioid Settlement Cash Opioid manufacturers, distributors, and retailers are paying tens of billions of dollars in restitution to settle lawsuits about their role in the overdose epidemic, with little oversight on how the money is spent. We’re tracking how state and local governments use — or misuse — the cash. https://kffhealthnews.org/opioid-settlements/?utm_campaign=KHN%20-%20Weekly%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--mFMEodjoOMPFjBNW68AKGNZulp5HvpM1FJsj54rjLxo6iaiOPGgCcPj5PR5afGYkbfB6h0DUzcoT79rUEfIrFJnJqMQ&_hsmi=449197740&utm_content=449197740&utm_source=hs_email

Medicaid Work Rules Don’t Apply to Native Americans. They Could Still Lose Coverage. By Andrew Jones, Katheryn Houghton, and Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez Nov. 13, 2026

https://kffhealthnews.org/health-care-costs/medicaid-work-rule-requirement-native-american-north-carolina-exemption-coverage/?utm_campaign=KHN%20-%20Weekly%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8cm6oDdQIkZA-GhhdVmUOSTvgyurssxUbRmD5xn3_DceRi4evWGxfycPk7fHIKX5hRNUOLnaPqM4yQBkA0TunGYeFnuw&_hsmi=449197740&utm_content=449197740&utm_source=hs_email Medicaid Work Rules Don’t Apply to Native Americans. They Could Still Lose Coverage. By Andrew Jones, Katheryn Houghton, and Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez Work requirements don’t apply to tribal citizens. But federal health officials provided limited guidance on how states should check eligibility. “I’m extremely nervous,” a North Carolina tribal healthcare administrator said.

Early Medicaid Work Requirement Insights From Nebraska Authors: Amaya Diana, Anna Mudumala, and Jennifer Tolbert Published: Sep 29, 2026

https://www.kff.org/medicaid/early-medicaid-work-requirement-insights-from-nebraska/?utm_campaign=KHN%20-%20Weekly%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9h4K4x3Z_zGFNWhfsS4Tqb21RtwBW1FvMN1UlzgZSc8Yy1vyqcin1yp5jjMzXkso4xDvd6C_c5nxmLDUBIV3fOeml9Hg&_hsmi=449197740&utm_content=449197740&utm_source=hs_email I’m Rachana Pradhan, a Washington, D.C.-based KFF Health News reporter who is counting the days until Thanksgiving (and ignoring emails about Black Friday deals). Send your best Turkey Day recipes and story tips to rpradhan@kff.org. By Rachana Pradhan Six months ago, Nebraska became the first state to enforce Medicaid work requirements under President Donald Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act. “We’re excited to be able to be the first to make it happen,” Gov. Jim Pillen said at a news conference in December. Initial state data shows that most affected applicants met the requirements or qualified for an exclusion. And most affected enrollees have kept their coverage. Even so, the rollout in Nebraska — eight months earlier than the timeline required by law — has been rife with problems, according to health clinics and organizations advocating for poor and working-class Nebraskans. The story of Eli McCreary shows how confusion has interrupted essential medical care. McCreary, who lives in Omaha, was diagnosed with kidney cancer earlier this year. Shortly after, he said, he got a call from a local hospital. He said he was informed that he wasn’t insured anymore under Medicaid — and that the hospital would cancel his appointments unless he paid out-of-pocket. When McCreary, who was 64 at the time, phoned a call center for help, he said he was told his Medicaid now required him to have a job. McCreary had previously worked as a driver for an asphalt services company before his health deteriorated. He said he’d worked “until I couldn’t do the job anymore.” His experience encapsulates something KFF Health News encountered in its reporting: Advocates who work with Medicaid enrollees in Nebraska say that participants don’t know whether the work rules apply to them. These advocates say enrollees also have received inaccurate information. On Jan. 1, Medicaid work requirements will apply to millions of adults in more than 40 states. “It’s already a shaky system, and now you’ve added more burdens on top of that,” said Gelila Selassie, director of health advocacy for the nonprofit Justice in Aging. Despite what McCreary said he was told, the Nebraska health department told KFF Health News that McCreary experienced “no lapses in coverage” and that he was disenrolled from Medicaid after turning 65. Jeff Powell, a spokesperson for the Nebraska health department, said Medicaid work requirements weren’t the reason: McCreary aged out of Medicaid and into Medicare before they could be applied to him. McCreary eventually rescheduled his appointments related to his cancer diagnosis. He had surgery in early November to remove his right kidney. With their newly elected majorities in Congress, Democrats have said they want to repeal the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s changes to Medicaid in their first 100 hours in office in January. But they could face a Trump veto.