viernes, 10 de julio de 2026
When Patients Arrive With AI Diagnoses Stéphanie Lavaud
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/when-patients-arrive-ai-diagnoses-2026a1000muh?ecd=WNL_trdalrt_pos1_ous_260710_etid8494178&uac=148436CN&impID=8494178
It’s increasingly common for patients to arrive at appointments with a diagnosis in hand — one they’ve generated themselves using AI. Is that a sign of empowered patients, or a source of clinical concern? And in an era of constant information, misinformation, and overload, has the doctor-patient relationship been weakened?
Those questions were at...
Rethinking Routine Screening of Asymptomatic Patients George D. Lundberg, MD
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/rethinking-routine-screening-asymptomatic-patients-2026a1000msz?src=
To screen or not to screen is not the question. We all screen. Long before many patients enter a physician’s office, they perform their own personal exam. Waking up in the morning, many of us implicitly ask: Are my vision and hearing working well? Arms and legs moving properly? Any surprising new pain? Can I smell the coffee? Urine look OK? What did my bathroom scale tell me? Looking forward to the day?
Universal Bulk Billing Requires More Than Good Intentions Toby Gardner, MBBS
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/universal-bulk-billing-requires-more-than-good-intentions-2026a1000mkv
The current Australian government’s ambition to expand bulk billing has been a cornerstone of its primary care reform agenda, aimed at improving affordability and equity. There is a growing gap, however, between political aspirations and the economic reality facing general practice.
jueves, 9 de julio de 2026
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs ++...
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/research-roundup-the-latest-science-discoveries-and-breakthroughs-69/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8okI5fqUXLTELh3pcBvL9WPEMNZyGCdJUDsnap0DCTs1MLKQJuTCIxOc0rsJi8_G9aG5VeOzNcV8ORc7Ggs-Y_yuWwUw&_hsmi=427669063&utm_content=427669063&utm_source=hs_email
Viewpoints: Grandma's Using Cannabis. Doctors Can Help; GLP-1s Fuel Our Unhealthy Culture
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/viewpoints-grandmas-using-cannabis-doctors-can-help-glp-1s-fuel-our-unhealthy-culture/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8F4087TeFE8TZkohmiDsJtYNFU75wGrTrEzL4EWZdApAYmfen8kDdsODQQEqRS3eBdzmld3YM9PcCiKd_SL-1cIgQAgw&_hsmi=427669063&utm_content=427669063&utm_source=hs_email
WHO: Cancer Cases Are Expected To Rise Worldwide
WHO: Cancer Cases Are Expected To Rise Worldwide
A World Health Organization report projects that the annual number of cancer cases could jump from 20.6 million in 2024 to 35 million by 2050. The increase in cases is predicted to show up in lower-income countries with poor access to diagnoses and treatments, The Washington Post reports.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/public-health-070926/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8lfbTminvkFsPsaWqn3vyzTfVB9QKyLgh-_8Dl7ATstQAL6M7BUvZxlYXllIXbX0o99UvS53LEd8PRFLVxFXZ1HptQKw&_hsmi=427669063&utm_content=427669063&utm_source=hs_email
Debilitating Stomach Bug Sickens Nearly 1,000 In Michigan
Debilitating Stomach Bug Sickens Nearly 1,000 In Michigan
The source of the cyclospora infections has not yet been identified, AP reports, and no deaths have been reported. Meanwhile, investigators are probing similar illnesses in 28 other states. Also in the news: an E. coli outbreak linked with frozen organic blueberries; New World screwworm cases in Texas and New Mexico; and more.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/outbreaks-and-health-threats-070926/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9_HWoOsLJ927XZEUJyF9ZtPT0h9HFp7F_W0jLsZxH7W1xyeBN2W3EpuvlXGlKPkwbWcD5PVlONRWgMBYVl280AMlDPfA&_hsmi=427669063&utm_content=427669063&utm_source=hs_email
Health Sector Continues To Lead Hiring, Even As Nonclinical Jobs Suffer Cuts
Health Sector Continues To Lead Hiring, Even As Nonclinical Jobs Suffer Cuts
According to Labor Department data, the healthcare industry leads in hiring, with an estimated 22,000 jobs added in June, Modern Healthcare reports. However, not all roles are faring as well. Revenue cycle management, as well as food and housekeeping roles, are all coming under fire.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/health-industry-070926/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9bOZl7-_gFFaxBgwv2YCK6y66XLlqC2WZqGVNbr4K4aXptm7MuQTXhZJIlXSWvnh_nnBFhaHobT1ZAWqVERL-AR7oJpA&_hsmi=427669063&utm_content=427669063&utm_source=hs_email
Virginia Offers Relief After Federal ACA Subsidies End
Virginia Offers Relief After Federal ACA Subsidies End
Virginia's General Assembly approved $150 million to lower health insurance premiums for qualifying Marketplace enrollees, a move that will help an estimated 200,000 residents afford coverage, Cardinal News reports. Also in the news: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Kansas, and elsewhere.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/state-watch-070926/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8erUyJOEG0L82_u-y619TnefIPGl9kHN5SQcaojOfJKBRlOMTd2cWH2NBhgfOosSaa4R8QrAuUkyLoNtul0WU0uPf58A&_hsmi=427669063&utm_content=427669063&utm_source=hs_email
State Lawmakers Aim To Rein In Health Insurance Giants
State Lawmakers Aim To Rein In Health Insurance Giants
The insurance conglomerates — UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health and Cigna — are fiercely fighting back via lawsuits, lobbyists, and ads, The New York Times reports. Also: Medicaid work requirements, the cost of gene therapy, mental health leave, and more.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/healthcare-costs-070926/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-83x0shXWCN_iWq1l0ScKZHvnrdb-6BeNYGn1oG3cFYTtKf4fs4y29Nz1dbIqItYB0h8ixn2ePhHb6B-ztM4py0t2rLBA&_hsmi=427669063&utm_content=427669063&utm_source=hs_email
Covid Vaccine 'Injury Table' In The Works As Shot Compensation Overhaul Continues
Covid Vaccine 'Injury Table' In The Works As Shot Compensation Overhaul Continues
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced his intent to create a list of injuries thought to be caused by covid vaccines. Such an initiative would make it easier for people to seek redress, Stat reports. It is slated to be proposed in November.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/administration-news-070926/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--3j_P29UF5SZDqI2I06ksiy7iupPFJGT1tRKL_QJeeQfUaoMqAwtM_owkaMwcFkSOoWW7svIJtRQBHb2gysI5vogtP1w&_hsmi=427669063&utm_content=427669063&utm_source=hs_email
My Search for a Psychiatric Bed in an Overburdened Health System Over the past 70 years, the number of inpatient psychiatric beds has dropped dramatically, leaving many without critical care when they experience mental health crises. I was one of the lucky ones to get a bed — after 21 hours of waiting. By Helen Santoro Illustration by Oona Zenda July 9, 2026
https://kffhealthnews.org/health-industry/psychiatric-bed-shortage-overburdened-health-system/
Eight days before my 33rd birthday in April, a social worker at a crisis clinic near Denver determined I was an imminent danger to myself. She placed me on an involuntary 72-hour mental health hold.
What came next wasn’t treatment, but a search for a bed. Clinic staffers called area hospitals with inpatient psychiatric units, asking if they had available beds. They didn’t. So, I was told I had to spend the night at the clinic, which is open 24/7. I settled into a recliner, trying to make myself comfortable as my mind drifted in a blank, disassociated haze. Sleep came in brief bursts.
Did the Affordable Care Act Make Health Care More Affordable? Narrated by: Cynthia Cox Published: Jul 9, 2026
WATCH Part 3: How Affordable is the Affordable Care Act?
The ACA has been criticized for not living up to its name. But has it actually failed on affordability? The answer is complicated — and consequential.
KFF’s Cynthia Cox, Senior Vice President and Director of the Program on the ACA, looks at the ACA's record and how the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits put a spotlight on health care affordability that extends beyond Marketplace enrollees.
https://www.kff.org/health-costs/did-the-affordable-care-act-make-health-care-more-affordable/?utm_campaign=KFF-Health-Costs&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8moZxbEK25qUeSmldAxBIe-SATow8tKDccVxzpybLa-JKkhEBZhr9M-r0iCTzIawPMsdtIaIUxcMxUdu66IVNYEBFZ9g&_hsmi=427505920&utm_content=427505920&utm_source=hs_email
What Your Employer-Based Health Coverage Really Costs Narrated by: Matthew Rae Published: Jul 9, 2026
WATCH Part 2: The True Cost of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
More people get health coverage through their jobs than from any other source. The premium deduction workers see in each paycheck is only a fraction of the total cost.
KFF’s Matt Rae, Associate Director of the Program on the Health Care Marketplace, unpacks the full cost of employer-sponsored insurance and why that may be the bigger health care affordability story hiding in plain sight.
https://www.kff.org/health-costs/what-your-employer-based-health-coverage-really-costs/?utm_campaign=KFF-Health-Costs&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9wqhlQjdRe8cXNUoOTVEpFOv7gmhCYntlRA7mikuVlHUgyimU1me8d6qnKZ2zxfQZY3htq58a7lRIKmWG6hWM6v68new&_hsmi=427505920&utm_content=427505920&utm_source=hs_email
Health Care Costs Keep Rising … Why and Who Pays? Narrated by: Larry Levitt Published: Jul 9, 2026
WATCH Part 1: Health Care Unaffordability at the Macro Level
The U.S. spends more on health care than other large, wealthy nations. Concerns about rising costs aren't new, yet somehow we keep paying the bill.
KFF’s Larry Levitt, Executive Vice President for Health Policy, explains how we got here, who bears the consequences, and why reining in spending systematically may be central to the next big health care debate.
https://www.kff.org/health-costs/health-care-costs-keep-rising-why-and-who-pays/?utm_campaign=KFF-Health-Costs&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9Opu3ZsYjMOogjHTMGFET5-K759LccIP04lGAvcWx28y8qSg55C07w2b_BU_t4LhAffhBWz26qlX7nIuDQkLJQ7FZw_w&_hsmi=427505920&utm_content=427505920&utm_source=hs_email
Pediatric Cancer in the 2000s: Uneven Survival Gains Seen Richard Mark Kirkner + +...
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/pediatric-cancer-2000s-uneven-survival-gains-seen-2026a1000mmc
Over the previous two decades, overall survival for children with cancer has improved unevenly.
Survival gains varied by cancer, and the demographic factors of race and ethnicity, economic status, and zip code also seemed to be driving disparities in cancer survival, according to a large population analysis of a national database.
Personal Finance Perspectives
The Prior Authorization Problem in Atopic Dermatitis
Prior authorization remains a major barrier to biologic access in AD. Dr Chuck Vega covers denial rates, appeal outcomes, and the clinical data that make the fight worthwhile.
https://www.medscape.com/index/list_11189_0
The Biology of a Broken Heart Mónica M. Bernardo
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/biology-broken-heart-2026a1000n07
Shakespeare wrote about it before modern medicine had even considered the possibility. Romeo dies believing that Juliet has passed away, and Juliet takes her own life upon finding Romeo’s lifeless body. There is no prior injury, no infection, and no coronary obstruction that would explain this outcome from the perspective of modern biology — only a succession of loss, despair, and emotional collapse. That scene has been read and interpreted countless times as a literary tragedy; today, cardiology and neuroscience are debating whether, in some cases, the line separating poetic metaphor and human biology is more blurred than it seems.
Inside Isolation Units for Highly Contagious Diseases Elisa Riera
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/inside-isolation-units-highly-contagious-diseases-2026a1000n63
Hospitals need specialized high-level isolation units to care for patients with highly contagious infectious diseases while protecting healthcare workers, other patients, and the wider public. Outbreaks involving pathogens such as Ebola have shown how quickly these threats can test hospital preparedness and expose weaknesses in infection-control systems.
The Essential Clinical Research You’re Probably Not Reading Lisa O’Mary
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/essential-clinical-research-youre-probably-not-reading-2026a1000n6a
What Dylan Graetz, MD, MPH, found after examining four decades of failed efforts to treat adolescent girls with anemia in the slums of Mumbai taught her a critical lesson: Sometimes evidence-based medicine driven by rigorous data alone can miss the target entirely.
One Conversation Makes Testing Less Stressful for Patients Debbie Koenig July 09, 2026
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/one-conversation-makes-testing-less-stressful-patients-2026a1000n6d
For a physician, ordering a medical test is a routine, almost mundane part of the daily workflow. For a patient who’s in for anything but a wellness visit, though, the experience is far from the norm. And if they don’t understand why tests have been ordered and when to expect to hear about the results, it can lead to unnecessary worry.
Is Alzheimer’s Research Focusing on the Wrong Target? David Brzostowicki July 09, 2026
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/alzheimers-research-focusing-wrong-target-2026a1000nal
In April, a meta-analysis published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews pooled 17 randomized controlled trials involving more than 20,000 patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and concluded that antiamyloid monoclonal antibodies clear amyloid-beta from the brain but produce little-to-no effect on cognition and dementia severity.
When Fragmented Care Becomes the Whole Patient’s Kryptonite Manuela Callari
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/when-fragmented-care-becomes-whole-patients-kryptonite-2026a1000n6l
As a child, Andoulsi was clumsy and uncoordinated; the one whose joints seemed to move in ways they shouldn’t. Often fatigued, she struggled to keep up with her peers and was told she was lazy. Because her symptoms were multisystemic and vague — from digestive issues to dull joint pain — doctors failed to connect the dots. The 31-year-old dancer and artist in Paris, France, received an Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) diagnosis at age 24 after countless doctor visits. Throughout her life, gaps in care have at times brought her close to death.
miércoles, 8 de julio de 2026
15% Of US Adults Have Used GLP-1s For Weight Loss, Poll Finds
15% Of US Adults Have Used GLP-1s For Weight Loss, Poll Finds
According to a Gallup poll, 11% of adults are currently taking weight loss drugs, which is up from 3% in 2024, The Washington Post reported. Also in the news, a new kidney disease treatment, a Shigella vaccine, glucose monitors for kids, and more.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/pharma-and-tech-070826/
Appeals Court Blocks Part Of Florida Law That Restricts Teaching Of Race, Gender In College
Appeals Court Blocks Part Of Florida Law That Restricts Teaching Of Race, Gender In College
The judges rejected the provisions of the "Stop WOKE" law that pertained to higher education, criticizing the assertion that the state can control the speech of a professor whose salary it pays, The New York Times reported. “Hearing an idea you disagree with is not discrimination,” the ruling said. A similar provision for K-12 remains in place.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/state-watch-070826/
Healthcare Workers At Ebola Epicenter Walk Off Job Over Unpaid Wages, Safety Concerns
Healthcare Workers At Ebola Epicenter Walk Off Job Over Unpaid Wages, Safety Concerns
One doctor in Congo told the AP that he narrowly escaped death when a group of young men attacked him and his colleagues while they were doing contact tracing. “We don’t deserve this sort of treatment. ... We risk dying for nothing," he said. Another doctor said, "We are working day and night without being paid."
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/global-watch-070826/
A Fourth Infant Has Botulism In Outbreak Linked To Powdered Formula
A Fourth Infant Has Botulism In Outbreak Linked To Powdered Formula
The CDC confirmed the latest infant botulism case is in California, CIDRAP reported. “Parents and caregivers should stop using Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula immediately,” the FDA said of the product tied to the outbreak. Other public health news is on fentanyl, alpha-gal syndrome, "panic pouches," and more.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/public-health-070826/
HHS Pressures Hospitals To Provide Healthier Food
HHS Pressures Hospitals To Provide Healthier Food
Axios reports on the "Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge," which encourages hospitals to reduce highly processed foods and prioritize nutrient-dense options for inpatient meals. The administration has linked dietary patterns with improved recovery rates and overall health outcomes.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/administration-news-070826/
ACA Insurers Propose Yet Another Double-Digit Rate Increase For 2027
ACA Insurers Propose Yet Another Double-Digit Rate Increase For 2027
Millions of people who participate in the Affordable Care Act marketplace are facing back-to-back years of rate increases, plus the loss of federal enhanced subsidies that made coverage more affordable. Health insurers cited the rising costs of health care and the Trump administration's changes to marketplace rules among the reasons for a rate spike.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/healthcare-costs-070826/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9rhN4CvIYdQf2jz05jVmM2wyL7PSXQk5y2HD2Mf95XoauBUBuQ53-D2H3RPzJz60ZthiAZaf9u4ik-pMyi6Km1wIMLpg&_hsmi=427467321&utm_content=427467321&utm_source=hs_email
Affordable Care Act Insurers Want More Premium Increases as Enrollment Sags By Rachel Spears July 8, 2026
https://kffhealthnews.org/insurance/priced-out-obamacare-affordable-care-act-aca-premium-increases-peterson-kff/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--lAQGV_Ze71plIGCSjova3xyhN33C7-yo9_Yw9vPi4Lhxk-Aey3YzXcxgf9M-QL0jXyp4ddug__9WaK_Ob2jGqhtiJnA&_hsmi=427467321&utm_content=427467321&utm_source=hs_email
For the second year in a row, many Affordable Care Act insurers are proposing double-digit premium increases, driven by rising medical costs as well as policy changes by Congress and the Trump administration.
Patients Face a Thicket of Red Tape Trying To Maintain Consistent Health Coverage By Renuka Rayasam July 8, 2026
https://kffhealthnews.org/health-care-costs/priced-out-red-tape-insurance-costs-health-system-plan-switching-disruptions/
By the time Derion Blackman collapsed in front of a Dollar General in Kissimmee, Florida, in March, he had been waiting two months to regain access to some of the vital medications he’d been taking since undergoing a heart transplant two years ago.
Global COVID-19 Tracker Published: Jul 6, 2026
https://www.kff.org/covid-19/global-covid-19-tracker/This tracker provides the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, as well as the rate of daily COVID-19 cases and deaths by country, income, region, and globally. It will be updated weekly, as new data are released. As of March 7, 2023, all data on COVID-19 cases and deaths are drawn from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. Prior to March 7, 2023, this tracker relied on data provided by the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Coronavirus Resource Center’s COVID-19 Map, which ended on March 10, 2023. Please see the Methods tab for more detailed information on data sources and notes. To prevent slow load times, the tracker only contains data from the last 200 days. However, the full data set can be downloaded from our GitHub page. While the tracker provides the most recent data available, there is a two-week lag in the data reporting.
Medicare Advantage Insurers Deny Prior Authorization Requests for Post Acute Care at Substantially Higher Rates Than the Overall Denial Rate Authors: Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Meredith Freed, and Juliette Cubanski Published: Jul 6, 2026
https://www.kff.org/medicare/medicare-advantage-insurers-deny-prior-authorization-requests-for-post-acute-care-at-substantially-higher-rates-than-the-overall-denial-rate/
Two recent reports find that Medicare Advantage organizations deny prior authorization requests for long-term care hospital, inpatient rehabilitation hospital, and skilled nursing facility stays at higher rates than requests overall. When these decisions are appealed, they are frequently overturned, particularly for skilled nursing facility stays. This may cause delays for Medicare beneficiaries who are particularly vulnerable or have high care needs.
The Trump Administration Continues to Advance Incremental Site-Neutral Payment Reforms Zachary Levinson Zachary Levinson Published: July 6, 2026
https://www.kff.org/quick-insights/the-trump-administration-continues-to-advance-incremental-site-neutral-payment-reforms/
The Administration’s proposed changes for certain imaging services would further advance site-neutral payment reform but, like prior changes, are modest relative to more expansive options raised by MedPAC and others.
AI: Rewiring the Machine July 7, 2026
AI: Rewiring the Machine
July 7, 2026
Episode 11, AI Series: In a conversation focused on the technology underlying AI in health care, Chip is joined by Seema Verma, former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and now Executive Vice President and General Manager at Oracle Health and Life Sciences, the second largest electronic health records (EHR) platform in the U.S. Seema shares her insights on the evolution of EHRs and why it’s necessary to redesign these systems to better integrate AI capabilities and improve the quality of care.
Americans May Be Smarter About Vaccines Than You Think Author: Drew Altman Published: Jul 7, 2026
https://www.kff.org/from-drew-altman/americans-may-be-smarter-about-vaccines-than-you-think/
In a new column that analyzes recent KFF polling, Founding President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman concludes that only a sliver of the public hold definitive anti-science, anti-vaccine views, and are greatly outnumbered by the people who believe established science, with even more Americans stuck in a “muddled middle.” He writes, “when you see reports of social media engagement spiking about a health myth, don’t overreact. It’s more likely than not that it's a relatively...
Digital Health Tools and Technologies: An Overview of CMS’ Recent Efforts to Expand Their Use in Medicare Authors: Nancy Ochieng, Juliette Cubanski, and Tricia Neuman Published: Jul 7, 2026
Digital Health Tools and Technologies: An Overview of CMS’ Recent Efforts to Expand Their Use in Medicare
Authors: Nancy Ochieng, Juliette Cubanski, and Tricia Neuman
Published: Jul 7, 2026
https://www.kff.org/medicare/digital-health-tools-and-technologies-an-overview-of-cms-recent-efforts-to-expand-their-use-in-medicare/
As an increasing share of older adults have adopted digital health technologies over the past several years, and with most expressing interest in using them to manage their health care, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced several initiatives to expand the use of digital health technologies in Medicare. This brief summarizes these initiatives and draws on data from various surveys, including KFF Tracking Polls from September 2025 and March 2026, to…
In Preliminary Rate Filings, ACA Marketplace Insurers Largely Propose Double-Digit Premium Increase For 2027, Following a Steep Climb This Year Premiums Could Jump More Than One-Third Over Two Years—Middle-Income Enrollees Face the Full Costs Without Enhanced Credits, Even as Existing Federal Subsidies Shield Most from Further Increases Published: Jul 8, 2026
https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/in-preliminary-rate-filings-aca-marketplace-insurers-largely-propose-double-digit-premium-increase-for-2027-following-a-steep-climb-this-year/
ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 14% for 2027— indicating a likely second consecutive year of double-digit increases, according to a new analysis of preliminary rate filings in 16 states and DC. If these increases hold, typical premiums for insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces would jump by more than one-third between 2025 and 2027.
How much and why ACA Marketplace premiums are going up in 2027 By Matt McGough, Jared Ortaliza, Ashley Ferguson, Imani Telesford, Shameek Rakshit, Emma Wager Twitter, Lynne Cotter, and Cynthia Cox KFF July 8, 2026
How much and why ACA Marketplace premiums are going up in 2027
By Matt McGough, Jared Ortaliza, Ashley Ferguson, Imani Telesford, Shameek Rakshit, Emma Wager Twitter, Lynne Cotter, and Cynthia Cox KFF
July 8, 2026
https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/how-much-and-why-aca-marketplace-premiums-are-going-up-in-2027/?_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8tKeM4I0qF48PZ_RnnNEBwollu-yWEBJTnKqI4h7DHRkk4BKBYYdx1Bs2k6PIdL04b8AHG40AGdot8424UJUOzobYj2Q&_hsmi=427457771&utm_campaign=KFF-Health-Reform&utm_medium=email&utm_content=427457771&utm_source=hs_email
In Preliminary Rate Filings, ACA Marketplace Insurers Largely Propose Double-Digit Premium Increase For 2027, Following a Steep Climb This Year
Premiums Could Jump More Than One-Third Over Two Years—Middle-Income Enrollees Face the Full Costs Without Enhanced Credits, Even as Existing Federal Subsidies Shield Most From Further Increases
ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 14% for 2027— indicating a likely second consecutive year of double-digit increases, according to a new analysis of preliminary rate filings in 16 states and DC. If these increases hold, typical premiums for insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces would jump by more than one-third between 2025 and 2027.
Across the 77 ACA Marketplace insurers in the 16 states and DC that have submitted rate filings so far, most are requesting premium increases of between 10% and 20% for 2027, with 20 insurers requesting premium increases of more than 20%.
ACA_July_8
July 15 is the deadline for health insurance companies to submit their proposed premiums for 2027 ACA Marketplace plans. These preliminary filings provide insight into the factors insurers expect to drive health costs for the coming year. Among the key drivers, insurers cite the rising cost of health services, the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits, and some federal regulatory changes.
The rising cost of health services have been driven by the cost of hospitalizations, physician visits, and prescription drugs—including GLP-1s and other specialty medications. Relatedly, labor shortages and general economic inflation have driven up provider wages and costs, increasing the cost of health services as well. The underlying cost of medical care and prescription drugs has risen by 10% for 2027—greater than the 8% average growth seen over the last few years.
The ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025—leading to a 58% average increase in out-of-pocket premiums in 2026 and deductibles of about $1,000 more per person. Most Marketplace enrollees are largely protected from the premium increases because they still qualify for ACA subsidies, though at a lower level. However, people with incomes at 400% or more of the federal poverty level ($62,600 for a single person in 2026) lost subsidies entirely when the enhanced credits expired and, therefore, face the full increase in premiums. This caused many healthier enrollees to leave the ACA Marketplaces in 2026, leaving behind a smaller number of enrollees who are somewhat sicker and more expensive to cover on average. Further market deterioration is expected heading into 2027. Insurers estimate that the sicker risk pool drove 2026 premiums up by roughly four percentage points and expect another four percentage point increase in 2027.
Federal regulatory changes, including the recent Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters and the Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Rule, have also been cited as having an upward effect on premiums.
The full analysis and other data on health costs are available on the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an online information hub dedicated to monitoring and assessing the performance of the U.S. health system.
martes, 7 de julio de 2026
How Is Mitch McConnell? Staff Is Staying Mostly Mum About Senator's Health
How Is Mitch McConnell? Staff Is Staying Mostly Mum About Senator's Health
The Kentucky Republican has been hospitalized since June 14, when first responders were summoned to his Washington house on a report of an “unconscious” individual, The New York Times reported. His staff and fellow senators maintain he is keeping apprised of what's going on on Capitol Hill. The upper chamber's razor-thin GOP majority needs his vote to advance legislation.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/capitol-watch-070726/
New York Legionnaires’ Disease Cluster Sickens More Than 20
New York Legionnaires’ Disease Cluster Sickens More Than 20
New York City health officials are investigating a cluster of Legionnaires' disease that has been confirmed in two of Manhattan's Upper East Side neighborhoods. So far, 23 people have fallen ill, but no deaths have been associated with the cluster, ABC News reported.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/outbreaks-and-health-threats-070726/
Heat Wave Death Toll Reaches Almost 30 In New Jersey, 4 In Chicago Area
Heat Wave Death Toll Reaches Almost 30 In New Jersey, 4 In Chicago Area
According to the New Jersey Department of Health, the heat wave over the Fourth of July weekend might have caused as many as 29 deaths. Pathologists must still confirm the likely heat-related fatalities, The New York Times reported. Also, extreme heat in Chicago likely contributed to the deaths of at least four people.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/state-watch-070726/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_OsyqyxVhfparGXAPnm6819YpwFqeQqj5jhInQZNn6aVc4j2qLE4Iy0iQ-jjNmov5R202QhYbAVBvLLPTMUCyHr2aT-Q&_hsmi=427282699&utm_content=427282699&utm_source=hs_email
Secret Shopper Study Raises Concerns Over Online GLP-1 Prescriptions
Secret Shopper Study Raises Concerns Over Online GLP-1 Prescriptions
Stat reported on the study's findings, including how fast and easy it is to get weight loss drugs online, as well as experts' concerns over the standards of care involved. Especially concerning to clinicians, Stat reported, was that 45% of sites didn’t ask patients about eating disorders, which can be triggered or exacerbated by GLP-1 use.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/public-health-070726/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--WSXT3Ufwct1iQnCAxmBBsW2rvOnjCTAKnda8zfMapkEX2t11wh-e7AIjUwiN8MEriuNYYbhF4I8L1rzgjRs_S8zwXRQ&_hsmi=427282699&utm_content=427282699&utm_source=hs_email
Obamacare Enrollment Has Plummeted In All But One State, Data Show
Obamacare Enrollment Has Plummeted In All But One State, Data Show
While New Mexico saw a roughly 14% bump in Affordable Care Act enrollments — it's the only state that replaced lost federal subsidies — Ohio and Oklahoma each saw a more than 32% decline over the past year, according to an AP analysis of data from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Other states posting more than a 25% drop of their enrollees were Arizona, South Carolina, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Missouri.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/healthcare-costs-070726/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8UfP0xELaXnoymkYsIlH0bQXvVp4WD67SPW_pY6_oeGzWE7IwK1XpAcF3QRnYIztaGR066nn0WKw3uX6V4gAb_lPHLZw&_hsmi=427282699&utm_content=427282699&utm_source=hs_email
Trump Administration Blocks Preventive Services Panel From Meeting — Again
Trump Administration Blocks Preventive Services Panel From Meeting — Again
The administration postponed a planned July meeting of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which has not met in person since March 2025, The New York Times reported. Also: A look at how anti-smoking public health campaign efforts have changed under the Trump administration.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/administration-news-070726/
Thousands of Medicare Beneficiaries Thought Their Drug Plan Was Free. Then They Lost It. By Susan Jaffe July 7, 2026
https://kffhealthnews.org/insurance/medicare-drug-plans-part-d-small-premium-increases-disenrollments-wellcare/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_X09_Y0RlJ79wB0Mw0O3ThzQn0KlWQxLV_zA3tPhsxPdhVgxtjP2IpKxQKY9w6sZtdtqmDWQWz42XxFkMor9gn57SAOQ&_hsmi=427282699&utm_content=427282699&utm_source=hs_email
Jude Pare and his partner, Diane Tix, live in rural Minnesota until temperatures dip below freezing, when they take refuge in Arizona for the winter. While away, their mail is forwarded. But Pare, 77, said he didn’t receive any warning from his Medicare prescription drug plan that his $0 monthly premium was about to increase.
Copay Assistance Is Meant To Defray Patient Drug Costs. Some Insurers Keep It Instead. By Daniel Chang July 7, 2026
Copay Assistance Is Meant To Defray Patient Drug Costs. Some Insurers Keep It Instead.
By Daniel Chang July 7, 2026
https://kffhealthnews.org/health-care-costs/copay-accumulator-adjustment-programs-patient-assistance-insurance-pharma-drugs/
Drugmakers provide financial assistance to help patients afford increasingly expensive medications. But some insurers do not count those payments toward a plan’s deductible or out-of-pocket maximum and make patients pay instead.
Register for the FDA’s public meeting on the Reauthorization of the Medical Device User Fee Amendments August 5, 2026
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/medical-devices-news-and-events/register-fdas-public-meeting-reauthorization-medical-device-user-fee-amendments-08052026?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Public Meeting – Medical Device User Fee Amendments (MDUFA) Reauthorization for Fiscal Years 2028 Through 2032 – August 5, 2026
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing a public meeting to discuss proposed recommendations for the reauthorization of the Medical Device User Fee Amendments (MDUFA) for fiscal years 2028 through 2032. The current legislative authority for MDUFA expires on September 30, 2027.
Date: August 5, 2026
Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET
Location: The meeting will be in-person on the FDA’s White Oak Campus and webcast.
Registration Deadline: For general attendance, in-person registration will remain open through July 20, 2026, and virtual registration will remain open until 11:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 4, 2026.
lunes, 6 de julio de 2026
The Lackland flu outbreak is fading but Hegseth’s military anti-vaccine fiasco is not Henry Miller | July 6, 2026
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/07/06/the-lackland-flu-outbreak-is-fading-but-hegseths-military-anti-vaccine-fiasco-is-not/
The flu outbreak at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland has now become more than a military installation health problem. It is a real-time stress test of a political claim: that vaccine mandates are mostly an assault on personal liberty, even inside an institution built around collective discipline. As of early July, the outbreak had reached nearly 300 confirmed cases and four hospitalizations. And it’s now been confirmed that Keon McDaniel, an Air Force trainee, died from influenza.
ACI’s 13th Annual Summit for Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law The American Conference Institute’s (“ACI”) 13th Annual Summit for Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law returns July 29-30, 2026, at the Seaport Hotel Boston in Boston, Massachusetts.
ACI’s 13th Annual Summit for Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law
The American Conference Institute’s (“ACI”) 13th Annual Summit for Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law returns July 29-30, 2026, at the Seaport Hotel Boston in Boston, Massachusetts.
https://www.thefdalawblog.com/2026/06/acis-13th-annual-summit-for-women-leaders-in-life-sciences-law/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=acis-13th-annual-summit-for-women-leaders-in-life-sciences-law
ACI’s Summit for Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law is dedicated to providing the invaluable opportunities for networking and collaboration with the chance to meet, engage with, and learn from over 350 attorneys and executives from the biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries and keep you up-to-date on the latest developments and challenges in the industry.
Clinical development, meet agentic AI.
Clinical development, meet agentic AI.
A new model for clinical development is taking shape where startup, enrollment, and conduct move in days and months, not years. One platform. Unified workflows, data, and clinical context. Get the full power of agentic AI across the full trial lifecycle at your fingertips.
https://www.medable.com/?utm_source=display&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=STATnews&utm_content=agents
Online GLP-1 prescriptions are often fast, easy — and low on clinical oversight A secret shopper study of 49 websites confirms experts’ concerns
https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/06/glp-1-telehealth-prescriptions-jama-yale-secret-shopper-study/
By Katie PalmerJuly 6, 2026
Palmer is investigating how telehealth is driving the consumerization of drugs. This is Part 6 of the series The VirtualRx Boom.
Stopping doctors from ordering unnecessary diagnostic tests requires a structural fix Diagnostic stewardship can save money — and save patients from harm
https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/06/unnecessary-medical-tests-diagnostic-stewardship/
By Daniel MorganJuly 6, 2026
Morgan is an epidemiologist and physician and vice president of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
The smart way to regulate the peptide boom The FDA should take a middle-ground approach instead of outright banning popular but unproven peptides
https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/06/peptides-regulation-fda-middle-ground-ban/
By Jerome AdamsJuly 6, 2026
Adams served as the 20th surgeon general of the United States.
I spoke to Anthropic’s CEO about how AI may affect biotech. Here’s what I learned Even if the biggest claims about the technology are hype, it may still have an immediate impact
https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/06/anthropic-ai-biotech-impact/
By Matthew HerperJuly 6, 2026
Senior Writer, Medicine, Editorial Director of Events
GOP lawmakers push Trump’s FDA to make sure clinical trials are diverse Clinical trial diversity has gotten caught up in the Trump administration’s attack on DEI
https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/06/republican-lawmakers-attempt-clinical-trial-diversity-protection/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8wSGjnkTEyQvf_7Cl_5VaWpDqxPNSTLlx1ahamqCe6cc-HqG8eTA790gtiYlo25fmbd4E7SPHQ5giLN5ZymYmXpg5E_g&_hsmi=427027193&utm_content=427027193&utm_source=hs_email
By John WilkersonJuly 6, 2026
John Wilkerson, a Washington correspondent, is the author of D.C. Diagnosis, a twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine.
FDA Grand Rounds – Environmental Longitudinal Study Insights into Shigatoxigenic E. coli Dynamics Across California’s Central Coastal Agricultural Region
https://www.fda.gov/science-research/about-science-research-fda/fda-grand-rounds?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Date: Thursday, July 9, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET
Via webcast
About the Presentation:
This lecture will present an analysis of Shigatoxigenic E. coli (STEC) prevalence in surface waters, sediment, soil, air and animal feces sampled across the Central Coastal agricultural growing region of California. Integrating findings from a multi-year environmental study, the presentation explores how STEC moves through and persists over time within a complex agricultural ecosystem.
Amid Top Brass Turnover, Health Systems Grapple With Changing Industry Landscape
Amid Top Brass Turnover, Health Systems Grapple With Changing Industry Landscape
Many of the CEOs and presidents stepping down from hospitals and insurance companies are retiring, Modern Healthcare reports, and many of the departing executives have been at their organizations for decades. Also, Elevance Health files a lawsuit in federal court over CMS' Medicare Advantage quality scores.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/health-industry-070626/
High Tolerance Levels Make Common Opioid Treatments Ineffective For Some
High Tolerance Levels Make Common Opioid Treatments Ineffective For Some
The New York Times reports on new research finding that regular fentanyl users can tolerate previously "unsurvivable" amounts of the drug, complicating standard treatment regimens for opioid addiction. Also: maternal RSV vaccination, pediatric drownings, mental health stigma, and more.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/science-and-innovations-070626/
Hundreds Of People Across 18 States Infected With Severe Stomach Illness
Hundreds Of People Across 18 States Infected With Severe Stomach Illness
At least 20 have been hospitalized due to cyclospora, a parasite transmitted through food and water contaminated with feces that causes stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and severe diarrhea, The New York Times reports. Also in the news: West Nile virus, tick-borne illnesses, and more.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/outbreaks-and-health-threats-070626/
US Sees 2 Dozen Heat Deaths As Swath Of States Endures Massive Heat Dome
US Sees 2 Dozen Heat Deaths As Swath Of States Endures Massive Heat Dome
The National Weather Service recorded daily record highs or ties across dozens of observing sites over the Independence Day weekend. And an estimated 20,000 people died in extreme heat across Europe last month as heat waves continue due to human-caused climate change, Axios reported.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/state-watch-070626/
Experts Question RFK Jr.'s Push For More Preventive Care
Experts Question RFK Jr.'s Push For More Preventive Care
Two former chairs of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force warn that the recommendations could be shaped to benefit allies with financial ties to fitness and nutrition products, Politico reported.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/administration-news-070626/
Planned Parenthood Regains Access To Medicaid Funds After Congress Let Ban Expire
Planned Parenthood Regains Access To Medicaid Funds After Congress Let Ban Expire
The Hill reports on how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was used to defund Planned Parenthood last year, but due to complicated Senate rules for the bill's passing, the ban lasted only one year. As of July 4, Medicaid will once more be able to cover non-abortion care at Planned Parenthood clinics across the nation.
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/healthcare-costs-070626/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9MO2ko8GpbbbKAFjTYO_G8uyh68RuiOR70bTG7m6eMdTUck8AKOHeBN35HmSz7BIMCD1gLaTGsRi6sfsWgHGSOyxLbVw&_hsmi=427091914&utm_content=427091914&utm_source=hs_email
New Medicaid Work Rule Means More Opportunities To Lose Coverage By Sam Whitehead July 6, 2026
https://kffhealthnews.org/insurance/wamu-health-hub-audio-medicaid-work-rule-requirement-tips-coverage/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9lSLWezr77WCu7P46jJvO5oNfHt7iMLTp6H2h-Stmvm_ldG0vIkAtiW1t4gv3RoGoyLj8BO1y8oF8xMlzGt9rPbJqxwA&_hsmi=427091914&utm_content=427091914&utm_source=hs_email
Too sick to work? You may have to prove it. Next year, Medicaid recipients will have to start showing documentation such as a doctor’s note to avoid a new work requirement. KFF Health News correspondent Sam Whitehead broke down the rule and exceptions on WAMU’s Health Hub on July 1.
In California Governor’s Race, Voters Face Stark Choice on Immigrant Healthcare By Christine Mai-Duc July 6, 2026
https://kffhealthnews.org/elections/california-governor-becerra-hilton-immigrant-healthcare-medicaid-medi-cal/
For decades, Californians have generally said that immigrants, who make up more than a quarter of the state’s population and a third of its labor force, are beneficial to the state and its economy. But budget instability and concerns about rising costs are spilling into a debate over the controversial and expensive policy of allowing low-income immigrants without legal status to receive state-funded health coverage.
domingo, 5 de julio de 2026
A ‘historic’ FDA clearance raises the question: Is the LLM an interface or the decision-maker? UpDoc’s CEO wouldn’t say whether generative AI in the company’s diabetes app makes treatment decisions
https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/02/fda-clearance-raises-questions-updoc-use-generative-ai-diabetes-treatment/
By Mario AguilarJuly 2, 2026
Health Tech Correspondent
A former AI regulator, now in industry, says biopharma is reading FDA’s guidance wrong Tala Fakhouri blames both companies and the FDA for creating unnecessary hurdles
https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/02/fda-ai-guidance-pharma-industry-caution-tala-fakhouri-explains/
By Brittany TrangJuly 2, 2026
Health Tech Reporter
CDC leadership continues to try to manufacture a scientific debate on vaccines where none exists A recent seminar on vaccine effectiveness offers a warning
https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/02/measuring-vaccine-effectiveness-test-negative-design-cdc/
By Ben LopmanJuly 2, 2026
Lopman is professor of epidemiology and global health at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.
U.S. judge blocks Colorado’s first-of-its-kind price cap on an Amgen drug Drugmaker was ‘likely to be significantly harmed’ by the payment limit placed on Enbrel
https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2026/07/02/judge-blocks-colorado-price-cap-on-amgen-enbrel/
By Ed SilvermanJuly 2, 2026
Pharmalot Columnist, Senior Writer
Medicare takes another swing at 340B cuts to hospitals The proposal would effectively transfer funds from safety-net facilities to for-profit hospitals, advocates say
https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/02/medicare-hospital-payment-340b-drugs-cut/
By Tara BannowJuly 2, 2026
Hospitals and Insurance Reporter
7 takeaways from STAT’s investigation into the U.S. alcohol epidemic ‘The Deadliest Drug’ catalogs the nation’s failure to address excessive alcohol use as a leading cause of disease, injury and death
https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/12/america-alcohol-epidemic-deadliest-drug-series-key-takeaways/
By Isabella Cueto and Lev FacherMay 12, 2026
5 takeaways from STAT’s investigation into microhospital operator Nutex Health Nutex profited from loopholes in laws meant to protect patients, STAT found
https://www.statnews.com/2026/06/29/nutex-health-investigation-takeaways-stat-news-no-surprises-act/
By Tara BannowJune 29, 2026
Hospitals and Insurance Reporter
Statins and blood pressure drugs changing health risks of obesity, study suggests Middle-age people with obesity had cardiovascular profiles near peers with normal BMI
https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/01/lancet-obesity-blood-pressure-cholesterol-study/
By Elizabeth CooneyJuly 1, 2026
Cardiovascular Disease Reporter
Predictors of mood change during COVID-19 lockdown in Italy: a web-based survey study Giancarlo Pesce* [1] , Francesca Sanna [2]
Predictors of mood change during COVID-19 lockdown in Italy: a web-based survey study
Giancarlo Pesce* [1], Francesca Sanna [2]
https://www.academia.edu/3071-0324/2/2/10.20935/AcadPHealth8258
Introduction: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a national lockdown was imposed in Italy, which dramatically changed the habits of the population with consequences on their mental wellbeing. This study aimed to assess whether the individual context of the confinement—including the home and family setup, work and health conditions, and lifestyle—impacted the general mood during the lockdown.
https://www.academia.edu/journals/academia-global-and-public-health/articles?source=journal-top-nav
Ovarian aging across the reproductive lifespan: fertility and public health implications
Alejandro Teppa-Garrán, Reinaldo Marín
Volume 2, Issue 2
Making Medicaid Payment Policy Work For Patients, Providers, And Taxpayers Anne O’Hagen KarlandAvi Herring June 23, 2026
https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/making-medicaid-payment-policy-work-patients-providers-and-taxpayers
Rather than impose one-size-fits-all solutions, federal and state policy makers should craft Medicaid payment policies that target specific access or quality goals, and track whether those goals are being met.
Federal Health Funding Litigation Under The Trump Administration: A Year In Review Suhasini RaviandAndrew Twinamatsiko July 1, 2026
https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/federal-health-funding-litigation-under-trump-administration-year-review
The Trump administration has aggressively sought to restructure the federal health system using funding. Lower courts have repeatedly voided the administration’s actions, but the Supreme Court has intervened, reshaping the legal landscape.
Defaults Don’t Lie: Medicare Advantage’s Approach To Pricing Risk Is Broken Mika Newton July 1, 2026
https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/defaults-don-t-lie-medicare-advantage-s-approach-pricing-risk-broken
Medicare Advantage is paid based on what was coded, not on what the clinical record actually documents.
Medical Ethics Responds To Private Equity Jake Young July 2, 2026
https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/medical-ethics-responds-private-equity
The American Medical Association now offers ethical guidance to physicians who are considering selling their private practices to private equity firms or entering into employment contracts with private equity-owned health care institutions.
Bridging Systems To Support Families Aging Together Brystana G. Kaufman,Montgomery Smith,andMichelle Scotton Franklin July 2, 2026
https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/bridging-aging-and-disability-systems-support-families-aging-together
Policies that integrate disability and aging services are critical to enable older adults and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live healthy, fulfilling lives in the homes of their choice.
National Health Expenditure Projections, 2025–34: Strong Utilization Growth Initially, Legislative Impacts Later Authors: Jacqueline A. Fiore jacqueline.fiore@cms.hhs.gov, Andrea M. Sisko, John A. Poisal, Sheila D. Smith, Gigi A. Cuckler, Andrew J. Madison, Sean P. Keehan, Kathryn E. Rennie, and Nicholas J. Feehley
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2026.00642
By 2034, national health spending is projected to total nearly $9.0 trillion and to represent 20.6 percent of the economy, compared with $5.3 trillion and 18.0 percent in 2024. The rate of national health spending growth during this period is influenced by continued elevated use of medical services and goods through 2026; major legislative changes that affect insurance coverage and spending through 2028; and continued demographic shifts toward public programs, mainly Medicare. The insured share of the population is expected to be 90.5 percent in 2034, compared with 91.8 percent in 2024.
Price Transparency, Medicare, Medicaid, And More Authors: Donald E. Metz and The Editorial Staff
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2026.00749
This issue of Health Affairs covers price transparency, Medicare, Medicaid, and many other topics, including several entries in our ongoing series, The Practice Of Medicine, Age-Friendly Health, and Medicaid Financing, supported by the Physicians Foundation, the John A. Hartford Foundation, and Arnold Ventures.
Supreme Court Wrap-Up Sara Rosenbaum,Renée M. Landers,Thomas Barker,andMara K. Youdelman July 8, 2026, 12:00 PM
https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/he20260610.283246/full/?utm_campaign=insidermarketing&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-806CO1PHxDVw43zQnW1C34mf5gP2xuKDMlJvjBtvvryV-9os1cHlF4hHI-ZhNe_Rw0FRMI6NDhJjlKfzU5jTqLBLdTiA&_hsmi=426666159&utm_content=eventspecific&utm_source=hasu
Join Health Affairs Publishing on Wednesday July 8 for an Insider-exclusive virtual event where leading experts will take a closer look at the Supreme Court’s recent work and what it could mean moving forward.
Moderated by Sara Rosenbaum, the discussion will feature insights from Renée M. Landers, Thomas Barker, and Mara Youdelman.
sábado, 4 de julio de 2026
Synthetic biology researchers think they’ve made a cell. Is it alive? Described in a preprint, ‘SpudCell’ could be a major advance in the field
https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/01/synthethic-biology-researcher-announce-creation-spud-cells/
By Matthew HerperJuly 1, 2026
Senior Writer, Medicine, Editorial Director of Events
Elevance sues government over $115 million tied to Medicare Advantage star ratings CMS’ recalculation of quality ratings wasn’t consistent with a recent court ruling, Elevance said
https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/02/elevance-lawsuit-medicare-advantage-star-ratings-clover/
By Bob HermanJuly 2, 2026
Bob Herman is the author of Health Care Inc., an award-winning weekly newsletter about the business of health and medicine.
The ERs that can turn patients away — and are reaping millions How a hospital operator used the No Surprises Act to fuel a stunning financial turnaround
https://www.statnews.com/2026/06/29/nutex-health-micro-hospitals-er-loophole-idr-profits/
By Tara BannowJune 29, 2026
Bannow spoke with patients, regulators, and health care experts, and reviewed dozens of court filings and financial documents for this story.
Lawmakers urge HHS to force Eli Lilly to provide 340B drug discounts to hospitals The drug maker stopped offering discounts last month to reduce what it calls duplicate discounts paid to the hospitals
Celebrities flock to Mexico for for expensive anti-aging stem cell injections despite no evidence that it works Tamilore Oshikanlu | Daily Beast | July 1, 2026
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/07/01/celebrities-flock-to-mexico-for-for-expensive-anti-aging-stem-cell-injections-despite-no-evidence-that-it-works/
Celebrities are jetting out of the country in search of a pricey anti-aging craze that many claim is helping them dodge surgery, heal old injuries, and even turn back the clock.
Viewpoint—Junk science: How predatory mass tort lawyers twist facts, scare the public about phantom chemical risks, and cash in on billion-dollar settlements David Williams | The Well News | July 1, 2026
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/07/01/viewpoint-junk-science-how-predatory-mass-tort-lawyers-twist-facts-scare-the-public-about-phantom-chemical-risks-and-cash-in-on-billion-dollar-settlements/
Too many mass tort litigations are being resolved based on so-called “expert” testimony that is, in reality, less than reliable. In fact, information provided by plaintiff attorneys can often be what is known as junk science. The presentation of such specious evidence can lead defendants to settle, and juries and judges to reach erroneous decisions.
Viewpoint: Glyphosate may be hazardous, but it is not dangerous as used by farmers. Critics of the Supreme Court’s Roundup ruling garble hazard with risk Alex Smolak | STAT | July 1, 2026
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/07/01/viewpoint-glyphosate-may-be-hazardous-but-it-is-not-dangerous-as-used-by-farmers-critics-of-the-supreme-courts-roundup-ruling-garble-hazard-with-risk/
… In epidemiology, causation is usually a population-level inference. Researchers ask whether an exposure reliably changes disease risk across groups of people. That requires replication, statistical association, dose-response evidence, biological plausibility, and efforts to rule out confounding. Even then, conclusions remain probabilistic. A risk factor can increase disease likelihood without proving why one person became ill.
Explaining the Supreme Court ruling empowering states to ban transgender female athletes from competing in women’s sports Katie Barnes | ESPN | July 1, 2026
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/07/01/explaining-the-supreme-court-ruling-empowering-states-to-ban-transgender-female-athletes-from-competing-in-womens-sports/
[The Supreme Court] issued a narrow decision focused specifically on the unique context of sports,” ACLU senior counsel Joshua Block said. “It didn’t issue a broader decision saying that Title IX, in general, didn’t protect transgender students. … And it didn’t issue a sweeping ruling saying that under the Constitution it’s perfectly fine to discriminate based on transgender status.”
From infrared sauna blankets to collagen gummies, here’s the top 10 social-media-promoted wellness shams Jenny Milam | Resource Buzz | July 2, 2026
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/07/02/from-infrared-sauna-blankets-to-collagen-gummies-heres-the-top-10-social-media-promoted-wellness-shams/
The wellness industry has become a multi-billion-dollar business built around one simple promise: feeling better. Better sleep. Better skin. Better focus. Better energy. Better everything.
PEW study: The sick state of American health information Aaron Smith, Eileen Yam, Galen Stocking et al. | Pew Research Center | July 2, 2026
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/07/02/pew-study-the-sick-state-of-american-health-information/
Most Americans say it’s important to be healthy, but fewer think they are doing a good job at managing their own health. They also report significant challenges figuring out the best way to reach their health goals: Around half of the public says they struggle to know which health information is accurate, and most have encountered conflicting advice about their health.
Independent news review site launches free credibility and fact-vetted aggregation chatbot NewsGuard | July 2, 2026
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/07/02/independent-news-review-site-launches-free-credibility-and-fact-vetted-aggregation-chatbot/
NewsGuard AI is the only chatbot specializing in providing reliable responses to prompts about topics in the news.
The large all-purpose AI models are infected by the hoaxes and propaganda spread by the thousands of unreliable sources on the internet, which helps explain why the top chatbots provide false information on controversial news topics one third of the time. These models have also lost access to top quality news from many of the best news publishers by refusing to compensate them for their journalism.
Viewpoint: Disinformation grift: The wellness industry is a lucrative and mostly worthless marketplace of ‘balms, brews, and baloney’ Barbara Pfeffer Billauer | July 1, 2026
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/07/01/viewpoint-disinformation-grift-the-wellness-industry-is-a-lucrative-and-mostly-worthless-marketplace-of-balms-brews-and-baloney/
Wellness used to mean getting your vitamins from food and eliminating waste in a toilet. Today it means supplements, colonics, carnivore diets, and concoctions marketed by influencers and other grifters ripping off an unsuspecting public. But it shouldn’t be the price that panics us—rather, it’s the misinformation marketed in a bottle, sometimes to the consumer’s danger, and the cost to society.
Transgender female athletes and Title IX: Separating ‘policy’ from ‘legality’ Amy Howe | July 1, 2026
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/07/01/transgender-female-athletes-and-title-ix-separating-policy-from-legality/
The Supreme Court on [June 30, 2026] ruled that states can exclude transgender athletes from women’s and girls’ sports teams. The justices ruled unanimously that laws enacted by Idaho and West Virginia do not violate federal civil rights laws, but they divided over whether the West Virginia law violates the Constitution, at least with regard to the athlete in the case before the court.
Viewpoint: Why are there no approved bioengineered insect-protected (Bt) apples? Bill Pilacinski | July 2, 2026
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/07/02/viewpoint-why-are-there-no-approved-bioengineered-insect-protected-bt-apples/
642 separate Bioengineered (aka, GM/GMO, recombinant DNA) events, of 42 traits, in 32 different crops or plants have received regulatory approval in one or more countries, according to the ISAAA GM approval database (https://www.isaaa.org). 225 of these events have also been approved in the US, most in the important agricultural crops of maize, soy, cotton, canola and potato. However, an Excel file from USDA Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) of requests for field trial permits of bioengineered events, from April 1985 thru February 2023, has 54,905 entries. Although many of the requests were repeats or were for gene components, it is striking that, since first commercialized in 1996 (30 years ago), with unprecedented acceptance by growers, so few events and traits have been commercialized in the US.
Ideological red flag: Led by anti-vax doctor, Tennessee is now the U.S. epicenter selling potent ivermectin shown worthless to prevent or treat Covid Brett Kelman, Rachana Pradhan | July 2, 2026
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2026/07/02/ideological-red-flag-led-by-anti-vax-doctor-tennessee-is-now-the-u-s-epicenter-selling-potent-ivermectin-shown-worthless-to-prevent-or-treat-covid/
Four years ago, Tennessee became the first state to allow adults to buy the antiparasitic drug ivermectin from a pharmacy without first seeing a doctor. Pharmacies can use a pre-written, blanket prescription to sell to just about anyone who walks through their doors.
viernes, 3 de julio de 2026
Poll: People Without a Trusted Health Care Provider Are More Likely to Endorse Vaccine Myths, As Are Those Who Often Use Social Media or AI for Health Information While More People Identify Vaccine Myths as “Definitely False” than “Definitely True,” At Least Half Are Uncertain About What to Believe Published: Jun 30, 2026
HHS Public Health Policy Actions Under the Trump Administration 2025-2026 Authors: Josh Michaud and Jennifer Kates Published: Jun 30, 2026
https://www.kff.org/other-health/tracking-key-hhs-public-health-policy-actions-under-the-trump-administration/
Note: Originally published on Nov. 12, 2025, this resource is updated as needed, most recently on June 30, 2026, to reflect additional developments.
Since assuming office for a second term, President Trump and officials in his administration have instituted numerous policy actions through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) affecting public health in the U.S. This resource lists and briefly describes key actions in the order in which they were first issued, reported or announced, with subsequent linked actions and related outcomes also included with each entry. As new policy changes occur, they will be added.
Decoding Medicare Advantage Coding Intensity Authors: Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek and Nolan Sroczynski Published: Jul 1, 2026
https://www.kff.org/medicare/decoding-medicare-advantage-coding-intensity/
In recent years, federal payments to Medicare Advantage plans, and how they are adjusted for enrollee health status, have come under increased scrutiny. Medicare Advantage plans receive a capitated amount for each enrollee, and these payments are “risk adjusted” based on the diagnosis codes reported by the insurer to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for each enrollee. Plans receive higher payments for enrollees who are sicker and expected to have higher health care spending, and lower payments for enrollees who are healthier and expected to have lower health care spending. The purpose of this risk adjustment is to ensure plans receive adequate payments to treat sicker, higher-cost patients and reduce incentives to enroll primarily healthier, lower cost, beneficiaries. However, since the approach to risk adjusting payments relies heavily on the diagnosis codes recorded for Medicare Advantage enrollees, it provides a strong financial incentive for private insurers to capture as many diagnosis codes for each enrollee as possible, which increases payments and contributes to higher Medicare spending.
Medicare Will Spend More Than $13 Billion on the Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Program in 2026 Authors: Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Nancy Ochieng, and Meredith Freed Published: Jul 1, 2026
https://www.kff.org/medicare/medicare-will-spend-more-than-13-billion-on-the-medicare-advantage-quality-bonus-program-in-2026/
The Medicare Advantage quality bonus program, established by the Affordable Care Act, increases Medicare payments to Medicare Advantage plans that qualify by having a star rating of 4 or above (on a five-star rating system). (See the KFF brief on Medicare Advantage payments for more detail.) Plans may, but are not required to, use the increase in payments to cover the cost of supplemental benefits, including reduced cost sharing, extra benefits not covered by traditional Medicare (e.g., vision, hearing and dental), lowering Part B premiums, and/or subsidizing Part D prescription drug coverage. The star ratings are intended to help consumers make informed decisions when choosing among Medicare Advantage plans and the potential for additional funding is intended to encourage plans to improve quality. However, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and others have suggested that the star ratings incorporate too many measures, do not adequately account for social risk factors, and may not be a useful indicator of quality because star ratings are reported at the contract rather than the plan level. Medicare Advantage contracts typically include multiple plans, which may have different benefits, costs, networks, service areas, and enroll different populations (i.e., plans that are open for general enrollment and special needs plans that limit enrollment to dual-eligible individuals).
State and Federal Reproductive Rights and Abortion Litigation Tracker Last updated on Jul 1, 2026
https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/litigation-involving-reproductive-health-and-rights-in-the-federal-courts/
The Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling, overturning Roe v. Wade, returned the decision to restrict or protect abortion to states. In many states, abortion providers and advocates are challenging state abortion bans contending that the bans violate the state constitution or another state law. Additionally, new questions have arisen regarding the intersection of federal and state authority when it impacts access to abortion and contraception.
This litigation tracker presents up-to-date information on the ongoing litigation in state and federal courts involving access to contraception and abortion. Use the buttons below to navigate between cases related to: Pregnancy and Work, Emergency Care, Family Planning, Privacy, Medication Abortion, Minors Access, and State Abortion Bans.
How Has Projected Medicaid Spending and Enrollment Changed Since Passage of the 2025 Reconciliation Law? Authors: Elizabeth Williams, Alice Burns, and Robin Rudowitz Published: Jul 1, 2026
https://www.kff.org/medicaid/how-has-projected-medicaid-spending-and-enrollment-changed-since-passage-of-the-2025-reconciliation-law/
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), known as Congress’s “scorekeeper,” projects federal spending and revenues over the next decade and cost estimates of proposed legislation are measured against those projections. Those projections include spending on major federal programs, such as Medicaid. CBO also typically releases a detailed baseline for federal spending on Medicaid that includes estimates of enrollment by eligibility group and spending by service category. The 2025 reconciliation law, signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025, made major changes to federal revenues and spending, with CBO estimating the new law would reduce federal spending on Medicaid by $911 billion over the 2025-2034 period, relative to its January 2025 baseline projections of Medicaid spending under the law and regulations at the time.
KFF Tracker: America First MOU Bilateral Global Health Agreements Published: Jul 1, 2026
https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/kff-tracker-america-first-mou-bilateral-global-health-agreements/
On September 18, 2025, the U.S. government (USG) released its new America First Global Health Strategy, which details how the U.S. will engage in global health efforts moving forward. As part of this new strategy, the U.S. has announced that it will be establishing bilateral health cooperation agreements with countries that receive U.S. global health assistance. These agreements, or Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), between the U.S. and partner countries represent five-year plans (for the period 2026-2030) outlining U.S. engagement in each country’s health efforts with the goal of “helping countries move toward more resilient and durable health systems.” Central to these plans is transitioning country programs from U.S. assistance to long-term country ownership, with a pledge from each partner country to increase its domestic health spending, or co-investment in health, over the next five years as the U.S. decreases its health assistance. The U.S. began signing these agreements in late 2025 and this process is ongoing. Implementation is slated for later this year.
Overview of President Trump’s Executive Actions Impacting LGBTQ+ Health Authors: Lindsey Dawson and Jennifer Kates Published: Jul 3, 2026
https://www.kff.org/lgbtq/overview-of-president-trumps-executive-actions-impacting-lgbtq-health/
Starting on the first day of his second term, President Trump began to issue numerous executive actions, several of which directly address or affect health programs, efforts, or policies to meet the health needs of LGBTQ+ people. This guide provides an overview of these actions, in the order in which they were issued. The “date issued” is date the action was first taken; subsequent actions, such as litigation efforts, are listed under “What Happens/Implications.” It is not inclusive of administrative actions that impact LGBTQ+ people that are not directly related to health and health care access, such as efforts related to participation in sport even though those actions might have an impact on well-being. In addition, within the actions examined, only provisions directly related to health and health access are described in table.
Untold KFF History Volume One: South Africa Author: Drew Altman Published: Jun 25, 2026
https://www.kff.org/from-drew-altman/untold-kff-history-volume-1-south-africa/
Everyone who knows KFF today thinks of us as the independent source of health policy analysis, polling, and in-depth news coverage. As we head to a leadership transition next year from me to Larry Levitt and Molly Brodie, I plan to write about some of the other things we have done over the years that are part of our history and the soul of the organization, but may not be remembered by our current audiences. Our decades long commitment to South Africa is the place to start.
Untold KFF History Volume Two: Kaisernetwork.org Author: Drew Altman Published: Jul 2, 2026
https://www.kff.org/from-drew-altman/untold-kff-history-volume-two-kaisernetwork-org/
Everyone who knows KFF today thinks of us as the independent source of health policy analysis, polling, and in-depth news coverage. As we head to a leadership transition next year from me to Larry Levitt and Molly Brodie, I plan to write about some of the other things we have done over the years that are part of our history and the soul of the organization, but may not be remembered by our current audiences (or staff). This is the second in the series (Untold KFF History Volume 1: South Africa | KFF); it’s about kaisernetwork.org.
Untold KFF History Volume Two: Kaisernetwork.org
Everyone who knows KFF today thinks of us as the independent source of health policy analysis, polling, and in-depth news coverage. As we head to a leadership transition next year from me to Larry Levitt and Molly Brodie, I plan to write about some of the other things we have done over the years that are part of our history and the soul of the organization, but may not be remembered by our current audiences (or staff). This is the second in the series (Untold KFF History Volume 1: South Africa | KFF); it’s about kaisernetwork.org.
We announced KFF’s new mission in March 1991, and from the beginning we had a twin focus on policy and media. Our first two major programs were the Kaiser Commission on the Future of Medicaid (later renamed), led by Diane Rowland, and our Media Fellowship Program, which operated for many years under the direction of Penny Duckham. By the mid-90s, we were conducting polls jointly with major news organizations and operating HIV media campaigns with the largest media companies. But our first foray into directly operating a “news” or news-like organization itself was kaisernetwork.org, which began in 2000.
At the time, webcasting was still in its infancy and was a bridge too far for most organizations and congressional committees. I asked the staff if we could develop the capacity not only to webcast our own events but also to broadcast others’ events on a wide scale. When the answer came back “yes,” HealthCast was born. HealthCast was essentially a C-SPAN for health policy over the web—we webcasted the most relevant health policy events from around the country and the world, bringing them to the health care community, and our teams of camera operators and producers spanned out across America and to international AIDS conferences in South Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe. We regularly webcasted the Clinton Global Initiative meetings and other international health events. If I remember correctly, our largest audience was for a lunch and it was 130,000 viewers. But we cheated. The lunch was with Angelina Jolie, who then had a role for the United Nations. Normally, we would have several thousand viewers for a HealthCast, not unlike the audiences we get for virtual events like KFF’s Health Wonk Shop today. Many more people would view the webcasts later, especially when there were time zone differences. HealthCast also enabled journalists to cover events when they could not be there, which was one of our goals.
It was a real success until it wasn’t. Gradually organizations developed their own ability to webcast, including being able to do it from a phone, and like a business without a market—or in our language, “a need to fill”—we were no longer as needed.
Kaisernetwork had a second feature as well. It’s where we began publishing our daily health policy newsletters, providing a daily summary of what was in the health policy news to the interested health care community, for free. Larry Levitt—yes, that Larry Levitt, the great health policy expert who will be KFF’s CEO next year—oversaw Kaisernetwork in addition to his better-known responsibilities. He edited the newsletters very early every morning from our headquarters in California, assuring maximum policy relevance and attention to policy nuance. We contracted out for the initial screening of the day’s stories and assembly of the newsletters, and Dan Diamond, now a very accomplished and well-known White House reporter at The Washington Post, worked on the project. When I established KFF Health News in June 2009, I moved the newsletters to our news operation, which seemed like the logical place to produce them. The Kaisernetwork site included other components as well, including Poll Search and our Ask The Experts webinars, which were somewhat similar to The Wonk Shop series, although they were all in-person in our Washington, DC broadcast studio rather than on Zoom, as Wonk Shop is today.
Over the years, one source of frustration within KFF has been that sometimes people can’t distinguish our original journalism, produced by our reporters and editors at KFF Health News, from the news stories we aggregate in morning summaries as a service to the health policy community. I would receive calls from prominent people complaining about “our story,” which was not our story at all but a Washington Post or New York Times story or some other news organization’s story that we had aggregated that day in the newsletter. Our own original stories, which are regularly republished through partnerships with hundreds of news organizations, carry our reporters’ bylines and are written by our journalists, who work for KFF in KFF Health News, which is one of our three main operating programs along with policy analysis and polling. Criticism of our own stories is, of course, fair game, but we are not responsible for stories from other news organizations we aggregate as a free service. We want you to see what’s out there whether you, or we, like it or not.
Kaisernetwork also produced some original journalism, not in-house as we do today, but by contracting for it. Mary Agnes Carey, now a Managing Editor for KFF Health News, did a regular “Health on the Hill” podcast when she was at Congressional Quarterly, before podcasts were much of a thing.
Kaisernetwork also produced an HIV daily newsletter, which evolved into our Global Health Policy Daily Report, another newsletter produced for many years by our global health policy team with support from the Gates Foundation.
For the time in which it operated, kaisernetwork was a complete success and HealthCast, in particular, was a classic KFF venture—opportunistic, innovative, meeting a need.
Probably the most important benefit of kaisernetwork was the confidence it gave me to launch something far more ambitious—our own newsroom, a full-fledged news operation inside a non-profit health policy organization, which we did when we launched KFF Health News (then called Kaiser Health News) in June 2009. That began as a small enterprise with two editors and a handful of journalists, and it’s now the largest health policy newsroom in the country, with bureaus and desks across the country. But that’s another story.
The Medical Frailty Exemption from Medicaid Work Requirements: Key Takeaways from the CMS Interim Final Rule Authors: Amaya Diana, Jennifer Tolbert, and Robin Rudowitz Published: Jun 23, 2026
https://www.kff.org/medicaid/the-medical-frailty-exemption-from-medicaid-work-requirements-key-takeaways-from-the-cms-interim-final-rule/?utm_campaign=KFF-HIV-AIDS&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8VIHENF3AybW0CRH1CqinHd0Xl_EYFKEUuEJC5bSB5f7MJrSKYdvNJ4S6VRnxGOnoQIku-nl59QuHTyQwGZR39PdqM9w&_hsmi=426519366&utm_content=426519366&utm_source=hs_email
On June 1, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a long-anticipated interim final rule that will guide state implementation of Medicaid work requirements. The 2025 reconciliation law requires 44 states to condition Medicaid eligibility for adults in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion group and enrollees in certain waiver programs, including in non-expansion states (Georgia, Tennessee, and Wisconsin), on meeting work requirements starting January 1, 2027, or sooner at state option. The law specifies mandatory exemptions, including individuals who are “medically frail.” Given the abbreviated implementation timeline, states had tentatively moved forward with key decisions over how to implement the medical frailty exemption even as they waited for formal guidance from CMS.
Medical Frailty and Medicaid Work Requirements: Challenges for People with HIV Authors: Lindsey Dawson and Jennifer Tolbert Published: Jul 1, 2026
https://www.kff.org/medicaid/medical-frailty-and-medicaid-work-requirements-challenges-for-people-with-hiv/?utm_campaign=KFF-HIV-AIDS&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--RED5r1ZUUKIcyQpLwENlbI0Sn6hxQcQCxTy34qqOhOhBvNq873hiueYn3dKa2bSZhhlGrvEYBJLtaO6_3eimplkVozQ&_hsmi=426519366&utm_content=426519366&utm_source=hs_email
On June 1, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final rule providing states with guidance for implementing Medicaid “community engagement” or Medicaid work requirements as part of the 2025 federal budget reconciliation law. The law requires states to condition Medicaid eligibility for enrollees with coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansion or under certain waivers on meeting these requirements or qualifying for an exclusion, including one related to being “medically frail or otherwise” having “a special medical need.” In defining medical frailty, the rule introduces a two-part test, requiring an enrollee to both have a qualifying condition and demonstrate that the condition impairs their ability to fulfill the community engagement requirement, differing from stakeholders’ expectations. Early on, and as with Nebraska’s early implementation, states believed they would be able to exclude people based on presence of a condition alone and several states planned to exclude all people with HIV.
What Accountants Want Doctors to Do NOW Before Filing Next Year’s Taxes Carrie Arnold
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/what-accountants-want-doctors-do-now-before-filing-next-2026a1000mk5
Although most physicians have only recently filed their taxes, financial experts say now is the perfect time to prepare for next year’s returns.
“There is a misunderstanding that how much you pay in taxes is determined by how you file your taxes, that if you just had the right person doing your taxes, you’d pay a lot less,” says Jim Dahle, MD, emergency physician and the founder of The White Coat Investor. “The truth is, the way you pay less taxes is by living your financial life differently,”
Cancer Disparities Report: Promising Trends, Persistent Gaps Alan Mozes July 01, 2026
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/cancer-disparities-report-promising-trends-persistent-gaps-2026a1000mbt
Some longstanding cancer disparities in the US are narrowing, but many Americans are still being left behind when it comes to cancer prevention, screening, and treatment.
That’s according to the latest Cancer Disparities Progress Report from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) — a biennial look at the unequal burden of cancer in the US. As in prior years, the update contains a mix of good and bad news.
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