The Week in Brief: Friday, June 26, 2026
They’re Uninsured After Obamacare Became Too Costly. And They’re Far From Alone.
By Andrew Jones
After congressional Republicans let expanded subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans expire at the end of last year, some families have decided the price is too great of a financial burden and canceled their coverage.
Backed by Threat of Clawbacks, Feds Wield Tight Grip on $50B Rural Health Fund
By Sarah Jane Tribble and Arielle Zionts
Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, framed the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program as “bold, creative plans” led by states. But as states have started to roll out their plans, federal officials control where and how the money is spent.
Arrests of Immigrant Parents Create Mental Health Crisis for Children
By Claudia Boyd-Barrett
An estimated hundreds of thousands of children, many of them U.S. citizens, have been separated from a parent in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Their distress manifests in physical and mental health symptoms including developmental regression, stomachaches, sleep problems, and falling grades. Research points to long-term health consequences.
Worried About Your Aging Parents? Welcome to the Caregiving Club
By Emily Siner, Nashville Public Radio and Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
Being a caregiver can start long before you go to a doctor appointment with a loved one or move your parents into your house. The HealthQ team explores how embracing the role matters — and how the recognition and support that come next can ease a difficult season of life.
Early-Onset Cancers Are on the Rise. Knowing Your Family History Is Crucial.
By Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
In the U.S., more than a dozen kinds of cancer are on the rise among people under 50. The HealthQ team shares the latest guidance on being proactive with your family and doctor.
Sandwiched Between Caring for Kids and Aging Parents? Reach Out for Resources
By Cara Anthony
Squeezed between their young children and aging parents, the sandwich generation is juggling a lot. KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony discusses embracing her identity as a caregiver and which resources are available to Washington, D.C., residents caring for family members.
Trouble Getting Weight Loss Drugs Covered by Insurance? Here’s What To Know
By Sydney Lupkin
If your doctor prescribes a GLP-1 medication for weight loss but your insurance won’t cover it, you have options.
Opioid Settlement Money Pays for Services To Battle Addiction in Rural Kentucky
By Taylor Sisk
A program in rural eastern Kentucky is receiving opioid settlement funding to address substance use disorders, housing, hunger, and other challenges.
A Ban Won’t Stop Abortion Pill Access, Telehealth Providers Say
By Kate Wells
As a federal court mulls a case that could result in significant restrictions on a pill used in most abortions, providers say they have alternatives to preserve access even in states with bans in place.
Tennessee Pharmacies Sell Potent Ivermectin, Led by Anti-Vaccine Doctor Who’s Taken ‘Bucketloads’
By Brett Kelman and Rachana Pradhan
Four years after the Volunteer State enacted the nation’s first law allowing drugstores to sell ivermectin without patient-specific prescriptions, dozens of pharmacies dispense the drug in highly concentrated pills — many with the help of one anti-vaccine physician.
Efforts To End School Vaccine Mandates Hit a Wall in Florida
By Kerry Sheridan, WUSF
The state’s campaign to end school vaccine requirements is dead for now. The reasons could offer insights into similar efforts’ chances in other states.
Democrats Seek To Spotlight Rising Health Costs by Forcing Vote on Trump Regulation
By Julie Appleby
Congressional Democrats are seeking to overturn a Trump administration rule they say will hamper Obamacare coverage. Whether they win or lose any floor vote, they’ll likely use it in campaign messaging ahead of the midterms.
Long-Awaited Rule Aims To Boost ACA Choices While Embracing Higher Deductibles
By Julie Appleby
The Trump administration finalized a rule that embraces new types of Obamacare coverage, including 30% higher out-of-pocket costs for some plans, and a more novel approach that allows insurers to offer coverage without set networks of doctors and hospitals.
Democrats To Propose Bill Capping Out-of-Pocket Medicare Costs for Enrollees
By Julie Appleby
Some Senate Democrats want to cap the amount beneficiaries in traditional Medicare have to pay toward care, but the move is expected to draw GOP opposition for potentially adding billions to Medicare costs.
Try These Tips When You Can’t Afford Your Rx
By Dan Weissmann
What if you can’t afford your prescription? “An Arm and a Leg” listeners share some of their favorite tips and hacks.
Medicare Advantage Company Pays $342M to Government in Midst of Billing Probe
By Fred Schulte
The payment by Elevance Health to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services comes as the agency threatened to bar new enrollments in the company’s plans.
Medicare’s AI Push Snarls Patients and Doctors in Errors and Delays
By Darius Tahir
Medicare is testing the use of artificial intelligence to preapprove several healthcare services. Federal health officials say prior authorization can help reduce fraud and contain costs. But doctors and patients describe the trial as “horrendous” and full of red tape so far.
More Americans Are Surviving Cancer. But the Mental Health Challenges Can Persist.
By Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio
Amid advancements in treatment and screening, more Americans are surviving the disease. But many are left with psychological scars, such as lingering anxiety and depression.
Even in Blue States, Hospitals Have Continued To Drop Gender-Affirming Care for Youths
By Karen Brown, New England Public Media
Massachusetts passed laws and joined lawsuits to protect access to gender-affirming care for minors. But faced with the Trump administration’s threats, some hospitals voluntarily stopped care. Families are outraged.
Trump Officials Still Delaying Funds
With the fiscal year mostly over, hundreds of millions of dollars in health-related grants approved by Congress still have not reached their designated recipients, with the Trump administration again delaying distribution. Meanwhile, on the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that allowed states to ban abortion, the number of abortions in the U.S. is actually rising. Maya Goldman of Axios, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Democrats Keep Healthcare at the Fore
Senate Democrats hope to highlight health costs by forcing a vote on the Trump administration’s changes to the Affordable Care Act before the midterm elections. Meanwhile, Alabama is the latest state to try to cut off access to medication abortion via telehealth. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute and Liz Fowler of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to discuss the employer health insurance tax exclusion.
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Journalists Highlight Medical Neglect in ICE Detention, RFK Jr. Antidepressant Comments
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Readers Curse Medical Debt and Defend Spelling Therapy
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.