The Week in Brief: Oct. 9, 2026
‘Medicare for All’ Message Attracts Voters Buckling Under Medical Bills
By Kate Wells
The idea of scrapping the U.S. health insurance system for a massive expansion of government-funded healthcare isn’t new. But voters hit by ballooning private health insurance costs are rallying behind midterm candidates calling for universal coverage.
AI, Tech Leaders Are Lobbying Trump Health Officials in a Government-Run Chat Room
By Amanda Seitz and Maia Rosenfeld and Darius Tahir
A Slack workspace managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has served as an extraordinary war room for AI industry insiders and Trump administration officials to launch a rapid campaign aimed at persuading Americans to manage their healthcare and medical records on apps.
Medical Debt Is Crushing Hospital Patients in Los Angeles. Health Officials May Have a Fix.
By Noam N. Levey
In Los Angeles County, the nation’s most populous, a new system could screen hospital patients for financial aid, preventing hundreds of thousands from getting bills they can’t pay.
Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Divides Rural Voters, KFF-AP Poll Finds
By Linley Sanders, The Associated Press and Sarah Jane Tribble and Ali Swenson, The Associated Press and Fatima Hussein, The Associated Press
Many rural voters say immigrants are a key part of their local economy, but views on whether President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has had positive or negative effects on their communities are split.
Before Saying Yes to the Medical Test, Know the Risks and Benefits
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio and Cara Anthony and Katherine Ruppelt, Nashville Public Radio
Tests like full-body scans marketed directly to consumers are pitched as a way to detect diseases early and establish a baseline of health markers. But there are financial, physical, and psychological risks to all medical tests — and in some cases, not getting a test could be better for your health.
‘We Are Seen as Disposable’: Rural Residents Fight a Proposed Gas Pipeline
By Fred Clasen-Kelly
Research shows natural gas pipelines — and the public health risks they carry — are concentrated in low-income and minority areas where people suffer higher rates of poverty and physical disabilities and have fewer means to respond to crises.
Food Aid Enrollment Tanks After SNAP Rule Changes
By Halle Parker, Verite News
It’s been more than a year since President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and SNAP enrollment is down more than 20% in Louisiana. Anti-hunger groups say far more people could lose access if states are required to cover more of the food program’s cost.
‘Medicare for All’ Is Back. Now Comes the Hard Part.
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
At a time when more than 100 million Americans carry medical debt, it’s easy to get behind a promise of free, or free-ish, no-hassle health care. But turning an inspirational slogan into law gets gnarly.
Medicare Is More Broken Than We Thought
By Dan Weissmann
At least 2 million seniors will receive notice this fall that their Medicare Advantage plans will disappear at year’s end, some without a comparable alternative. Here’s a look at this increasingly common problem with Medicare Advantage, and what it says about Medicare as a whole.
Midterm Madness
A new KFF poll suggests that health costs are still a top concern for voters and that Democrats have the edge over Republicans on the issue. And in an apparent attempt to close the gap, President Donald Trump is sending checks to millions of Medicare and Affordable Care Act enrollees. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Sun join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Michelle Andrews, who wrote the latest KFF Health News “Bill of the Month.”
Witnessing the Failed Execution of Christa Pike: ‘We Could All Hear Her Breathing’
By Catherine Sweeney, WPLN
Catherine Sweeney was one of the reporters in the witness room during the attempted execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee. The journalists knew that a recent execution hadn’t gone according to plan and that Pike’s lawyers had predicted failure because of a health condition. They’d even asked for her to be hanged instead.
Doctors Should Keep an Eye on Your Mix of Medication. If They Don’t, You Should.
By Paula Span
There’s a term for reducing unnecessary or harmful drugs: “deprescribing.” Especially as patients age, experts say, it’s important to regularly review the medications they’re taking.
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Journalists Evaluate Rural Voter Sentiment, MAHA Movement, and Gene-Editing Finding
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.