Digging Into the Money Behind the US Healthcare System
Healthcare makes up a growing share of the U.S. economy — and household budgets. We break down how much money the nation is spending and on what.
All Coverage
-
-
Medicaid Is Now a Campaign Issue
Republicans tried to backload Medicaid cuts in 2025’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act so they would take effect after this year’s elections, but that’s not stopping Democrats from using them to hammer their opponents. Meanwhile, the Trump administration ramps up its war on fraud. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Amanda Seitz of KFF Health News, and Liz Essley Whyte of The Wall Street Journal join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner speaks with Ollstein about her new book, “Side Effects.”
-
Job-Based Health Plan Costs Rise, With Little Relief in Sight
Employers saw their healthcare premiums rise 5% this year — and some passed on that burden to workers — as the cost of family coverage in job-based insurance exceeds $28,000 for family plans.
-
Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
The “KFF Health News Minute” brings original healthcare and health policy reporting from our newsroom to the airwaves each week.
-
Trump Dangles Rural Health Dollars To Push States To Change Hospital Laws
The Trump administration has tied billions in rural health funding for states partly to the policy commitments they make, including ending their certificate of need, or CON, laws governing the construction of new hospitals.
-
‘Go to Canada’: Trump Touted Americans’ Access to Cheaper Drugs. A New Rule Threatens It.
The Trump administration pushed back a rule — until after the midterm elections — that would complicate Americans’ access to less expensive medication imports from Canada and other countries.
-
New Arrivals in the ER? Georgia Gears Up To Solve Rural Maternal Health Crisis
Most of Georgia’s counties are without a labor and delivery unit. To fill the gap, the state is looking to equip emergency rooms to handle obstetric emergencies. Advocates and doctors worry, however, that the ER is being used as a stopgap.
-
Hidden Help
States Are Forcing Hospitals To Offer More People Financial Aid. In Oregon, It’s Working.
Oregon passed a law to require hospitals to proactively screen patients to see if they qualify for financial aid. Patients got immediate relief. Hospitals pushed to roll back the law following federal cuts to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies.
-
Democrats Demand Tougher Standards for Companies Running Medicaid Systems
A year after launching an inquiry into companies, including Deloitte, that receive billions in taxpayer dollars to build complex computer systems determining Medicaid eligibility, senators are urging the federal government to impose stricter rules.
-
More Medications, More Risks. If You’re Worried, Start a Deprescribing Discussion.
As people take a greater number of medications across years or decades, experts say the risk for adverse drug interactions increases. One way to advocate for yourself? Keep a list of your meds handy.
-
As Politicians Argue About China, US Patients Find Cutting-Edge Treatment There
The rapid emergence of the Chinese biotech industry has panicked U.S. politicians, but investors and patients caution that a clampdown on pharmaceutical collaboration could hurt everyone.
-
Four Red Flags and One Truth Amid the Peptide Hype
Experimental peptides are all the rage on longevity and “optimization” podcasts, but a lot of the chatter is misleading.
-
GOP Focuses on Fraud, Seeking To Redirect Voters’ Ire Over Healthcare Costs
The anti-fraud efforts highlight a broader political fight ahead of the midterms. Republicans say they’re protecting taxpayer dollars by going after bad actors. Democrats contend the administration is — with insufficient evidence — targeting blue states to cut programs the GOP has long sought to shrink.
-
Readers Are Pleading To Make American Healthcare Greater
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
-
A Billionaire Tax Is on California’s Ballot. Can It Make Up for Federal Healthcare Cuts?
Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.
-
Next Governor To Face Thorny Choices After California’s Rapid Medicaid Expansion
Medi-Cal, the nation’s largest Medicaid program, was in trouble even before the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Rapid expansion, spiraling costs, and billions in federal funding cuts will mean tough challenges for California’s next governor. On the campaign trail, the two men running for the job have offered few answers.
-
After Booting 760K People From ACA Plans, Trump Administration Has Added Some Back
The Trump administration has provided few details about its process for canceling hundreds of thousands of Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollments — even as the next stage of the anti-fraud effort is underway.
-
Early Voting Begins
As early voting begins in some states, the Trump administration is working to keep its crackdown on healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse in the headlines. Also, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has unveiled a new initiative to identify vaccine injuries. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law, and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Sun join KFF Health News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more. Also, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann, host of the podcast “An Arm and a Leg.”
-
Hidden Help
7 Takeaways From an Investigation Into Financial Aid at Texas Hospitals
Hospitals can prevent medical debt by preemptively wiping out a patient’s bill. But a Tradeoffs analysis finds that few nonprofit facilities in Texas use this tool to the maximum benefit of patients.
-
Hidden Help
What Texas Reveals About the Obstacles to Getting Hospital Financial Aid
Hospitals can prevent medical debt by offering financial help before sending big bills. A Tradeoffs investigation found that nearly half of nonprofit facilities in Texas say they will bill patients before screening them for aid. And most will not offer refunds to patients who pay and are later found to qualify for free care.
