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What the Health? From KFF Health News: The State of the Affordable Care Act

Podcast

Nov. 1 marked the start of open enrollment for 2026 health plans bought from Affordable Care Act marketplaces in most states. But this sign-up season is like no other in the health law’s 15-year history. It remains unclear, even at this late date, whether expanded tax credits launched during the pandemic in 2021 will be continued or allowed to expire, exposing millions of Americans to much higher out-of-pocket costs. In this special episode of “What the Health?” from KFF Health News and WAMU, host Julie Rovner interviews KFF vice president Cynthia Cox about the past, present, and possible future of the health law and how those who purchase ACA coverage should proceed during this time of uncertainty.

White House Calls This 9/11-Era Fund ‘Wasteful.’ Red and Blue States Rely on It.

KFF Health News Original

States from California to Texas say they rely on tens of millions in federal funding to help them prepare for the next pandemic, cyberattack, or mass-casualty catastrophe. The Trump administration wants to cut it.

Farmers, Barbers, and GOP Lawmakers Grapple With the Fate of ACA Tax Credits

KFF Health News Original

Small-business owners and their employees, who make up nearly half of the Obamacare marketplace, are worried about their health care and their livelihoods as insurance prices surge. Republicans, who have long opposed Obamacare, are at odds over how to respond to upset from one of their party’s most loyal constituencies.

While Politicos Dispense Blame, These Doctors Aim To Take Shame Out of Medicine

KFF Health News Original

Clinicians and researchers are starting to embrace an effort to develop what’s known as “shame competence” in physicians to combat burnout and prevent that uncomfortable emotion from being passed along to patients.

Qué pueden hacer los consumidores frente al caos del Obamacare

KFF Health News Original

Aunque la temporada de inscripciones ya está en marcha, el futuro de los subsidios ampliados —que hacen más accesible el seguro para el 92% de las personas inscritas— sigue siendo incierto.

Gobierno de Trump ordena a programas estatales de Medicaid que ayuden a identificar a inmigrantes indocumentados

KFF Health News Original

Defensores de los derechos de los inmigrantes advierten que esta decisión sin precedentes podría llevar a que algunas personas pierdan su cobertura médica simplemente por no haber entregado a tiempo la documentación.

From Narcan to Gun Silencers, Opioid Settlement Cash Pays Law Enforcement Tabs

KFF Health News Original

Local governments have received hundreds of millions of dollars from the opioid settlements to support addiction treatment, recovery, and prevention efforts. Their spending decisions in 2024 were sometimes surprising and even controversial. Our new database offers more than 10,500 examples.

Sock Hops and Concerts: How Some Places Spent Opioid Settlement Cash

KFF Health News Original

States, counties, and cities are receiving millions in opioid settlement money to address the addiction crisis. The ways they spent the dollars in 2024 sometimes drew criticism from advocates and at least one state official, who alleged misuse.

Trump’s HHS Orders State Medicaid Programs To Help Find Undocumented Immigrants

KFF Health News Original

Federal health authorities have taken the “unprecedented” step of instructing states to investigate certain individuals on Medicaid to determine whether they are ineligible because of their immigration status, with five states reporting they’ve received more than 170,000 names collectively.