Healthcare Costs Archives - KFF Health News

Healthcare a Vague but Potent Issue for Election 2026

Episode 464

Sept. 24, 2026

Healthcare in general, and health costs in particular, are a top issue for voters in 2026. But it remains unclear exactly how voters want lawmakers to fix the problem. Meanwhile, the Trump administration doubled down on its fraud-fighting efforts. Tami Luhby of CNN, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Sarah Jane Tribble of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

Listen Now

An older man poses for a photo in front of a tree-lined driveway in Texas.

Economic Frustration Tests Trump’s Standing With Rural Voters, New KFF-AP Poll Finds

Rural voters rank the cost of living and cost of healthcare as top issues they want to hear about from midterm candidates as they face a tightening pocketbook pinch.

By Sarah Jane Tribble, Ali Swenson, The Associated Press, and Linley Sanders, The Associated Press

Sept. 23, 2026

Insurance Coverage Lags as Cancer Science, Treatment Move Forward

“Brain cancer” or “H4 G34-mutant”? As knowledge about genetics advances, some doctors say cancers should be defined by their mutations, not the tissues where they manifest.

By Arthur Allen

Sept. 22, 2026

A woman and man sit indoors in an office.

Priced Out

As Health Insurance Costs Soar, Healthcare Workers Also Feel the Pinch

Like many Americans, Joshua and Ashley Durham saw their health insurance premiums rise by hundreds of dollars a month this year. Despite being healthcare practitioners all too aware of the risks, they chose to go uninsured. Others, though, can’t afford to go without.

By Hayat Norimine

Sept. 22, 2026

KFF Health News On Air

Health Journalists Visit Conservative Georgia District and Weigh AI Bioweapon Threat

KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Sept. 19, 2026

Volunteers serve meals at a soup kitchen

Cost-Saving Medicaid Meal Deliveries Threatened by Cuts, Policy Uncertainty

An experiment to provide meals to some Medicaid recipients shows food can be cost-effective medicine. But even as federal officials tout the power of nutrition, Medicaid budget cuts could lead states to think twice about covering healthy food for sick residents. One has already reconsidered.

By Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, WBUR

Sept. 18, 2026

A digital illustration of a hand placing a piece of paper into a ballot box.

Health Hub

Sticker Shock at the Doctor’s Office Could Motivate Midterm Voters

Steep jumps in health insurance premiums and deductibles are top of mind for many voters heading into midterm elections. KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner explains how rising costs may shape competitive races. She also distills plans from candidates on both sides of the aisle to bring costs down.

By Julie Rovner

Sept. 18, 2026

What the Health? From KFF Health News

The Health Risks of AI

Episode 463

Sept. 17, 2026

Reports from a top AI company that it found and stopped attempted uses of its product to manufacture a potential bioweapon caught the attention of lawmakers in Washington this week. Meanwhile, President Trump wants to send $500 checks to about a million Obamacare enrollees. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Sabrina Corlette of the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms.

Listen Now

A photo of the exterior of the Department of Labor headquarters.

Outcome of Suit Against Department of Labor Could Boost Skimpy Employer Health Plans

The case was brought by a marketing company that wants to define as employees people who download an app and agree to have their internet activity tracked so they can buy into its employee health plan. Such plans are generally exempt from some state and Affordable Care Act rules.

By Julie Appleby

Sept. 16, 2026

Marjorie Taylor Greene stands behind a podium

Priced Out

Rising Healthcare Costs Have Hit Georgia’s Most Conservative District. But Its Politics Are Unlikely To Change.

With the expiration of enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans, thousands of Georgians are paying more for coverage or going uninsured. In one of the state's reddest districts, the economic impact is growing faster than the political fallout.

By Briah Lumpkins

Sept. 15, 2026

An Arm and a Leg

The Meltdown in Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance

Season 16, Episode 1

Sept. 14, 2026

Stat reporter Bob Herman joins “An Arm and a Leg” to discuss the impact of surging health insurance costs on businesses and their workers.

Listen Now

Letters to the Editor

Readers Wrestle With Healthcare Inequalities and Want a Word With Congress

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Sept. 11, 2026

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Anger Over Health Costs Clouds Midterms

Episode 462

Sept. 10, 2026

Amid a campaign already focusing on affordability, anxious voters are unlikely to be assuaged by headlines about healthcare costs rising even more next year. And a lawsuit that could cut off access nationwide to the abortion pill mifepristone gets a hearing in federal court. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law, and Amanda Seitz of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Rovner also interviews Lauren Sausser, who wrote the latest KFF Health News “Bill of the Month.”

Listen Now

A man with a short beard and long brown hair in a button down green shirt smiles as he plays a keyboard in a music venue.

Nonprofits Are Helping Musicians Pay for Insurance in Austin, Texas, and Beyond

A nonprofit and a local public health agency are subsidizing marketplace health insurance for Austin music artists, even as shifting marketplace conditions make the program a more expensive proposition. It’s becoming a model for other cities and sectors.

By Olivia Aldridge, KUT

Sept. 9, 2026

A photo of two men at a televised debate speak to one another on stage.

‘It’s Triage’: California’s Next Governor Will Face Destabilizing Surge in Uninsured

The nation’s uninsured rate hit a historical low when Xavier Becerra was health secretary. Now he wants to be California’s next governor as states stare down the biggest rise in the uninsured rate in a generation.

By Christine Mai-Duc

Sept. 8, 2026

A photo of an embryologist in an IVF laboratory using a microscope while working with a pipette and an embryo in a petri dish.

High Fertility Costs Push Americans Abroad for IVF Treatment

Despite President Donald Trump’s promises to make fertility treatment more affordable, the overall costs for one IVF cycle in the U.S. remain in the tens of thousands of dollars. So more Americans than ever are going to Europe to seek IVF treatment for a fraction of the cost.

By LJ Dawson

Aug. 28, 2026

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Summer’s Health Policy Themes

Episode 461

Aug. 27, 2026

As summer wanes, some of the season’s major health policy stories continue to simmer, including declining insurance coverage, increasing measles cases, and cuts to federal health programs. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Dean Rosen about his work for former Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum, who died last week at 94.

Listen Now

A highway sign shows the city limit for Hanford, California.

In Toss-Up House District, Voters Crave Leadership To Fix Broken Healthcare

Voters in California’s 22nd Congressional District call healthcare a top priority in November’s midterm elections. Although challenger Randy Villegas has built a following among residents craving change, undecided voters say they want to hear more from the Democrat and from GOP incumbent Rep. David Valadao on their affordability plans.

By Samantha Rangel, KVPR

Aug. 26, 2026

A portrait of a white woman leaning on a couch by a window, casting dramatic lighting across her face.

Bill of the Month

Her Breast MRI Was Approved, But That Didn’t Mean Her Insurance Would Pay

Stephanie Halver’s doctor recommended she get a breast MRI, partly because of her family’s cancer history. Her insurer approved the scan, but unlike mammograms, breast MRIs aren’t universally covered as zero-cost preventive care.

By Lauren Sausser

Aug. 26, 2026

An older man, holding a cane and wearing a button down plaid shirt with suspenders, stands in front of a blooming garden.

The Medicare GLP-1 Discount Has One Big Catch: Some Sick Patients Don’t Qualify

The new Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program promises eligible beneficiaries access to popular weight loss drugs for as little as $50 a month. But for some, having the very medical conditions these drugs are approved to treat means they don't qualify for the discount.

By Jackie Fortiér

Aug. 25, 2026

Trump 2.0

Public Health

Audio Reports

Special Reports

More Topics

Healthcare Costs