Political Risks in ACA Subsidy Debate Spark Blame Game, Test Parties’ Resolve
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Healthcare Costs
261-280 of 1,951 results
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Democrats Make This Shutdown About the ACA
Episode 416The foreshadowed federal shutdown came after Congress failed to pass required spending bills, with Democrats demanding Republicans renew the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for their votes. While a shutdown does not affect Medicare and Medicaid, it could eventually hinder activities from every corner of the Department of Health and Human Services. Meanwhile, as Democrats and Republicans point fingers, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pursues policies and personnel that would undermine vaccines. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss the news. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Cara Anthony, who wrote a recent “Bill of the Month” feature about an out-of-network eye surgery that left one kindergartner’s family with a big bill.
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Workers’ Wages Siphoned To Pay Medical Bills, Despite Consumer Protections
Health care providers and debt collectors are biting from people’s paychecks to cover old medical bills. A KFF Health News investigation in Colorado shows that this aggressive collection practice is widespread even in a state considered to have strong consumer protections.
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Shutdown Halts Some Health Services as Political Risks Test Parties’ Resolve
Congressional Democrats and Republicans are at an impasse in negotiations. Which side will blink first?
The Struggle To Afford Insurance in 2026 Hits Home
Season 14, Episode 1The senior producer of “An Arm and a Leg” starts planning for health insurance in 2026, and — like millions of others signing up during this year’s open enrollment — faces a steep price increase.
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Journalists Recap Coverage on Organ Harvesting, Obamacare, and Medicaid Cuts
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
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Listen: Young Adults Turning 26 Face Health Insurance Cliff
The erosion of the Affordable Care Act has created an insurance cliff for Americans who are turning 26 and don’t have a job that provides medical coverage. Scared off by high price tags and the complexity of picking a policy, some young adults are going without insurance.
Public Health Further Politicized Under the Threat of More Firings
Episode 415In a rambling news conference that shocked public health experts, President Donald Trump — without scientific evidence — blamed the over-the-counter drug acetaminophen, and too many childhood vaccines, for the increase in autism diagnoses in the U.S. That came days after a key immunization advisory panel, newly reconstituted with vaccine doubters, changed several long-standing recommendations. Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official Demetre Daskalakis joins KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories. Meanwhile, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join Rovner with the rest of the news, including a threat by the Trump administration to fire rather than furlough federal workers if Congress fails to fund the government beyond the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year.
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As Trump Punts on Medical Debt, Battle Over Patient Protections Moves to States
Some states are enacting medical debt laws as the Trump administration pulls back federal protections. Elsewhere, industry opposition has derailed legislation.
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Big Loopholes in Hospital Charity Care Programs Mean Patients Still Get Stuck With the Tab
Even if people qualify for financial help with their hospital bills, the care they receive may not be covered.
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She Had a Broken Arm, No Insurance — And a $97,000 Bill
Deborah Buttgereit knew piecing together the broken bone in her elbow would be expensive. But complications the doctor deemed a surprise, midsurgery, drove the total bill tens of thousands of dollars above the original estimate.
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States Are Cutting Medicaid Provider Payments Long Before Trump Cuts Hit
North Carolina and Idaho are cutting their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new federal tax-and-budget law takes effect.
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Listen: The Surprising Power of Pushback When Health Insurance Won’t Pay
Denied coverage for preventive care? You’re not powerless. In this new episode of NPR’s “Life Kit” podcast, KFF Health News reporter Jackie Fortiér explores why denials happen and how to avoid common pitfalls.
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Projected Surge in Uninsured Will Strain Local Health Systems
In South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, many people go without health insurance, and the health system struggles as a result. Similar communities dot the nation, and more could face such difficulties under President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending law.
By Sam Whitehead and Renuka Rayasam -
Team Trump’s Answer to Ballooning Obamacare Premiums: Less Generous Coverage
Tens of millions of people face sticker shock enrolling in Affordable Care Act insurance for 2026. To save money, the Trump administration wants them to consider less generous coverage.
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Watch: Why Is Having a Baby So Expensive in the US?
KFF Health News video producer Hannah Norman breaks down why new parents are getting billed thousands of dollars for births.
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Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Were Aimed at ‘Able-Bodied Adults.’ Hospitals Say Kids Will Be Hurt.
The GOP said its overhaul of Medicaid was aimed at reducing fraud and getting more adult beneficiaries to work. Among the likely side effects: fewer services and doctors for treating sick children.
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In the Fallout From Trump’s Health Funding Cuts, States Face Tough Budget Decisions
The Trump administration has pushed a significant amount of health costs to states, whose budgets may already be strained by declining state tax revenues, a slowdown in pandemic spending, and economic uncertainty. State and local governments now face difficult decisions.
On Capitol Hill, RFK Defends Firings at CDC
Episode 412A combative Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the U.S. secretary of health and human services, appeared before a Senate committee Thursday, defending his firing of the newly confirmed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as other changes that could limit the availability of vaccines. Meanwhile, Congress has only a few weeks to complete work on annual spending bills to avoid a possible government shutdown and to ward off potentially large increases in premiums for Affordable Care Act health plans. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Tony Leys, who discusses his “Bill of the Month” report about a woman’s unfortunate interaction with a bat — and her even more unfortunate interaction with the bill for her rabies prevention treatment.
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He Built Michigan’s Medicaid Work Requirement System. Now He’s Warning Other States.
Michigan’s former top health official spent a year and $30 million building a system to implement work requirements for Medicaid recipients. The difficulties he encountered have him worried about 40 states and Washington, D.C., having to launch such systems by 2027.