Health Care Costs Archives - Page 5 of 92

Time’s Up for Expanded ACA Tax Credits

Episode 427

Dec. 18, 2025

A last-minute push from Democrats and four moderate Republicans will force a House vote on renewing enhanced premium tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans, but not until January. That means millions will have to choose between paying dramatically more or dropping coverage next year. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially drops the federal recommendation for newborns to receive a hepatitis B shot. Tami Luhby of CNN, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lizzy Lawrence of Stat join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Tony Leys, who wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature, and the panel discusses the year’s biggest developments in health policy.

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Orange stethoscope forming a dollar sign on blue background.

Worried About Health Insurance Costs? There May Be Cheaper Options — But With Trade-Offs

As the clock ticks down on the 2026 Obamacare open enrollment season, frustrated consumers may have to make sacrifices on coverage to get a price they can stomach. But cheaper alternatives come with risks.

By Julie Appleby

Dec. 18, 2025

One Big Beautiful Bill Act Complicates State Health Care Affordability Efforts

The federal budget bill President Donald Trump signed into law in July is creating uncertainty for states trying to rein in health care spending. In California, a lawsuit by the hospital industry challenging state spending caps cites the law, which will slash Medicaid spending, as one of many financial pressures.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Dec. 16, 2025

Letters to the Editor

Readers Make Their Wish Lists, Checking Up on Health Care

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

Dec. 16, 2025

A young child in a wheelchair plays in a sidewalk with his mother to his left and his father to his right.

Disability Rights Lawyers Threatened With Budget Cuts, Reassignments

The Trump administration wants deep funding cuts for state-based legal services for disabled people, as rights advocates say the Justice Department pushed out many of its lawyers who worked on such issues.

By Tony Leys

Dec. 16, 2025

An Arm and a Leg

How To Pick Health Insurance — In the Worst Year Ever

Season 14, Episode 5

Dec. 15, 2025

As millions face skyrocketing health insurance premiums, the “An Arm and a Leg” team navigates their own limited options.

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KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Talk Increasing Insurance Costs, From Marketplace Plans to Employer Coverage

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

Dec. 13, 2025

A laptop screen shows Idaho's Affordable Care Act marketplace website, with "Open Enrollment Ends December 15" in all-cap tyoe.

Sticker Shock: Obamacare Customers Confront Premium Spikes as Congress Dithers

With subsidies that give consumers extra help paying their health insurance premiums set to expire, lawmakers are again debating the Affordable Care Act. The difference this time: It’s happening in the middle of ACA open enrollment.

By Julie Appleby

Dec. 12, 2025

A close-up image of a black stethoscope wrapped around a stack of U.S. dollar bills.

Health Care Consolidation and Rising Costs Happen, but Obamacare Is Not the Key Culprit

The debate over expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits has given Republicans room to resurface old criticisms — such as blaming the ACA for mergers and consolidation within the health care industry.

By Julie Appleby

Dec. 11, 2025

A photo of a stethoscope against a green background. It is resting on top of a stack of $100 bills.

Trump’s Idea for Health Accounts Has Been Tried. Millions of Patients Have Ended Up in Debt.

Republican calls to give Americans cash instead of health insurance subsidies double down on a decades-old strategy of moving people into high-deductible plans with health savings accounts.

By Noam N. Levey

Dec. 9, 2025

A mother and father sit on the floor in a well-lit room with their two young children in their laps for a studio portrait.

Out-of-Pocket Pain From High-Deductible Plans Means Skimping on Care

High-deductible health insurance plans are increasingly common, and many more enrollees will likely need to choose such plans for the coming year. For those with chronic conditions like diabetes, the gamble can mean compromised care and long-term consequences.

By Charlotte Huff

Dec. 9, 2025

Watch: What Do Republicans Really Want on Health Care?

On “What the Health? From KFF Health News,” distributed by WAMU, chief Washington correspondent and podcast host Julie Rovner sat down with Avik Roy, a GOP health policy adviser, to talk about how health care has evolved as a Republican Party issue.

By Julie Rovner

Dec. 8, 2025

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Dig Into Maine HIV Outbreak and Ever-Closer End to Enhanced ACA Subsidies

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

Dec. 6, 2025

A photo of Sen. Cassidy walking as reporters flank him on both sides.

Health Savings Accounts, Backed by GOP, Cover Fancy Saunas but Not Insurance Premiums

Health savings accounts can be used to cover medical expenses, tax-free. But while wealthier Americans are using them to pay for gym equipment, cedar ice baths, and hemlock saunas, poorer Americans can’t use them to pay their skyrocketing health insurance premiums.

By Amanda Seitz

Dec. 5, 2025

Two men walk beside each other in the hallway of a health clinic. Signage on the wall reads, "we help each other."

Rural Health Payout

Republicans Left Tribes Out of Their $50B Rural Fund. Now It’s Up to States To Share.

The Trump administration has championed its Rural Health Transformation Program as an investment in American families who have been left behind. But Native American tribes, whose communities have a significant presence in rural America and have some of the greatest health needs, are ineligible to apply directly for funding.

By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

Dec. 4, 2025

Newborn babies sleep in their cradles in a hospital nursery.

Trump Wants Americans To Make More Babies. Critics Say His Policies Won’t Help Raise Them.

The administration’s embrace of the pronatalist movement often doesn’t include support for programs traditionally associated with the health and well-being of women, children, and families.

By Stephanie Armour and Amanda Seitz

Dec. 3, 2025

A portrait of a 20-year-old man wearing a short sleeve button up shirt and glasses leaning over the back of a yellow park bench.

Even as SNAP Resumes, New Work Rules Threaten Access for Years To Come

Even as the federal government resumed funding the nation’s largest food assistance program, people risk losing access to the aid because of new rules.

By Renuka Rayasam, Katheryn Houghton, and Samantha Liss

Dec. 3, 2025

A woman wearing blue nitrile gloves helps a man who is sitting in a recliner next to her wearing a ventilator

BROKEN REHAB

They Need a Ventilator To Stay Alive. Getting One Can Be a Nightmare.

Few nursing homes are set up to care for people needing help breathing with a ventilator because of ALS or other infirmities. Insurers often resist paying for ventilators at home, and innovative programs are now endangered by Medicaid cuts.

By Jordan Rau

Dec. 2, 2025

A portrait of a young woman leaning gently on a cane.

Medicaid Work Rules Exempt the ‘Medically Frail.’ Deciding Who Qualifies Is Tricky.

People on Medicaid deemed “medically frail” won’t need to meet new federal requirements that enrollees work 80 hours a month or perform another approved activity. But state officials are grappling with how to interpret who qualifies under the vague federal definition, which could affect millions.

By Samantha Liss and Sam Whitehead

Dec. 1, 2025

A photo of a woman holding her toddler outside.

Bill of the Month

Not Serious Enough To Turn on the Siren, Toddler’s 39-Mile Ambulance Ride Still Cost Over $9,000

After her son contracted a serious bacterial infection, an Ohio mother took the toddler to a nearby ER, and staffers there sent him to a children’s hospital in an ambulance. With no insurance, the family was hit with a $9,250 bill for the 40-minute ride.

By Tony Leys

Nov. 25, 2025

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