Insurance Archives - KFF Health News

The MAHA Metamorphosis

Episode 465

Oct. 1, 2026

The “Make America Healthy Again” movement held a shindig in Washington, D.C., this week. But rather than moms arguing to get chemicals out of their kids’ food, the room was full of Trump administration officials and industry representatives looking to promote health-related products. Meanwhile, the administration for the second year in a row is refusing to spend money Congress appropriated. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Aaron Carroll of AcademyHealth.

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A man stands in front of an altar inside a church.

Rural MAHA Followers Say Trump Health Policies Haven’t Reached Their Communities

President Donald Trump has championed sprawling health policy changes under the Make America Healthy Again movement, but a KFF-Associated Press survey of rural voters found people aren’t seeing the initiatives reach their communities.

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

Sept. 30, 2026

A senior woman is lying on her back in bed and looking up at the camera.

Memory Gaps

Drugs Are Widely Used To Sedate Dementia Patients. Her Sons Wanted To Keep Her Off Them.

Potent sedating medications are often used on agitated people with dementia in long-term care facilities despite federal efforts to discourage their use. A clash over whether to drug a Michigan woman illuminates the wrenching decisions families and guardians face.

By Jordan Rau

Sept. 30, 2026

A photo of Rep. Mary Caferro speaking at a podium. Behind her stand several women holding signs that read, "Keep the care in healthcare," and "Medicaid saves lives. Hands off Medicaid."

Confusion and Angst Follow State’s Early Rollout of Medicaid Work Rules

In most states, people with Medicaid coverage will have to prove they’re working, volunteering, or studying starting Jan. 1. But Montana put the rules into effect early, and they’re sowing uncertainty and anxiety.

By Aaron Bolton, MTPR

Sept. 29, 2026

A photo of a couple seated at a table. Amye Joseph holds a piece of paper.

Common Ground

Republicans and Democrats Find a Unifying Target: Pharmacy Benefit Managers

Some states have considered barring companies that own a PBM from also owning brick-and-mortar pharmacies, as CVS does. Two states have followed through. A similar proposal at the federal level has gained prominent sponsors, aligning conservative, business-friendly Republicans with Democrats traditionally more open to government regulation.

By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio

Sept. 28, 2026

The Week in Brief

Healthcare Workers Have To Pay for Insurance, Too. And They’re Also Feeling the Pinch.

Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.

By Hayat Norimine

Sept. 25, 2026

What the Health? From 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.

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The New Old Age

Nursing Home Beds Are Becoming More Scarce

As the oldest baby boomers turn 80, researchers worry there won’t be enough room in nursing facilities for a rapidly graying nation.

By Paula Span

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

The Week in Brief

A Cancer Survivor Lost Coverage. Medicaid Work Rules Prompt Fears of Similar Stories To Come.

Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.

By Katheryn Houghton

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.

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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

A photo of a young woman standing on a beach.

A Cancer Survivor Hoped To Work — Then She Lost Her Medicaid Disability Coverage

As state governments grapple with how to determine who’s sick enough to be excused from new Medicaid work requirements, some families are already struggling with what illnesses guarantee health coverage because of a disability.

By Katheryn Houghton

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.

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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

A man with a stethoscope around his neck stands in front of a health center.

Indigenous Groups Are Exempt From Medicaid Work Rules, but Native Hawaiians Aren’t

Native Hawaiians will have to comply with the new work requirements in President Donald Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act, despite facing significant obstacles to employment and healthcare.

By Ashley Mizuo

Sept. 11, 2026

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

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.

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