Insurance Archives - Page 6 of 185

Culture Wars Take Center Stage

Episode 429

Jan. 15, 2026

With lawmakers still mired over renewing enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans, much of Washington has turned to culture war issues. Meanwhile, “confusion” remains the watchword at HHS as personnel and funding decisions continue to be made and unmade with little notice. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Elisabeth Rosenthal, who wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” report.

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Kaiser Permanente To Pay $556 Million in Record Medicare Advantage Fraud Settlement

Kaiser Permanente agrees to pay $556 million to settle allegations of billing the government for conditions patients didn’t have.

By Fred Schulte

Jan. 15, 2026

A photo of Martha Santana-Chin smiling in front of a wall painted blue. The wall appears decorated for Thanksgiving: a string of pennants spells out "Give Thanks." Images of employees' heads are superimposed on turkeys.

GOP Cuts Will Cripple Medicaid Enrollment, Warns CEO of Largest Public Health Plan

Martha Santana-Chin, a daughter of Mexican immigrants, last year took the helm of L.A. Care, the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan. She warns that looming federal cuts will push up to 650,000 people off L.A. Care’s Medicaid rolls by the end of 2028.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Jan. 15, 2026

A photo of a woman standing outside by a truck.

This California Strategy Safeguarded Some Medicaid Social Services Funding From Trump

Programs like Jamboree Housing Corp. have leveraged Medi-Cal funding to offer residents access to social services that experts say are key to keeping them off the streets. California intends to keep it that way, despite federal cuts.

By Mark Kreidler

Jan. 13, 2026

A man and a woman lean against the fences of a fenced-in area with straw on the ground and four visible goats. The woman with straight dark hair wears a dark blue sweatshirt with striped pants and smiles at the camera. The man with a beard wears a straw hat, camouflage sweatshirt, and camouflage pants is in the middle of talking and looks a something off-camera.

Millions of Americans Are Expected To Drop Their Affordable Care Act Plans. They’re Looking for a Plan B.

An estimated 4.8 million people are expected to go without health coverage because Congress did not extend enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans. But even without a health plan, people will need medical care in 2026. Many of them have been thinking through their plan B to maintain their health.

By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio

Jan. 12, 2026

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Update Listeners on Expiration of Insurance Subsidies and New Rural Health Funding

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

Jan. 10, 2026

What the Health? From KFF Health News

New Year, Same Health Fight

Episode 428

Jan. 8, 2026

Congress returned from its break facing a familiar question: whether to extend the expanded subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans that expired at the end of 2025. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. broke a promise to Bill Cassidy, the chairman of Senate health committee, by overhauling the federal government’s childhood vaccine schedule to reduce the number of diseases for which vaccines will be recommended. Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.

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A woman holds a young child, who is wearing a tie-dye shirt and a bandage, on her hip

The CDC Just Sidelined These Childhood Vaccines. Here’s What They Prevent.

The CDC is recommending fewer childhood vaccines, although the ones it has jettisoned from the recommended schedule have successfully battled serious illness for years. Experts warn that if vaccine uptake falls, millions could be hospitalized — or worse — as a result of preventable diseases.

By Arthur Allen and Jackie Fortiér

Jan. 6, 2026

A photo of a historic downtown area of Auburn, California. Old buildings are seen alongside trees. A rotunda is seen on top of a tall building in the background.

On the Hook for Uninsured Residents, Counties Now Wonder How They’ll Pay

Millions of people gained health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, reducing pressure on counties in states that fund care for the uninsured. With federal policies expected to reverse that trend, county officials wonder how they will fill the gap — and who will pay for it.

By Christine Mai-Duc and Claudia Boyd-Barrett

Jan. 6, 2026

BILL OF THE MONTH

Medical Bills Can Be Vexing and Perplexing. Here’s This Year’s Best Advice for Patients.

As the crowdsourced investigative series from KFF Health News approaches its eighth anniversary, “Bill of the Month” offers its top takeaways of 2025 to help patients manage, decipher, and even fight their medical bills.

By Emmarie Huetteman

Dec. 23, 2025

A mother holds her 3-year-old daughter in her arms on their porch. The daughter is wearing a big smile.

It’s the ‘Gold Standard’ in Autism Care. Why Are States Reining It In?

States facing yawning budget shortfalls have begun cutting Medicaid reimbursements for a wide variety of services. In some states, dramatic cuts are targeting therapies that many families of autistic people say are essential to caring for their loved ones.

By Bram Sable-Smith and Andrew Jones

Dec. 23, 2025

A photo of two women in cold weather wear. The woman on the left has a laptop and keyboard in front of her. The woman on the right is speaking to her. Paperwork and pamphlets are on the table in front of them.

Postcard From Orange County, California

Medicaid Health Plans Step Up Outreach Efforts Ahead of GOP Changes

Even as President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers say the One Big Beautiful Bill Act targets waste, fraud, and abuse, Medicaid health plans are hosting events across the U.S. to prevent low-income families from losing health insurance and food benefits next year.

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett

Dec. 22, 2025

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Zero In on ‘Certificate of Need’ Laws and Turbulent Obamacare Enrollment Season

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

Dec. 20, 2025

The Week in Brief

State Exchange Directors Seeing Consumers’ Fears — In Real Time — About Obamacare Premium Hikes

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

By Julie Appleby

Dec. 19, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

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

A photo of a Black man in winter clothes outside in D.C.

Washington’s Homeless Hide in Plain Sight, Growing Sicker and Costing Taxpayers More

The White House says encampment sweeps have enhanced the capital, but city leaders estimate nearly 700 homeless people roam by day and bed down outdoors by night. Some have scattered to the suburbs while others avoid detection, making it hard for medical providers to care for them.

By Angela Hart

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

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