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Watch: Acknowledging Health Care’s Great Divide
As part of her "How Would You Fix It?" series, podcast host Julie Rovner chats with health policy expert David Blumenthal about how politics can gum up health policy progress.
Are Health Insurance Companies the Reason for Our Health System’s Ills?
In this JAMA Health Forum column, KFF's Larry Levitt examines the criticism that health insurance companies are facing from political leaders, and explores the industry's role in both causing and addressing some of the health systems' biggest problems, including rising costs and prior authorization review.
Companies Expand AI Health Offerings, Even as Accuracy Questions Remain — The Monitor
Five technology companies have launched dedicated consumer-facing AI health tools so far in 2026, reflecting though questions about AI’s reliability remain. And a decades-old WHO classification has been misrepresented online to suggest that hormonal birth control pills were recently found to cause cancer.
California Lawmakers Seek Protections for Patients in ICE Custody
Moving through the California Senate are two bills, informed by KFF Health News reporting, that would strengthen protections for patients brought to health facilities by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Democrats demand Trump administration halt plan to collect federal workers' health data
After KFF Health News reported that the Trump administration is seeking federal workers' medical records, Democratic lawmakers are insisting that the Office of Personnel Management drop its request.
Democrats Demand Trump Administration Halt Plan To Collect Federal Workers’ Health Data
After KFF Health News reported that the Trump administration is seeking federal workers’ medical records, Democratic lawmakers are insisting that the Office of Personnel Management drop its request.
The healthcare subsidy paradox
For Millions the choice is no longer about selecting a healthcare plan that meets their medical needs; instead, must choose only what they can afford.
How Employers Support Lower-Waged Workers' Access to Health Insurance Options
Health insurance makes up 8% of total employee compensation on average, and while most employees take up health insurance when it is offered, lower-wage workers are far less likely to be able to access coverage, according to an analysis of survey data and focus groups with more than 100 U.S. employers with over a quarter of a million employees.
Dominic Fike ‘Comedy Tragedy Parody’ tour: How to secure tickets to limited U.S. run during hectic presale
After a successful performance at Coachella this month, Dominic Fike is continuing his time on the road with an intimate batch of headlining shows part of his Comedy Tragedy Parody tour.
"To coach Steph Curry who is undoubtedly the greatest …
"To coach Steph Curry who is undoubtedly the greatest …
Listen: With Little Federal Regulation, States Are Left To Shape the Rules on AI in Health Care
As artificial intelligence embeds itself into health care, some physicians and patient advocates worry it could be used by insurance companies to refuse payment for care. Maryland passed one law banning AI from acting alone on a denial. Meanwhile, Virginia’s then-governor vetoed that state’s attempt at regulating AI in health insurance.
Millions of Floridians Will Bear the Brunt of Trump’s Health Cuts
(Bloomberg) -- Millions of people in the US are expected to lose their health coverage in coming years because of shrinking funding for federal programs. Few states would suffer a bigger blow than Florida.Enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expired in December. More than $900 billion in cuts to Medicaid safety-net programs are on the horizon. Across the US, in excess of 14 million people are expected to lose health insurance through 2034, according to health-policy research nonprofit KFF.Flor
Watch: As AI Makes More Health Coverage Decisions, The Risks To Patients Grow
This year, executives from nearly every major health insurance company made the same declaration in calls with Wall Street analysts: Using artificial intelligence to make coverage decisions would help save them money.
KFF: US: Global health funding in the FY 2027 President’s budget request
The proposed budget includes significant reductions in and restructuring of global health funding, including the elimination of some programs and activities.
Jodi Daniel Quoted by KFF Health News and CNN on Healthcare Privacy Concerns
Wilson Sonsini partner Jodi Daniel was recently quoted in a KFF Health News article, which was also featured by CNN. The piece, titled "Trump’s Personnel Agency Is Asking for Federal Workers’ Medical…
Watch: As AI Makes More Health Coverage Decisions, the Risks to Patients Grow
Major health insurers and even Medicare are using artificial intelligence to make coverage decisions. But class action lawsuits have accused insurers of using AI to wrongfully withhold treatment, and new research illuminates the risks.
Iran war tests Trump’s most enduring political gifts
The Iran war is ending. Or so the White House says. The last-minute ceasefire this week in a conflict that has convulsed capitals from Washington to Brussels to Tehran has left several key issues up in the air. What does it mean politically? And will it last?
Purchase of Alabama health system could breathe new life into struggling, 119-year-old hospital
“This is a huge step in the right direction for the future of our healthcare system,” a city leader said.
Abortion Pill’s Safety Called into Question in Congressional Actions Based on Misleading Data — The Monitor
False claims about the safety of mifepristone are driving legislative and investigative action in Congress, even as major medical organizations and decades of clinical evidence support the drug’s safety. And competing interpretations of what censorship and free speech mean are impacting how health misinformation is moderated.
Trump’s Personnel Agency Is Asking for Federal Workers’ Medical Records
By Amanda Seitz and Maia Rosenfeld | KFF Health News The Trump administration is quietly seeking unprecedented access to medical records for millions of federal workers and retirees, and their families. A brief notice from the Office of Personnel Management could dramatically change which personally ...
Abortion clinics are closing nationwide. Could urgent care help fill the gap?
When the only clinic that offered abortions in Michigan's rural Upper Peninsula closed, an urgent care decided to step in to fill the gap. Now, others are considering similar moves as brick-and-mortar clinics close in blue states.
Trump’s Personnel Agency Is Asking for Federal Workers’ Medical Records
The administration is asking insurers that cover federal employees and retirees to hand over details about their medical visits, their pharmacy claims, and more.
New Medicare Payment Rate Expected. Why It’s a Big Deal for Healthcare Stocks.
About 35 million beneficiaries are in Medicare Advantage plans this year, according to the health research group KFF.
Immigrant Seniors Lose Medicare Coverage Despite Paying for It
Rosa María Carranza has worked and paid taxes for more than two decades, but a provision in the GOP's One Big Beautiful Bill Act will make her and an estimated 100,000 other lawfully present immigrant seniors ineligible for Medicare. Now Carranza’s once secure retirement is in question.
Journalists Capsulize Weight Loss News and ACA Premium Pressures
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
A Preview of the Role Health Care May Play in the 2026 Election
Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, this KFF issue brief examines the role health care has played in previous elections and what that may suggest about its potential role in 2026.
The New Ideas Conundrum in Health Policy
In a new column, President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman writes about the "conundrum of health policy ideas" facing Democrats searching for new proposals because of competing, and complex, priorities: rebuilding Medicaid and the ACA after trillion-dollar cuts, reconstructing federal health agencies, and tackling underlying health care costs, when candidates want simple ideas they can campaign on and voters want their costs to come down.
KFF Health Tracking Poll: The Public’s View of Immigration Enforcement Activities in Health Care Settings
Amid reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at hospitals and President Trump's reversal of policy protecting "sensitive locations" like hospitals, KFF's Health Tracking Poll finds that a majority of the public say they are concerned about the Trump administration's actions in health care settings.
States Pay Deloitte, Others Millions To Comply With Trump Law To Cut Medicaid Rolls
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will add red tape and restrictions for those seeking Medicaid and SNAP benefits. And the costs to update computer systems that determine eligibility for those programs will be steep.
Trump’s Hunt for Undocumented Medicaid Enrollees Yields Few Violators
Federal health officials have ordered states to reverify the immigration status of hundreds of thousands of Medicaid enrollees. After seven months, findings from five states show the reviews have uncovered few immigrants without legal status who are improperly receiving benefits.
NCAA tournament live updates, scores: No. 1 Duke handling No. 2 UConn; Michigan routs Tennessee; UCLA, UConn women advance to Final Four
NCAA tournament live updates, scores: No. 1 Duke battling No. 2 UConn; Michigan routs Tennessee; UCLA, UConn women advance to Final Four
NCAA tournament live updates, scores: Follow Michigan vs. Tennessee, Duke vs. UCLA; UConn routs Notre Dame in women's March Madness
NCAA tournament live updates, scores: Follow UConn vs. Notre Dame, Michigan vs. Tennessee as March Madness continues Sunday
Escambia County school employees push for more mental health counselors
ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. -- A study done by KFF shows 18% of students across the nation used mental health services at schools in 2025.
Clemson loses first basketball player to NCAA transfer portal
Clemson's first loss in the 2026 NCAA transfer portal is a big one.
One or Two Health Systems Controlled the Entire Market for Inpatient Hospital Care in Nearly Half of Metropolitan Areas in 2024
This analysis examines the competitiveness of markets for hospital care and finds that nearly half of metropolitan areas across the country had only one or two hospitals or health systems providing general inpatient hospital care in 2024.
Give and Take: Federal Rural Health Funding Could Trigger Service Cuts
States are rolling out plans for their share of a $50 billion fund meant to improve rural health care. In some states, the money may provoke rural hospitals to cut services.
LGBT People Experience Widespread Concerns and Challenges When it Comes to Health Care Affordability
This analysis highlights the health care affordability challenges facing LGBT adults, a growing population that faces health related disparities. Findings from KFF Health Tracking Polls show that LGBT adults face more widespread concerns with affording basic necessities, including health care, compared to non-LGBT adults.
New KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust Finds One in Three Adults Have Used AI Chatbots for Health Advice — The Monitor
KFF's latest Tracking Poll finds that one-third of the public report using AI chatbots for health information and advice in the past year. And a federal judge suspended, for now, the appointments of thirteen members of ACIP, halting a scheduled meeting and staying recent, widely debated, changes to the childhood vaccine schedule.
A $50 billion fund to help rural hospitals could actually lead to closures and cuts
States are rolling out plans for their share of a $50 billion fund established by Congress to improve rural health care. In some states, the money may provoke rural hospitals to cut services.
Deaths and Health Care Issues in ICE Detention Centers Under the Second Trump Administration
This brief provides an overview of deaths in ICE custody and detention centers under the Trump administration based on KFF analysis of ICE detainee death reporting and news releases and reviews recent reports of health care issues in detention centers.
Poll: 1 in 3 Adults Are Turning to AI Chatbots for Health Information, Equaling the Share Who Use Social Media for Health
About a third (32%) of adults nationally say they have turned to artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in the past year for health information, a new KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds. Most who turned to AI for health information say they were in search of quick and immediate advice, though challenges affording and accessing health care also play a role, particularly for younger adults.
KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: Use of AI For Health Information and Advice
This poll finds that about as many adults are turning to AI for health information as social media, with health care costs and access driving many users, particularly younger users.
Blog explains why context matters in discussions on health care spending
An AHA blog published March 24 responds to a recent KFF brief on the role of hospital care in recent health care spending growth.
Rising Health Costs Push Some Middle-Aged Adults To Skip the Doc Until Medicare
Adults ages 50 through 64 faced some of the steepest increases in out-of-pocket costs for Obamacare plans after a set of federal subsidies expired at the end of December. Some say they are putting off care or considering dropping health insurance coverage until Medicare picks up the bill.
Many Americans plan to cut food to afford ACA health insurance, new poll shows
About 8 in 10 Americans who re-enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage say their health care costs are higher this year, according to a new survey from the health care research nonprofit KFF.
What Americans are giving up to afford ACA health insurance, according to a new poll
A new KFF survey shows many Americans who had Affordable Care Act marketplace health insurance last year are struggling with high health costs. The findings come three months after the expiration of enhanced tax credits that had offset most enrollees' monthly premiums.
Poll shows Americans are cutting back on basics to afford health care
A new KFF survey shows many Americans who had Affordable Care Act marketplace health insurance last year are struggling with high health costs.
Oz Says California’s Not Fighting Health Care Fraud, but Data Shows It’s Part of a Larger Battle
Trump administration officials say the state allows rampant fraud and have promised to investigate, blaming the “Russian, Armenian mafia” in the hospice and home health care industry. But data shows hotbeds of health care fraud throughout the country, with California outperforming most other states in recovering fraud dollars.
Watch: Affordability Plagues Health Care in Its Shift From Nonprofit to Profit Machine
On “What the Health? From KFF Health News,” distributed by WAMU, chief Washington correspondent and host Julie Rovner sat down with Drew Altman, president and CEO of KFF, to talk about the likelihood of a national health care debate.
Psychiatrists’ Use of Biomarkers Could Open a New Window Into Mental Health Diagnoses
The world’s largest professional psychiatry organization is preparing for the day when biological indicators can help diagnose and treat mental illness.
Oz Says California’s Not Fighting Health Care Fraud. Data Shows a Larger Battle
By Don Thompson | KFF Health News SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For weeks, Mehmet Oz has been waging a public feud with California leaders over health care fraud, accusing the blue state of failing to adequately combat such abuse. Oz, who heads the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, alleged that
In Switching to Original Medicare, Beware of Medigap Plan Refusals
Open enrollment season lasts until March 31 for people enrolled in Medicare Advantage who want to switch to original Medicare, but there’s a potential hitch.
Child and Adolescent Firearm Deaths: National Trends and Variation by Demographics and States
This brief analyzes the latest youth mortality data from the CDC, finding that nearly 22,000 children and adolescents died by firearm in the past decade. More information on trends over time, type of firearm deaths, and how these deaths vary by demographic and state are available in this brief.
Primary Care Is in Trouble. So Doctors Band Together To Boost Their Market Power.
Thousands of primary care practices are fighting to remain financially viable and independent. Many are banding together to form Independent Physician Associations, or IPAs, to increase their market power.
More Kids Are in ERs for Tooth Pain. Trump Cuts and RFK Jr.’s Anti-Fluoride Fight Aren’t Helping.
Dentists, hygienists, and researchers say a shortage of rural dental care professionals and worsening oral hygiene since the covid-19 pandemic mean more kids are ending up in the emergency room for tooth decay.
Reckoning With State and Federal Cuts, L.A. Safety-Net Clinics Push for a New Tax
By Bernard J. Wolfson | KFF Health News LOS ANGELES — Mia Angulo, who is pregnant and due in May, is living in a tent with her boyfriend in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Boyle Heights. Lingering pain from a car crash two months ago, on top of an already hardscrabble life, has Angulo ...
Newsom Picks a Dogfight With Trump and RFK Jr. on Public Health
Scientists are cheering California Gov. Gavin Newsom as he builds a public health bulwark against health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine stance and President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization. Still, federal cuts have sapped morale and left local health departments less prepared for outbreaks.
KFF Health News: Rural Health Transformation Fund Allocation
KFF Health published a story March 4 detailing concerns from hospital leaders and lawmakers across the country about how states plan to spend new federal rural health funding.
Listen: What To Do When Health Insurance Slips Out of Reach
2026 has been a challenging year to buy health insurance. Contributing factors include changes to the Medicaid program and hikes to the cost of Obamacare plans. But doctors and researchers say there are ways people without insurance can find affordable care.
When ICE came, Minneapolis created underground health networks. Should other cities?
The Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis forced some families into hiding and catalyzed informal medical networks to deliver critical health care services inside homes.
Felon on probation accused of killing employee who interrupted crime outside Minneapolis business
Charges say the man was shot while intervening as two people were stealing from a co-worker’s SUV.
Lawmakers, Health Groups Resist Their States’ Rural Health Fund Plans
Some Republican state lawmakers and state health associations are pushing back against spending plans under the Trump administration’s $50 billion federal rural health fund. Federal administrators already approved states’ plans, but in many cases, state lawmakers must greenlight spending.
Even Patients Are Shocked by the Prices Their Insurers Will Pay — And It Costs All of Us
Health care prices are on the rise, and patients are flummoxed that even insurance companies aren’t doing more to control costs.
Health and Health Care Experiences of Immigrant Parents and Their Children During the Second Trump Term
This brief provides data from the 2025 KFF/New York Times Survey of Immigrants on the health and health care experiences of immigrant parents and their children in the U.S. amid the current policy environment.
‘Kind of Morbid’: Health Premiums Threaten Their Nest Egg. A Terminal Diagnosis May Spare It.
Chaz and Jean Franklin were facing a sevenfold increase in their health premium payments with the expiration of enhanced federal subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans at the end of 2025. Then Jean received a crushing diagnosis that will claim her life but save the couple money.
Opioid Overdose Deaths: National Trends and Variation by Demographics and States
Opioid overdose deaths fell sharply from 2023 to 2024 (79,358 to 54,045), driven largely by decreases in fentanyl-involved deaths. Even after these declines, deaths remained above 2019, the year before opioid deaths increased sharply during the pandemic.
Hospitals Fighting Measles Confront a Challenge: Few Doctors Have Seen It Before
As the number of cases grows to about 1,000 in the Carolinas, health care workers who’ve never seen the vaccine-preventable disease can get caught by surprise.
Prior authorization is a top health care burden, KFF poll finds
About 32% of Americans say prior authorization requirements are a major burden, more than billing confusion or finding appointments, according to the January 2026 survey.
State Lawmakers Seek Restraints on Wage Garnishment for Medical Debt
At least eight states are considering legislation to curtail wage garnishment over unpaid medical bills, as health care costs rise and more people become underinsured.
When It Comes to Health Insurance, Federal Dollars Support More Than ACA Plans
Questions of fairness came up in last year’s congressional debate about extending Obamacare’s enhanced subsidies. Critics wondered why the federal government should underwrite coverage costs for people with ACA coverage. In truth, though, almost all health insurance in the U.S. comes with some federal help.
Nevada Debuts Public Option Amid Tumultuous Federal Changes to Health Care
The state recently became the third to offer a public option health plan through its Affordable Care Act marketplace. But researchers said it’s unlikely to fill the gaps left by sweeping changes at the federal level.
Red and Blue States Alike Want To Limit AI in Insurance. Trump Wants To Limit the States.
A revolt is afoot in both red and blue states against the use of artificial intelligence in health insurance determinations — and against efforts led by President Donald Trump to tie states’ hands.
Wyoming Wants To Make Its Five-Year Federal Rural Health Funding Last ‘Forever’
State officials believe they’ve found a way to extend the life of federal Rural Health Transformation Program money Wyoming is receiving as part of last summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act — by investing most of it.
Trump Required Hospitals To Post Their Prices for Patients. Mostly It’s the Industry Using the Data.
Politicians have pushed for price transparency in health care. But instead of patients shopping for services, it’s mostly health systems and insurers that are using the information, as fodder for negotiations over pay.
Researchers to study universal health care, as Coloradans face $1 billion in medical debt
Colorado residents owe about $1 billion in medical debt. The sky-high number is a small portion of the nation’s medical debt estimated around $220 billion, according to a 2024 analysis by Peterson Center on Healthcare and KFF, formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation. As more people nationally are expected to lose their health insurance following planned […]
St. Louis Board of Alderman take up effort to finalize downtown sports and entertainment district
City of St. Louis aldermen are looking to tap into a state resource approved last year to make Downtown a destination.
Trump promised RFK Jr. would ‘restore faith in American health care.’ A year in, trust has plummeted
Trust in government health agencies has plummeted, according to health policy and research group KFF, with declines across the political spectrum. And experts told CNN that they fear things could get worse.
RFK Jr. Made Promises in Order To Become Health Secretary. He’s Broken Many of Them.
Before being confirmed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told U.S. senators he would not cut funding for vaccine research or change the nation’s official vaccine recommendations. He did both.
Spring Training open thread: February 12
Good evening, y’all! Here’s a random clip and now the floor is yours:
Hospital Spending Accounted for 40% of the Growth in National Health Spending Between 2022 and 2024
This data note analyzes the extent to which hospital spending has contributed to the growth in national health expenditures in recent years and over the long term using data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Health Expenditures Accounts (NHEA).
Classic rock legends are coming to Hershey for a concert
The group is one of the highest-charting bands in Billboard history, with Top 40 albums in six consecutive decades.
Public Health Workers Are Quitting Over Assignments to Guantánamo
U.S. Public Health Service doctors and nurses are being deployed to Guantánamo and other detention centers as President Donald Trump escalates mass arrests in his campaign to curb immigration. Some have resigned in protest. Others offer a rare look into bleak conditions.
Tacoma health system says it lost $1.2M after billing vendor ‘dropped the ball’
The vendor denied wrongdoing in an answer to a lawsuit filed by MultiCare.
Journalists Describe Drivers of High Health Costs and Spell Out the Science of Protein
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Journalists Describe Drivers of High Health Costs and Spell Out the Science of Protein
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Comparing States’ Rural Health Fund Allotments to Medicaid Spending Cuts Can be Misleading
This issue brief explains why it can be misleading to compare the first year of Rural Health Transformation Program allocations with estimated Medicaid cuts, which will be implemented on a gradual basis and not fully take effect until 2027, after the rural health fund is exhausted.
With ICE Using Medicaid Data, Hospitals and States Are in a Bind Over Warning Immigrant Patients
The Trump administration’s move to give deportation officials access to Medicaid data is forcing hospitals and states to consider alerting immigrant patients that information from emergency medical coverage applications could be used in efforts to remove them from the country.
KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: Trust in the CDC and Views of Federal Childhood Vaccine Schedule Changes
Weeks after the Trump administration reduced the number of childhood vaccine recommended for routine use, public trust in the CDC is at its lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic, and less than half are confident in federal agencies' ability to make such recommendations. Among those who have heard about the revised recommendations, more say they expect the changes to have a negative impact than a positive one on children’s health.
Potential Impacts of Trump Administration H-1B Visa Policies on the Health Care and Social Assistance Industries
This issue brief provides an overview of the H-1B visa program, analyzes trends in H-1B visa approvals for the health care and social assistance industries using data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and discusses potential implications of recent policies impacting the H-1B program on the U.S. health care workforce.
When the Doctor Needs a Checkup
The physician workforce is aging fast, and some hospitals now require that older clinicians undergo testing for cognitive decline. Many have resisted.
Survey finds prior authorization viewed as greatest hurdle in navigating health care
A KFF survey published today found that people view prior authorization as the biggest challenge beyond costs when navigating the health care system. In terms of issues people viewed as a “major burden,” prior authorization was highest at 32%, followed by understanding their bill or what they owe at 23%.
Poll: People View Prior Authorization as Greatest Burden in Navigating the Health System
New KFF polling explores the challenges beyond costs that people with insurance face in navigating the health care system. People cite prior authorization review as their top problem by a wide margin, with a third (32%) saying prior authorization requirements are a “major burden.
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Prior Authorizations Rank as Public’s Biggest Burden When Getting Health Care
KFF's health tracking poll finds that beyond costs, insured adults say prior authorization is their biggest challenges when accessing care. About seven in ten (69%) insured adults say prior authorizations are burdensome, and a third (34%) choose prior authorizations as their single biggest health care burden.
It’s 2026 and You’re Uninsured. Now What?
Many Americans are expected to lose ACA or Medicaid coverage in coming months and years as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the expiration of enhanced pandemic-era subsidies that helped people afford Obamacare plans. Doctors and researchers say there are still ways to find affordable care.
When Health Insurance Costs More Than the Mortgage
As health care costs skyrocket and federal lawmakers pull back help on insurance premiums, more middle-income families are facing tough choices on health care.
Habs' New Defensive Pairing of Hutson and Dobson Delivers Results
Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories, and content you may have missed on Thursday. Montreal Canadiens News Don’t […]