Health Insurance News

Health insurance in the U.S. is notoriously confusing. So we’re covering the basics to make navigating your plan a little easier. We explain the difference between a deductible and an out-of-pocket limit, define copay and coinsurance, and point out where…

Health insurance in the U.S. is notoriously confusing. So we’re covering the basics to make navigating your plan a little easier. We explain the difference between a deductible and an out-of-pocket limit, define copay and coinsurance, and point out where surprise bills can get you in trouble, from out-of-network providers to prior authorizations.  Read more

When Gavin Newsom ran for California governor in 2018, his support for a state-run single-payer healthcare system was considered a risky move and earned him hefty labor endorsements. Today, leading Democrats in the wide-open race to succeed Newsom have embraced…

A decision Friday night by a federal appeals court not only has raised new questions about the continued availability of the abortion pill mifepristone but has also thrust the abortion issue back into the spotlight. That’s something the Trump administration…

Since his second term started, President Donald Trump has announced, negotiated, or floated a flurry of initiatives aimed at taming the excesses of the pharmaceutical industry. No surprise. About 60% of American adults are “worried about being able to afford…

Next time you go to the pharmacy, you might be offered a coupon on your prescription drugs. While it may sound like a great deal — with the prospect of saving hundreds of dollars — the decision to accept it…

Starting in July, Medicare beneficiaries may be able to get a GLP-1 prescription for weight loss for $50 a month. It’s a notable shift for Medicare, which has long been barred from covering weight loss treatments. The drugs, such as…

A still from Netflix’s ‘Beef.’ Courtesy: Netflix In the new season of the Netflix comedy-drama, “Beef,” Ashley, played by Cailee Spaeny, lands in the hospital due to an ovarian cyst. The waiting area is bleak, with gray decor and patients who look like they’ve been stranded there for years. Ashley’s partner, Austin, played by Charles

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In his earliest days in the governor’s office, Democrat Gavin Newsom huddled with his advisers to consider how to realize a key campaign promise: transforming a healthcare system replete with insurance company intermediaries into the nation’s first…

State officials remain uncertain on how to enforce a requirement that many adult Medicaid enrollees show they’re working — even as one state launches its program this week — and they’re taking a variety of approaches to the job, including,…

The jury attributed 88% of the fault to the University of Kansas Hospital Authority and 12% of the fault to LivaNova USA Inc., the medtech company that manufactured the device that was used in Stephen Nolte’s heart surgery at KU…

But NBC News reports that hospital CEOs pushed back during the House hearing Tuesday, saying high costs were a product of factors including low reimbursement rates and their obligation to treat sicker and sometimes uninsured patients. Meanwhile, a Gallup poll…

The last step necessary to clear the way to a settlement was delivered via a criminal sentence Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo, resolving thousands of lawsuits, AP reports. As part of the deal, Purdue will cease to…

Schmeeka Simpson of Omaha works as a patient navigator for the American Civil Liberties Union and an administrative assistant at Nebraskans for Peace, plus picks up shifts at a Dunkin’ shop. Still, even with three jobs, she worries about losing…

At least three pharma firms — Novartis, Amgen, and Eli Lilly — say they’re closer to unraveling the mystery of lipoprotein(a), which is a more dangerous cousin to LDL cholesterol. Diet and exercise don’t influence lp(a) levels, CNBC reported, and…

On Friday, Natrona County District Judge Dan Forgey granted a temporary restraining order against a new state law banning abortion after embryonic cardiac activity can be detected. Forgey claimed it was likely to be overturned on the grounds that it…

One outlier in the American Medical Association’s analysis was California, Fierce Healthcare reports, where reported premiums were “significantly lower,” perhaps due to a state law capping noneconomic damages. Fierce Healthcare: Doctors’ Liability Premiums Rise For 7th Straight Year Physicians’ medical…

The federal government has paid to supply the test strips, which also check for other contaminants, to states since 2021, but the Trump administration now contends that harm-reduction measures encourage drug use, The New York Times reports. Experts assert that…

Silvana Toska was playing in a grass field with her daughters late last fall when she felt a sting on her ankle. The family had come to listen for barred and great horned owls as the sun set on a…

Experts are worried that the use of offshore reinsurance in countries that often benefit from looser regulations will create a more risky environment in the life insurance sector. Many retired Americans rely on life insurance to provide financial security through…

The medications being offered will include the diabetes drug metformin, and the blood thinner Xarelto, CBS News reports. Also in the news: Roundup lawsuits, weight loss pill Foundayo, gabapentin for traumatic brain injuries, and more. CBS News: Johnson & Johnson…

Multiple scientists were dismissed Friday, effectively immediately. The board typically consists of 25 members from various scientific fields, appointed by the president for a six-year term. Critics say the scientists’ dismissal, along with funding cuts, could have national consequences. The…

Like many parents, Tatiana Lafortune wants her children to get a good education, eat nutritious food, and see a doctor when they’re not feeling well. Public schools and her church’s pantry help Lafortune accomplish the first two goals. But insurance…

In this “How Would You Fix It?” interview, Julie Rovner, KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent and host of the What the Health? podcast, sat down with David Blumenthal — a physician, health policy expert, former Obama administration official, and…

After decades of selling insurance, Illinois-based broker John Jaggi had never seen anything like it. More than 80 of his customers who were enrolled in the same Medicare supplemental plan from the insurer Chubb got hit last August with a…

Nearly four years after doctors declared Marielle Santos McLeod free of colon cancer, she has yet to feel liberated from the burden of medical expenses. McLeod, who lives near Charleston, South Carolina, is still paying off chemotherapy bills that followed…

Montana officials said they are moving forward with plans to allow Medicaid to pay doulas, reversing a previous statement that budget problems had prompted them to pause the effort to reimburse the birth workers. But officials warned that all optional…

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. (Bryan Dozier/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images) Democratic lawmakers are demanding that…

High-deductible plans can look like a deal, until the bills start rolling in. On this episode of the NPR podcast Life Kit, reporter Jackie Fortiér breaks down what to expect and how to prepare. A lot of people choose their…

High-deductible plans can look like a deal, until the bills start rolling in. On this episode of the NPR podcast Life Kit, reporter Jackie Fortiér breaks down what to expect and how to prepare. A lot of people choose their health insurance the way they shop for a flight — sort by the lowest price

KFF Health News Michigan correspondent Kate Wells discussed urgent care clinics offering abortions on Apple News Today on April 15. Click here to hear Wells on Apple News Today. Read Wells’ “Urgent Care Clinics Move To Fill Abortion Care Gaps…

(E+/Getty Images) LISTEN: Quashing innovation or risking a patient’s health? Lauren Sausser told WAMU’s Health Hub on April 15 why the White House and some states are at odds over how to regulate AI in health care. Speed, efficiency, and…

Millones de personas que soliciten Medicaid en los próximos años tendrán que demostrar que han estado trabajando, estudiando o haciendo voluntariado durante al menos un mes antes de poder obtener o conservar este seguro de salud federal que gerencian los…

Durante meses, un clima de mucho miedo se ha instalado en la comunidad inmigrante de San Bernardino, California. Esto ha hecho más difícil el trabajo de María González como promotora de salud en esta ciudad donde casi una cuarta parte…

Millions of people who apply for Medicaid in the coming years will have to prove they’ve been working, going to school, or volunteering for at least a month before they can gain or retain health insurance through the government program….

For months, a cloud of fear has hovered over the immigrant community in San Bernardino, California, making it hard for María González to do her job as a community health worker in this city where almost a quarter of residents…

Cuando los subsidios federales mejorados expiraron a fines de 2025, muchas personas que compraban su propio seguro de salud en los mercados estatales y federales vieron aumentar sus primas mensuales. Para reducir costos, muchos cambiaron a planes de salud con…

Katie Crouch dice que llamar a la agencia de Medicaid de su estado para obtener información sobre sus beneficios parece un callejón sin salida. “La primera vez, el teléfono suena sin parar. La siguiente, te manda al buzón de voz…

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(Oona Zenda/KFF Health News) An elementary school teacher chose a low-price health insurance plan but soon realized she wasn’t clear about what it would mean for her family’s finances. “Once I got the insurance card, I compared our old plan…

Rovner Recaps Medicaid Cuts’ Impact on Hospitals and Fields Caller Questions on Affordability Article Source Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. This website make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you…

About a year ago, I was stationed in downtown D.C. on an especially chilly spring day, watching hundreds of federal employees line up outside their office buildings.  In a humbling exercise, employees were waiting to test whether their entry badges still worked…

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. Even the Trump administration is testing AI’s usefulness…

Can’t see the audio player? Listen on: The Host At the Trump administration’s request, a federal judge in Louisiana this week agreed to delay a ruling affecting the continued availability of the abortion drug mifepristone. That angered anti-abortion groups that…

Robin Carlton pays about $650 a month for a plan on the Missouri health insurance exchange that covers him and his two teenage kids. That monthly total is $200 higher than what he paid last year, due in part to…

Robin Carlton pays about $650 a month for a plan on the Missouri health insurance exchange that covers him and his two teenage kids. That monthly total is $200 higher than what he paid last year, due in part to…

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 identifiable medical information the agency…

OAKLAND, Calif. — Rosa María Carranza se inclinó para sostener la espalda de una niña de 3 años mientras la pequeña trepaba una roca en las colinas boscosas del noreste de Oakland. Vestida con ropa de senderismo y collares de…

OAKLAND, Calif. — Rosa María Carranza se inclinó para sostener la espalda de una niña de 3 años mientras la pequeña trepaba una roca en las colinas boscosas del noreste de Oakland. Vestida con ropa de senderismo y collares de…

LAME DEER, Mont. — Misty Pipe had about an hour before her shift began at the post office. She used that time to check in on a new mom who lives a few miles outside this town at the heart…

Three weeks after Sophia Bassan’s mastectomy, she felt a stabbing pain beneath her right armpit. In the following months, painful shocks radiated through her chest and back. Her body became so sensitive that at times she couldn’t wear a shirt…

OAKLAND, Calif. — Rosa María Carranza leaned forward to hold a 3-year-old’s back as the girl climbed a rock in the forested hills of northeast Oakland. Dressed in hiking gear and beaded necklaces, Carranza, 67, maneuvered between trees and children…

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States are paying contractors such as Deloitte, Accenture, and Optum millions of dollars to help them comply with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — a law that will strip safety-net health and food benefits from millions. State governments rely…

Tax time can come with big surprises for some people who have Affordable Care Act coverage, including owing money back to the government for premium subsidies received during the previous year. More changes lie ahead that make it important for…

Can’t see the audio player? Listen on: The Host Recent polling finds that health costs are a top worry for much of the American public, while Republicans in Congress are considering still more cuts to federal health spending on programs…

Ollie Super has moved in and out of cancer treatment since she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma as a toddler in foster care. Now 8, the second grader is dealing with it again. Her cancer came back late last year. Ollie’s…

Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names. ‘The Federal Government’s Loss Is the County’s Gain’ I wanted to thank Rachana Pradhan and Katheryn…

Bluestem Health, a clinic that serves low-income and uninsured patients in Lincoln, Nebraska, has lost money for the last two years. And CEO Brad Meyer fears times will soon get worse for the clinic and its 21,000 patients. That’s because…

Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names. Who Really Collects in the Wage Garnishment Game? I was a consumer bankruptcy attorney for years…

The WGA West‘s striking staff will be booted off their health insurance plans on Wednesday, more than six weeks into their work stoppage and just days after delivering a so-called “strike-ending” proposal to management. WGSU members were notified via an email from union leaders on Tuesday afternoon, after several workers found messaging on their internal

States are paying contractors such as Deloitte, Accenture, and Optum millions of dollars to help them comply with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — a law that will strip safety-net health and food benefits from millions. State governments rely…

Last August, as part of the federal government’s crackdown on people in the country illegally, the Trump administration sent states the names of hundreds of thousands of Medicaid enrollees with orders to determine whether they were ineligible based on immigration…

Last summer, Lorena Alvarado Hill received a series of unexpected medical bills. A teacher’s aide in Melbourne, Florida, Hill is a single mom who works shifts at J.Crew on the weekends to send her daughter to college. Hill and her…

Complaints about enrollment fraud in Affordable Care Act health insurance coverage have bedeviled the federal marketplace for years. Now, the Trump administration is claiming wins in reducing the problem while simultaneously saying more controls are needed. It has proposed a…

Note: “An Arm and a Leg” uses speech-recognition software to generate transcripts, which may contain errors. Please use the transcript as a tool but check the corresponding audio before quoting the podcast. Dan: Hey there. About a dozen years ago, Nicole…

Ratrice Jackson, entonces estudiante de cuarto año en el Meharry Medical College en Nashville, Tennessee, atiende a un paciente como parte de una jornada gratuita de salud bucal en el campus en 2018. (Blake Farmer/Nashville Public Radio) Russell Anthony fue…

John Galvin es consciente de que necesita una colonoscopía. Pero está esperando hasta diciembre para hacerla, cuando cumpla 65 años y califique para Medicare. Estaba pensando en retrasar el estudio, contó, porque este año la prima mensual del seguro de…

John Galvin knows he needs a colonoscopy. But he’s waiting to schedule the procedure until December, when he turns 65 and qualifies for Medicare. He was already thinking about delaying it — then his monthly Obamacare insurance premium payment tripled…

Ratrice Jackson, then a fourth-year student at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, works with a patient as part of a free oral health day on campus in 2018. (Blake Farmer/Nashville Public Radio) LISTEN: Your dental insurance might not cover…

KFF Health News senior correspondent Renuka Rayasam discussed the KFF Health News series “Priced Out,” which focuses on the health insurance crisis, on An Arm and a Leg on March 19. Click here to hear Rayasam on An Arm and…

When President Donald Trump unveiled his one-page outline to address health care spending, dubbed “The Great Healthcare Plan,” he specifically mentioned the Affordable Care Act’s role in driving up costs.  “I call it the unaffordable care act,” he said. He…

The Trump administration has signaled a willingness to halt billions of dollars in federal health payments to multiple states, mirroring moves they made against Minnesota. The specific target is Medicaid, the public health insurance program that pairs state and federal…

Can’t see the audio player? Listen on: The Host Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s effort to change how the federal government recommends vaccines against childhood diseases was dealt at least a temporary setback in federal court…

Most people who get their health coverage through the Affordable Care Act say they face sharply higher costs, with many worried they will have to pare back other expenses to cover them, according to a poll released Thursday. Some are…

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 to…

In January, when President Donald Trump unveiled his one-page outline to address health care spending, dubbed “The Great Healthcare Plan,” he specifically mentioned the Affordable Care Act’s role in driving up costs. “I call it the unaffordable care act,” he…

LOS ÁNGELES, CA — Mia Angulo, que está embarazada y dará a luz en mayo, vive en una tienda de campaña con su novio en el vecindario predominantemente latino de Boyle Heights. El dolor persistente por un accidente de auto…

It’s open enrollment season for Medicare Advantage, when people currently enrolled in private managed-care plans can either sign up for a new one or switch to original Medicare through March 31. But there’s a catch: If people want to move…

Health savings accounts can be an administrative headache — but might save you money in the long run. (Emily Siner/Nashville Public Radio) LISTEN: Is it worth it to set up a health savings account? HealthQ has answers. When Mike McKee…

Sheldon Ekirch está acostumbrada a sentirse decepcionada de su aseguradora de salud. Por eso, la joven de 31 años, de Henrico, Virginia, se quedó atónita cuando supo que Anthem finalmente tendría que pagar un tratamiento médico que le cambiaría la…

If you judged by the more than 16,400 comments posted on a federal government website, you’d think there was a groundswell of older Americans demanding that federal officials hike payments to their Medicare Advantage health insurance plans.  Yet about 82%…

Judging by more than 16,400 comments recently posted on a federal government website, you’d think there was a groundswell of older Americans demanding that federal officials hike payments to their Medicare Advantage health insurance plans. Yet about 82% of the…

Sheldon Ekirch is used to being disappointed by her health insurance company. That’s why Ekirch, 31, of Henrico, Virginia, was stunned when she learned Anthem would finally have to pay for life-changing medical treatment. For two years, she had battled…

Can’t see the audio player? Listen on: The Host It’s been a tough week for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In addition to Kennedy having surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, personnel issues continue to…

Can’t see the audio player? Listen on: The Host It’s been a tough week for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In addition to Kennedy having surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, personnel issues continue to…

A decade after becoming the first new independent health insurer in France in 30 years, Alan has closed a €100M round backed by Index Ventures, Shopify’s Tobi Lütke, and World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann, and it’s not slowing down. Alan, the Paris-based health insurance startup, has raised €100 million ($116 million) in a new round

En los estados que desde hace años se han negado a ampliar Medicaid para cubrir a un número mayor de adultos de bajos ingresos, quienes ya están en el programa no están sujetos a las nuevas reglas de la Ley…

In states that have long refused to expand Medicaid to more low-income adults, people in the program aren’t subject to new rules under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act requiring them to prove they’re working in order to get and…

KFF Health News senior correspondent Renuka Rayasam discussed excited delirium on Vox Media Podcast Network’s Criminal on March 6. Click here to hear Rayasam on Criminal. Read Rayasam’s “As More States Target Disavowed ‘Excited Delirium’ Diagnosis, Police Groups Push Back.”…

[Editor’s note: This transcript was generated using both transcription software and a human’s light touch. It has been edited for style and clarity.]  Julie Rovner: Hello from KFF Health News and WAMU Public Radio in Washington, D.C. Welcome to What the Health? I’m Julie Rovner, chief…

(Moment/Getty Images) LISTEN: Can’t afford health insurance this year? Don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about money and the cost of care. On WAMU’s “Health Hub” on March 4, KFF Health News correspondent Sam Whitehead shared tips for…

Samantha Smith, de Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, entró al quirófano para la extracción de emergencia de un embarazo ectópico. “Estoy agradecida de no haber muerto”, dijo, pero se sorprendió al ver que la cirugía ambulatoria fue facturada a su aseguradora por unos…

Samantha Smith of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, went into the operating room for emergency removal of an ectopic pregnancy. “I’m grateful I didn’t die,” she said, but she was shocked to see that the outpatient surgery was billed to her insurer for…

Star Quinn moved to Kingsport, Tennessee, in 2023, the same year the state began covering dental costs for about 600,000 low-income adults enrolled in Medicaid. But when Quinn chipped a tooth and it became infected, she could not find a…

Over the course of 2025, Jayant Mishra of Mission Viejo, California, progressively developed scaly, itchy red patches on his skin. Then came the pain and swelling in the joints of his hands, making it difficult to do his work at…

COLUSA, Calif. — Early on, Jean Franklin got some career advice she followed religiously: “Pay yourself first.” So she did, socking away hundreds of thousands of dollars in retirement savings by the time she became a stay-at-home mom at age…

¿Cómo deben usar la inteligencia artificial (IA) las aseguradoras de salud? La respuesta a esta pregunta inusual de política pública, encuentra en un mismo bando al gobernador republicano Ron DeSantis, de Florida, y al gobierno demócrata de Maryland, los dos…

Subsidies. Love ’em or hate them, they dominated the news during the Affordable Care Act’s sign-up season, and their reduction is now hitting many enrollees in the pocketbook. While lawmakers continue to disagree on a way forward, and the politics…

Can’t see the audio player? Listen on: The Host The midterm elections are months away, yet changes at the Department of Health and Human Services suggest the Trump administration is focusing on how to win on health care, which remains…

More than 10,000 people have enrolled in Nevada’s new public option health plans, which debuted last fall with the expectation that they would bring lower prices to the health insurance market. Those preliminary numbers from the open enrollment period that…

It’s the rare policy question that unites Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and the Democratic-led Maryland government against President Donald Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California: How should health insurers use AI? Regulating artificial intelligence, especially its use…

El gobierno de Trump presentó un amplio paquete de propuestas regulatorias que cambiarían de manera sustancial la oferta de planes de salud en los mercados establecidos por la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA) el próximo año….

Listen in as “Life Kit” host Marielle Segarra and health reporter Sarah Boden untangle the red tape that can make the prior authorization process frustrating. When the doctor says you need a prescription or treatment, sometimes you need approval from…

Republicans think patients should be shopping for better health care prices. The party has long pushed to give patients money and let consumers do the work of reducing costs. After some GOP lawmakers closed out 2025 advocating to fund health…

Listen in as “Life Kit” host Marielle Segarra and health reporter Sarah Boden untangle the red tape that can make the prior authorization process frustrating. When the doctor says you need a prescription or treatment, sometimes you need approval from your health insurance first. That’s called prior authorization. Without that sign-off, insurance won’t pay. What

It’s February, so open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act is over. We’re getting the first glimpses of how sign-ups are shaking out after the expiration of enhanced subsidies that helped most people with their premium costs.  While more Americans enrolled than some policy analysts had expected, the number was still 1.2 million below what it was at the same time…

The Trump administration has unveiled a sweeping set of regulatory proposals that would substantially change health plan offerings on the Affordable Care Act marketplace next year, aiming, it says, to provide more choice and lower premiums. But it also proposes…

Health policy has never looked so flirtatious. Every year, our readers send us valentines that make us swoon, laugh, and occasionally clutch our insurance cards. And in 2026, you did not hold back. You wrote about overcharging, rising insurance, AI in health…

Can’t see the audio player? Listen on: The Host The Food and Drug Administration is back in the headlines, with a political appointee overruling agency scientists to reject an application from the drugmaker Moderna for a new flu vaccine, and…

2,038,795 plays | Margaret Levi | TEDxSeattle • November 2021 The weekend. Social Security. Health insurance. What do these things have in common? They all exist thanks to the advocacy of labor unions. Political economist Margaret Levi explains how these organizations forge equality and protect worker rights, calling for a 21st-century revival of the labor movement