Health Insurance News

Can’t see the audio player? Listen on: The Host After all-night markups, two key House committees approved GOP budget legislation that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from federal health programs over the next decade, mostly from the Medicaid…

[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 and welcome back to “What the Health?” I’m Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for…

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday proposed that California roll back health care for immigrants without legal status, saying the state needed to cut benefits for some to maintain core services across the board. It’s a striking reversal for…

It has been nearly eight years since Sen. John McCain’s middle-of-the-night thumbs-down vote torpedoed Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and make drastic cuts to Medicaid. With Donald Trump back in the White House and the GOP back…

SACRAMENTO, California — El gobernador Gavin Newsom no esperaba enfrentarse a otra crisis sanitaria. En marzo, mientras el presidente Donald Trump y los republicanos del Congreso intensificaban el debate nacional sobre la posibilidad de recortar la atención médica para los…

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t expect to be reckoning with another health care crisis. In March, as President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans escalated a nationwide debate over whether to slash health care for poor and disabled Americans,…

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–  2025 has been a LOT…

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — State Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson anticipates that California’s sprawling Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, may need to be dialed back after Gov. Gavin Newsom releases his latest budget, which could reflect a multibillion-dollar deficit. Even so, the…

The Trump administration must soon make a decision that will affect millions of Americans’ ability to access and afford mental health and addiction care. The administration is facing a May 12 deadline to declare if it will defend Biden-era regulations…

The Host After narrowly passing a budget resolution this spring foreshadowing major Medicaid cuts, Republicans in Congress are having trouble agreeing on specific ways to save billions of dollars from a pool of funding that pays for the program without…

On the eastern plains of Colorado, in a county of less than 6,000 people, Lincoln Health runs the only hospital within a 75-minute drive. The facility struggles financially, given its small size and the area’s tiny population. But for over…

Sandra Smith and her daughter, Sarah Smith, rely on Medicaid to pay for a nurse to come to their home in Crestwood, Missouri, 13 hours a day because Sarah needs round-the-clock care. (Bram Sable-Smith/KFF Health News) CRESTWOOD, Mo. — The…

In his March address to Congress, President Donald Trump honored a Texas boy diagnosed with brain cancer. Amid bipartisan applause, he vowed to drive down childhood cancer rates through his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. A few days later, the…

Rennie Glasgow, who has served 15 years at the Social Security Administration, is seeing something new on the job: dead people. They’re not really dead, of course. In four instances over the past few weeks, he told KFF Health News,…

Este otoño, la Oficina de Responsabilidad del Gobierno de los EE. UU. espera publicar un informe sobre cuánto cuesta administrar Georgia Pathways to Coverage, el único programa activo de requisitos de trabajo de Medicaid del país, mientras otros estados y…

Republicans have long pushed to force working-age adults enrolled in Medicaid to show they are, in fact, working.  Party members argue Medicaid, a taxpayer-funded program for people with low incomes and disabilities, shouldn’t cover Americans who aren’t actively trying to…

Faced with potential federal spending cuts that threaten health coverage and falling childhood vaccination rates, Monica Soni, the chief medical officer of Covered California, has a lot on her plate — and on her mind. California’s Affordable Care Act health…

This fall, the U.S. Government Accountability Office expects to release a report on how much it costs to run Georgia Pathways to Coverage — the country’s only active Medicaid work requirement program — as other states and Congress consider similar…

Este otoño, la Oficina de Responsabilidad del Gobierno de los EE. UU. espera publicar un informe sobre cuánto cuesta administrar Georgia Pathways to Coverage, el único programa activo de requisitos de trabajo de Medicaid del país, mientras otros estados y…

Carmen Aiken of Chicago made an appointment for an annual physical exam in July 2023, planning to get checked out and complete some blood work. The appointment was at a family medicine practice run by University of Illinois Health. Aiken…

For several years, Fred Neary had been seeing five doctors at the Baylor Scott & White Health system, whose 52 hospitals serve central and northern Texas, including Neary’s home in Dallas. But in October, his Humana Medicare Advantage plan —…

Some federal employees who were fired, reinstated, and fired again by the Trump administration are now learning their health coverage lapsed despite being told otherwise. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Some fired federal employees have received even more unwelcome news in recent days. It involves their government health insurance. They thought they still had a couple of

Hospitals have spent years amassing political influence at the federal and state levels. According to the nonprofit OpenSecrets, hospitals and nursing homes’ federal lobbying spending rose from $35 million in 2000 to more than $133 million last year, a 280%…

For nearly three agonizing years, Mariah Freschi and her husband have been trying to have a second baby. The California mother recently underwent surgery to remove her blocked fallopian tubes, leaving in vitro fertilization as her only option to get…

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Medi-Cal, California’s complex, $174.6 billion Medicaid program, provides health insurance for nearly 15 million residents with low incomes and disabilities. The state enrolls twice as many people as New York and more than three times as many…

HELENA, Mont. — As Republican legislative leaders in Montana girded for this year’s battle over whether to extend Medicaid expansion in the state, they took aim at one of the program’s biggest backers: hospitals. If Montana’s hospitals wanted to extend…

They’re the fixers, the ones who step in when Affordable Care Act enrollees have a problem with their coverage, like a newborn incorrectly left off a policy or discovering that a rogue broker had signed them up or switched their…

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PBS News Weekend’s Ali Rogin spoke with KFF Health News contributor Michelle Andrews about what some people with missing limbs consider a disparity in health insurance coverage: Though a knee replacement likely would be covered, a prosthetic knee isn’t always….

PBS News Weekend’s Ali Rogin spoke with KFF Health News contributor Michelle Andrews about what some people with missing limbs consider a disparity in health insurance coverage: Though a knee replacement likely would be covered, a prosthetic knee isn’t always. A prosthetic device can be subject to cost caps and an amputee may be required

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Back to all blog list Published on April 17, 2025 All Marketplace plans have free preventive benefits to help keep you healthy and avoid more serious illnesses. Talk with your doctor to figure out which services are right for you. Remember,…

For many years, Eric Wunderlin’s health issues made it hard to find stable employment. Struggling to manage depression and diabetes, Wunderlin worked part-time, minimum-wage retail jobs around Dayton, Ohio, making so little he said he sometimes had to choose between…

Rural hospital leaders are questioning whether they can continue to afford to do business with Medicare Advantage companies, and some say the only way to maintain services and protect patients is to end their contracts with the private insurers.  Medicare…

Because of past fraud by rogue brokers, some Affordable Care Act policyholders may get an unexpected tax bill this season. But that isn’t the only potential shock. Other changes coming soon — stemming from proposals by the administration of President…

Rural hospital leaders are questioning whether they can continue to afford to do business with Medicare Advantage companies, and some say the only way to maintain services and protect patients is to end their contracts with the private insurers. Medicare…

Subrayando la magnitud del problema de la deuda médica en el país, una organización sin fines de lucro con sede en Nueva York ha llegado a un acuerdo para liquidar viejas facturas médicas de aproximadamente 20 millones de personas. Undue…

MANSFIELD, La. — When Desoto Regional Health System took out $36 million in loans last year to renovate a rural hospital that opened in 1952, officials were banking on its main funding source remaining stable: Medicaid, the joint federal-state health…

Underscoring the massive scale of America’s medical debt problem, a New York-based nonprofit has struck a deal to pay off old medical bills for an estimated 20 million people. Undue Medical Debt, which buys patient debt, is retiring $30 billion…

Tina Ewing-Wilson remembers the last time major Medicaid cuts slashed her budget. In the late 2000s, during the Great Recession, the pot of money she and other Medi-Cal recipients depend on to keep them out of costly residential care homes…

It’s a holy grail of health care: forcing the industry to reveal prices negotiated between health plans and hospitals — information that had long been treated as a trade secret. And among the flurry of executive orders President Donald Trump…

HENRICO, Va. — Sheldon Ekirch spends a lot of time on hold with her health insurance company. Sometimes, as the minutes tick by and her frustration mounts, Ekirch, 30, opens a meditation app on her phone. It was recommended by…

Tim Winard knew he needed to buy health insurance when he left his management job in manufacturing to launch his own business. It was the first time he had shopped around for coverage, searching for a plan that would cover…

Mari Villar was slammed by a car that jumped the curb, breaking her legs and collapsing a lung. Amy Paulo was in pain from a femur surgery that wasn’t healing properly. Katie Kriegshauser suffered organ failure during pregnancy, weakening her…

En las tierras altas boscosas del norte de Arkansas, donde los pueblos pequeños tienen pocos dentistas, los funcionarios del agua que atienden a más de 20.000 personas han desafiado abiertamente la ley estatal durante más de una década al negarse…

In the wooded highlands of northern Arkansas, where small towns have few dentists, water officials who serve more than 20,000 people have for more than a decade openly defied state law by refusing to add fluoride to the drinking water….

The National Institutes of Health employee said she knew things would be difficult for federal workers after Donald Trump was elected. But she never imagined it would be like this. Focused on Alzheimer’s and other dementia research, the worker is…

HELENA, Mont. — Mark Nay’s first client had lost the van she was living in and was struggling with substance use and medical conditions that had led to multiple emergency room visits. Nay helped her apply for Medicaid and food…

“On Feb. 25, I voted yes on a budget resolution that protects Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid while cutting some spending elsewhere.” Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), in a YouTube video posted March 4, 2025 On Feb. 25, Rep. Nick LaLota…

PLEASANTVILLE, Iowa — Zach Mecham has heard politicians demand that Medicaid recipients work or lose their benefits. He also has run into a jumble of Medicaid rules that effectively prevent many people with disabilities from holding full-time jobs. “Which is…

While Congress considers potentially massive cuts to federal Medicaid funding, tribal health leaders are bracing for a crisis. Indian Country has a unique relationship to Medicaid, because the program helps tribes cover chronic funding shortfalls left by the Indian Health…

As Congress mulls potentially massive cuts to federal Medicaid funding, health centers that serve Native American communities, such as the Oneida Community Health Center near Green Bay, Wisconsin, are bracing for catastrophe. That’s because more than 40% of the about…

The Senate Finance Committee got its chance March 14 to question Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the vast Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the largest agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. Oz, with…

(iStock/Getty Images) Spending cuts, immigration, and Medicaid are at the top of the Washington agenda. That climate provides fertile ground for misinformation and myths to multiply on social networks. Some of the most common are those surrounding immigrants, Latinos, and…

California’s Medicaid program has borrowed $3.4 billion from the state’s general fund — and will likely need even more — to cover ballooning health expenses for 15 million residents with low incomes and disabilities. The state Department of Finance disclosed…

The prospect of deep Medicaid cuts has become a flashpoint in Congress, with leaders of both parties accusing their counterparts of lying. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Feb. 27 that a Republican budget measure would “set in motion the…

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. Transcript: A medical-debt watchdog gets sidelined by the…

When congressional Republicans in 2017 pushed to repeal the Affordable Care Act and slash Medicaid, dozens of physician groups, patient advocates, hospitals, and others rallied to defend the law and the safety-net program. Eight years later, two industry groups have…

Kirk Vartan pays more than $2,000 a month for a high-deductible health insurance plan from Blue Shield on Covered California, the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace. He could have selected a cheaper plan from a different provider, but he wanted…

The Trump administration issued its first major set of proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act on Monday that federal officials said are intended to crack down on fraud in the program. Policy experts said they will make it harder…

La administración Trump publicó el lunes 10 de marzo su primer conjunto importante de cambios propuestos a la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA). Funcionarios federales dicen que tienen como objetivo acabar con el fraude en el…

Jennifer Pahlka believes bolstering the government’s tech chops and depending less on contractors could save taxpayer dollars. However, as the Trump administration looks to slash spending, she worries that the Department of Government Efficiency’s “very indiscriminate” approach to date could…

In Washington’s debate over enacting steep funding cuts to Medicaid, words are a central battleground. Many Republican lawmakers and conservative policy officials who want to scale back the joint state-federal health program are using charged language to describe it. Language…

TUSTIN, California — Cynthia Williams está furiosa con los republicanos de la Cámara de Representantes de Estados Unidos que están dispuestos a recortar Medicaid, el programa de salud dirigido por el gobierno para personas de bajos ingresos o con discapacidades….

TUSTIN, Calif. — Cynthia Williams is furious with U.S. House Republicans willing to slash Medicaid, the government-run insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities. The 61-year-old Anaheim resident cares for her adult daughter, who is blind, and for…

Centene Plaza in St. Louis on Oct. 29, 2022. At least 20 states have settled with Centene Corp. over its pharmacy benefit manager operation that coordinated medications for Medicaid patients. (Bram Sable-Smith/KFF Health News) More than three years ago, health…

UnitedHealthcare’s headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota, on Dec. 4. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) The Justice Department’s years-long court battle to force UnitedHealth Group to return billions of dollars in alleged Medicare Advantage overpayments hit a major setback Monday when a special master…

Chikao Tsubaki took part in a program called Community Aging in Place: Advancing Better Living for Elders, or CAPABLE, that helps people modify their homes and safely live independently as they age. In addition to an occupational therapist and a…

Jagdish Whitten was on a run in July 2023 when a car hit him as he crossed a busy San Francisco street. Whitten, then 25, described doing “a little flip” over the vehicle and landing in the street before getting…

It took nearly three years to win presumptive workers’ compensation coverage for breast, cervical, and other cancers that firefighters who work for federal agencies may develop because of hazardous exposures on the job. Now, just weeks after the Labor Department…

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Republicans in Congress have suggested big cuts to Medicaid. But what exactly is it? Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities, is integral to the U.S. health care system. It keeps hospitals and other…

Montana lawmakers appear ready to preserve the state’s Medicaid expansion program without knowing what federal changes might be in store. (Matt Volz/KFF Health News) HELENA, Mont. — Despite concerns about what Congress and the Trump administration might have planned for…

KFF Health News editor-at-large for public health Céline Gounder discussed the possibility of a bird flu pandemic on WAMU’s “1A” on Feb. 20. Gounder also discussed the potential of an off-label drug being studied to help some autistic kids improve…

Congressional lawmakers are facing tricky arithmetic as they hammer out a budget plan to finance President Donald Trump’s agenda.  Republicans need to free up roughly $4 trillion to pay for renewing Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which expire at the end…

En enero, durante una audiencia en el Congreso en su camino a convertirse en secretario del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dio información errónea sobre cuestiones básicas de Medicaid, un programa que ahora supervisa. …

Can’t see the audio player? Listen on: The Host The future of the Medicaid health insurance program for those with low incomes is in doubt, as Congress works on a budget plan calling for major cuts while President Donald Trump…

In January, during a congressional hearing on his way to becoming secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got basic details wrong about Medicaid — a program he now oversees. He said that Medicaid…

When Colleen Henderson’s 3-year-old daughter complained of pain while using the bathroom, doctors brushed it off as a urinary tract infection or constipation, common maladies in the potty-training years. After being told her health insurance wouldn’t cover an ultrasound, Henderson…

Collection agents for the state of Iowa have sent letters seeking millions of dollars from the estates of at least two people with disabilities who died after spending most of their lives in a state institution. The amounts represent what…

McMINNVILLE, Tenn. — Each month, Michelle Shaw went to a pain clinic to get the shots that made her back feel worse — so she could get the pills that made her back feel better. Shaw, 56, who has been…

Back to all blog list Published on January 16, 2025 Missed the January 15 deadline for 2025 Marketplace Open Enrollment? Don’t worry—you may still have options for health coverage for the rest of the year.  Enroll with a Special Enrollment…

Published on January 8, 2025 Time’s almost up to get health coverage for 2025. Act before January 15 to enroll in health coverage that starts February 1.  Enroll in health coverage now that meets your budget & needsDepending on your…

Back to all blog list Published on December 15, 2024 Do you hear that? It’s the clock ticking towards the January 15 deadline. You still have time to apply for, renew, or change 2025 health insurance. Notice: Note these important…

Back to all blog list Published on December 12, 2024 To start your new 2025 Marketplace coverage, pay the first premium. This is the amount you pay every month to the health insurance company to keep your coverage. How to…

Published on December 5, 2024 Don’t wait—time is running out! The December 15 deadline to apply, renew, or make changes for Marketplace coverage starting January 1 is fast approaching. Take action now to ensure you don’t experience any gaps in…

Published on December 1, 2024 Apply for, renew, or change your Marketplace plan by December 15 to make sure your coverage starts January 1.   Already have Marketplace coverage?Whether you want to keep your current coverage or you’re ready for a…

We take your privacy seriously. You can change the settings for each category to choose how we collect and use information while you’re on HealthCare.gov. For details, review our full privacy policy or get the list of specific tools in…

Back to all blog list Published on November 7, 2024 Before you apply, check out 2025 coverage options in the Marketplace and get an idea if you qualify for savings. Answer a few quick questions to preview plans and prices…

Back to all blog list Published on November 1, 2024 Don’t delay — enroll today! Open Enrollment for 2025 health insurance is here. Enroll in a new plan or change your coverage for the year ahead. Notice: Enroll by December…

Back to all blog list Published on October 24, 2024 Jump start for 2025 coverage by previewing plans with personalized price estimates based on your estimated income and household size.  Preview personalized 2025 plans & pricesTake a sneak peek at 2025…

We take your privacy seriously. You can change the settings for each category to choose how we collect and use information while you’re on HealthCare.gov. For details, review our full privacy policy or get the list of specific tools in…

We take your privacy seriously. You can change the settings for each category to choose how we collect and use information while you’re on HealthCare.gov. For details, review our full privacy policy or get the list of specific tools in…

We take your privacy seriously. You can change the settings for each category to choose how we collect and use information while you’re on HealthCare.gov. For details, review our full privacy policy or get the list of specific tools in…

We take your privacy seriously. You can change the settings for each category to choose how we collect and use information while you’re on HealthCare.gov. For details, review our full privacy policy or get the list of specific tools in…

We take your privacy seriously. You can change the settings for each category to choose how we collect and use information while you’re on HealthCare.gov. For details, review our full privacy policy or get the list of specific tools in…

Back to all blog list Published on August 8, 2024 Be careful of people who may try to steal your personal information, trick you into paying them, or enroll you in coverage without your consent.   Ask yourself 3 questions before…

Back to all blog list Published on July 25, 2024 Some life changes can affect your coverage and how much you save on your Marketplace plan. If you have a life change, like moving or getting married, let us know…

Back to all blog list Published on July 11, 2024 All Marketplace health insurance plans must cover 10 categories of essential health benefits. Essential health benefits are minimum requirements for all Marketplace plans. Specific services covered in each category may…

We take your privacy seriously. You can change the settings for each category to choose how we collect and use information while you’re on HealthCare.gov. For details, review our full privacy policy or get the list of specific tools in…

Skip to main content An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know Back to all blog list Published on June 13, 2024 When a new baby arrives, you have a for health coverage. You have 60…