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States Bet Big on Rural Health Startups, With a Silicon Valley Twist
States are spending rural health dollars on tech startups, betting that untested companies will succeed where doctors have vanished and hospitals have collapsed. Louisiana’s call for innovative technology drew more than 200 pitches, seeking from $250,000 to $3 million in seed money.
Health Care Access and Affordability for Adults with Multiple or Complex Health Conditions: A Snapshot of Patient Experiences
KFF polling has long shown that many U.S. families struggle to afford health care and how costs shape decisions about whether and when to seek care. In the past year, worries about costs have intensified, with the cost of health care topping the public’s list of economic anxieties. Even adults with health insurance report difficulty...
Survey: Adults With Multiple or Complex Health Conditions Face Significant Challenges with Health Costs and Commonly Struggle to Access Care
Adults with multiple or complex health conditions, who already face unique physical and mental challenges, commonly struggle to pay their medical bills and access needed care and medication—challenges that fall hardest on uninsured adults, according to a KFF survey of more than 25 thousand adults. “If the first obligation of a health care system is to take care of the sick, we are failing that test. Cost and access problems are hitting the chronically ill hard, and the chronically ill and uninsured especially hard,” said Dr. Drew Altman about the survey’s findings.
Health Care Access and Affordability for Adults with Multiple or Complex Health Conditions: A Snapshot of Patient Experiences
Significant shares of adults with multiple or complex health conditions, including cancer, lung disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental health conditions say they struggle to pay their medical bills and access needed care and medication. These challenges fall hardest on uninsured adults who face greater costs and access challenges.
Correcting False Health Claims and Navigating AI-Generated Information
Corrections can improve the accuracy of people’s beliefs, but their impact may depend on reaching people before a claim has already spread widely. And research on AI-generated search results suggests that people may be less likely to visit the original sources behind AI-generated answers.
A Generation of Kids Suffer as Trump Destabilizes Immigrant Families
Children in immigrant families are facing health threats from President Donald Trump’s policies: separation from parents detained or deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, economic and housing instability, withdrawal from health and nutrition programs, and an overarching environment of fear.
Up, up, and away: Are double-digit health insurance rate increases ahead?
Twelve Affordable Care Act participating insurers submitted for rate increases in the coming year, data published by KFF show.
Up, up, and away: Are double-digit health insurance rate increases ahead?
It looks like another round of health insurance premium increases for millions of Floridians who get their insurance through the federal health care makretplaces. Twelve Affordable Care Act participating insurers submitted for rate increases in the coming year, data published by KFF show. AmeriHealth Caritas Florida filed for the largest increase, 39.14%. By contrast, Centene […]
Anger Over Health Costs Clouds Midterms
Amid a campaign already focusing on affordability, anxious voters are unlikely to be assuaged by headlines about healthcare costs rising even more next year. And a lawsuit that could cut off access nationwide to the abortion pill mifepristone gets a hearing in federal court. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law, and Amanda Seitz of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner also interviews Lauren Sausser, who wrote the latest KFF Health News “Bill of the Month.”
Health insurance premiums estimated to increase upwards of 10%, analyses say
Health insurance premiums in Ohio are expected to increase by about 10.7%, according to an analysis from Healthinsurance.org based on health premiums in the individual market. Affordable Care Act Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 15% in 2027, according to an analysis of insurers with publicly available filings by KFF, a nonprofit health policy research, polling, and news organization.
Health insurance premiums estimated to increased upwards of 10%, analyses say
Health insurance premiums in Ohio are expected to increase by about 10.7%, according to an analysis from Healthinsurance.org based on health premiums in the individual market. Affordable Care Act Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 15% in 2027, according to an analysis of insurers with publicly available filings by KFF, a nonprofit health policy research, polling, and news organization.
When a Friend Becomes a Caregiver
People outside the family frequently step into helping roles when older adults need assistance.
Healthy Aging - What’s Normal, What’s Not & Simple Ways to Stay on Top of Your Health
As we get older, our health needs often become more complex. Staying proactive can help but knowing where to start can be confusing. What should older adults focus on to keep their bodies and minds healthy?
The Market Forces Quietly Adding Thousands To Patient Bills
By Elisabeth Rosenthal and KFF Health News HealthDay ReportersWEDNESDAY, Sept. 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) — After a failed round of in vitro fertilization this year, Anne Hug’s fertility doctor said she had a single polyp in her uterus that should be removed to improve the chance of pregnancy. Hug, a ...
Nonprofits Are Helping Musicians Pay for Insurance in Austin, Texas, and Beyond
A nonprofit and a local public health agency are subsidizing marketplace health insurance for Austin music artists, even as shifting marketplace conditions make the program a more expensive proposition. It’s becoming a model for other cities and sectors.
A NY Hospital Tried To Close Its Birthing Center. This City United To Fight Back.
The people of Troy, New York, united to challenge a national Catholic health system determined to close the last birthing center in the county.
Mapping the Global Health Landscape: Analysis of Fourteen International Organizations
The global health architecture includes a number of diverse international organizations with different mandates, governance models, financing structures, and operational approaches. This KFF resource looks across a range of variables to provide a descriptive mapping of 14 key global health and related international institutions. It is intended to inform discussions about synergies and coordination, duplication, comparative advantage, shared challenges, and architectural reform.
Democrats Demand Trump Administration Halt Collection of Patients' ER Records
Senate and House Democrats say the Trump administration’s plan to collect patients’ medical data violates privacy and will discourage people from seeking medical care.
‘It’s Triage’: California’s Next Governor Will Face Destabilizing Surge in Uninsured
The nation’s uninsured rate hit a historical low when Xavier Becerra was health secretary. Now he wants to be California’s next governor as states stare down the biggest rise in the uninsured rate in a generation.
The Market Forces Quietly Adding Thousands to Patient Bills
The true cost of “vertical integration”: patients directed to a higher-priced location for procedures. Or forced to buy from their insurer’s wholly owned pharmacy, which may not stock the drug prescribed or provide it at the lowest price.
$50B Rural Health Transformation Program Needs More Transparency, Groups Say
By Arielle Zionts and KFF Health News HealthDay ReportersTHURSDAY, Sept. 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) — One year into its creation, a $50 billion federal program aimed at improving rural healthcare lacks transparency, which could make it difficult to protect against fraud, identify successful projects ...
KFF’s ‘Bill of the Month’ highlights $1,200 out-of-pocket charge for a breast MRI
The news site first launched the crowdsourced investigations back in 2018, seeking to dissect and better explain medical bills to consumers.
LGBTQ+ adults more likely to miss or forgo healthcare, survey finds
LGBTQ+ adults are more likely than other adults to miss healthcare appointments due to cost or other reasons — with a third reporting their health worsened as a result, according to a new survey by health policy research group, KFF. Among the 2,640 LGBTQ+ adults surveyed, those who are transgender, younger than 30, those with lower incomes or without insurance were most likely to miss or forgo care due to cost.
High Fertility Costs Push Americans Abroad For IVF Treatment
By LJ Dawson and KFF Health News HealthDay ReportersMONDAY, Aug. 31, 2026 (HealthDay News) — In the summer of 2024, Emilie and Justin Solomon found themselves on a top-secret mission in Greece. Their family and friends thought the adventure-loving couple was on another jet-setting vacation, but they ...
Ray Winstone recalls defending costar groped by director: ‘It was dealt with’
Ray Winstone says he once spoke up for a costar on the set of a film after the director assaulted her. ‘He abused his power, took advantage, and she was a good kid,’ Winstone recalled. ‘Anyway, it was dealt with.’
Summer’s health policy themes
As summer comes to a close, some of the season’s major health policy stories continue to simmer, including declining insurance coverage, increasing
Examining LGBTQ+ Adults’ Experiences with Health Care Costs and Access
This report examines how LGBTQ+ adults' experiences with health care costs and access compare to those of non-LGBTQ+ adults, finding that LGBTQ+ adults face significantly greater challenges affording and accessing care.
Different State Regulatory Approaches Reflect Open Questions About AI Mental Health Tools
States are taking different regulatory approaches to AI mental health tools in response to concerns about chatbots providing inaccurate or potentially dangerous advice. Laws and pending legislation in some states restrict AI from providing or advertising itself as therapy, while others focus on data protections, disclosures, and patient consent requirements.
$50B Rural Health Transformation Program Needs More Transparency, Groups Say
States must submit Rural Health Transformation Program progress reports to the federal government, but they aren’t required to proactively post those reports, or related information, publicly.
Rural health grants aimed at offsetting Medicaid cuts go to 80 unique institutions
According to a brief from KFF, the fund could offset 37% of the estimated federal Medicaid spending cuts in rural areas.
Her Breast MRI Was Approved, But That Didn’t Mean Her Insurance Would Pay
Stephanie Halver’s doctor recommended she get a breast MRI, partly because of her family’s cancer history. Her insurer approved the scan, but unlike mammograms, breast MRIs aren’t universally covered as zero-cost preventive care.
Ebola Is Still Killing In Central Africa. These Groups Are Working To Save Lives
By Rachel Spears and KFF Health News HealthDay ReportersTUESDAY, Aug. 25, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Misinformation and distrust are among the challenges facing public health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo as they confront the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record. Even though the ...
7 science-backed things to do on your phone for better brain health
Scrolling mindlessly can worsen your mood. Try this instead.
Patients wary of governments, companies pushing AI as a rural healthcare solution
Two of the nation’s most powerful health officials predict artificial intelligence will play a key role in solving rural America’s health challenges.
Kennedy Promised 'Radical Transparency' and 'Gold-Standard Science.' Trump's Vaccine Order Promotes Neither.
Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.
Watch: Mark Cuban Says You Can’t Fix Healthcare Until Every Price Is Known
With his online pharmacy, Mark Cuban changed how generic drugs are sold — and he has thoughts about how to fix the healthcare system. The billionaire businessman talks to KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to answer the question: “How Would You Fix It?”
Violence Against Healthcare Workers and Staffing Shortages Fuel Hospital Strikes
Healthcare workers at a Michigan hospital have been on strike since last September. Violence on the job is one reason behind it, with federal data showing hospital workers are seven times as likely to be injured on the job due to violent acts as members of the general working population.
Newsom Promotes Affordable Insulin, But California's Generic Label Off To A Slow Start
By Angela Hart and KFF Health News HealthDay ReportersTUESDAY, Aug. 18, 2026 (HealthDay News) — At a Walgreens in San Francisco’s bustling Japantown neighborhood, pharmacist Margaret On stocks two boxes of long-acting insulin pens from California’s new prescription drug label, CalRx, emblazoned ...
Trump Team’s Use of Arcane Budget Rule Threatens Medicaid Coverage
Coverage for hundreds of thousands of Arkansas Medicaid enrollees next year is in question after the Trump administration refused to renew a key state waiver. The state might not be the last to have to adjust to an arcane rule change under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Hospitals Say They Found a Tool To Help Reduce Childbirth Risks: Wristbands
North Carolina and other states have embraced “I Gave Birth” wristbands as a way to encourage women to seek help when they have postpartum complications. They’re gaining steam as the Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid threaten postpartum care.
The U.S. Healthcare System is Already Mostly Socialized
Now that Abdul El-Sayed is the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s open Senate seat, the outcome of this crucial race will depend mainly on two things: Whether Republicans succeed in demonizing El-Sayed because he’s brown and a Muslim, and whether they succeed in demonizing him as a left-wing radical. I will defer for the now the question of whether bigotry will be effective this year, although I will address it another day. What I want to address instead is El-Sayed’s signature issue — healthcare. Yes, El-Sayed advocates Medicare for All, a position the usual suspects denounce as “socialism.” I will get to the politics of his stance soon. Today, however, I want to talk about the substance. We should be clear that El-Sayed doesn’t even call himself a socialist. On the contrary, he explicitly disavows the label, saying “I’m a capitalist who just knows about capitalism”. In fact, as I explained in a previous post, the policies that El-Sayed advocates qualify him as a social democrat, not a socialist. Still, El-Sayed advocates a system under which the government would pay almost all medical expenses. Isn’t that socialism? Well, if that is the criterion then much of U.S. healthcare is already socialist. In fact, the government’s role is so large that U.S. healthcare is better described as partially privatized socialism than as anything resembling a free market. Let’s start with the raw numbers on health insurance, which pays the bulk of Americans’ medical expenses. Americans receive health insurance either from private companies or from public programs, overwhelmingly Medicare and Medicaid. Here’s what the breakdown of coverage and spending between private and public looked like in 2024: While a majority of Americans with health insurance get it from private companies, well over 100 million of us are covered by government programs instead. And these government programs pay more total dollars for medical bills than the private insurers do. Why do government programs that cover a minority of the population account for a majority of health insurers’ outlays? Mainly because Medicare covers seniors, and we’re expensive. Also, while Medicaid covers many younger Americans, disabled and elderly beneficiaries account for most of its spending. Even by the raw numbers, then, U.S. health insurance looks as much public as private. But that understates the government’s role: Private health insurance in the U.S. is both highly regulated and heavily subsidized. This is obviously true for the insurance coverage purchased by tens of millions of Americans through the exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act. But employment-based health insurance, which covers 161 million Americans, is far more of a government creation than most people realize. For employment-based insurance exists largely because of huge implicit government subsidies that come with major strings attached. Here’s how that works. If your employer pays you $10,000, that’s taxable income. But if your employer pays $10,000 toward a company health insurance plan that meets certain criteria, it isn’t taxable. That’s a huge effective subsidy, running at more than $300 billion a year. Take that subsidy into account, along with the more than $100 billion per year spent subsidizing policies purchased under the ACA, as well as the outlays on Medicare and Medicaid, and net effect is that the government pays for more than two-thirds of Americans’ health insurance. Granted, there are strings attached. Roughly speaking, employment-based health plans can’t discriminate based on medical history — that is, they can’t deny coverage to employees with pre-existing conditions — and they also can’t offer the plans only to highly compensated employees — a health plan that is only for the C-suite is considered taxable income. So given the restrictions of the federal tax code, employer-based health insurance is a lot like Obamacare, which also prohibits discrimination based on medical history and provides subsidies to make insurance affordable to lower-paid workers. The fact is that virtually all of private healthcare insurance is already well under some form of government control through regulation and tax subsidies. How should we think about this system? First of all, is Medicare socialist? Don’t tell anyone, but the way Medicare operates — it covers every senior’s medical expenses, whatever they turn out to be, while being funded by taxes that depend on one’s income — could be summarized by the old Marxist slogan “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” And back in 1961, when Ronald Reagan was the face of a last-ditch effort by the American Medical Association to block the creation of Medicare, he denounced Medicare as “socialized medicine” and warned that it would destroy our freedom. In reality, American freedom survived until Jan. 20, 2025, while Medicare is immensely popular, with an 82 percent favorable rating in the most recent KFF survey. Medicaid, government health insurance for lower-income Americans, comes in at 73 percent. This is in sharp contrast to public views about private insurers, who are widely disliked if not hated and accused of denying essential care. Furthermore, if Medicare is socialism, then the whole U.S. health insurance system, with the government paying most of the bills and placing conditions on private insurers, is almost equally socialist. If you insist on calling any program the government pays for and regulates socialist, then U.S. healthcare would best be described as a partially privatized form of socialism. And one must ask, what is the point of the part that is privatized? Do private insurers add anything positive? Or are they simply parasites, skimming off money that could have been paying for care? The case for viewing insurers as parasites is strong. Many Medicare benefits are now delivered via Medicare Advantage, that is, plans paid for by the government but run through insurance companies. MedPAC, an independent advisory commission, estimates that last year Medicare Advantage plans were overpaid by $84 billion, thanks to practices such as “upcoding,” in which patients’ health problems are overstated to get larger sums from Medicare. Assessing the waste from employer-based insurance is harder, but most evidence suggests that private insurers have substantially higher administrative costs than Medicare does. Furthermore, the complexity of private insurance, with multiple payers all trying to deny care when they can, is a huge burden both on providers — doctors, nurses, and hospitals — and on patients. What do private insurers offer to compensate for these costs? One must go through intellectual contortions to avoid the conclusion that they are, in fact, parasites. Which brings me back to El-Sayed. In supporting Medicare for All, he’s basically calling for an end to the partial, parasitic privatization of a healthcare system that is already hugely dependent on public funding. When one looks at it that way, it’s not at all a radical proposal. Admittedly, the political lift requires overcoming the opposition to higher taxes to pay for Medicare for All. Political realism rather than economics was the reason I and many other progressives supported Obamacare, with all its complexities, rather than demanding an immediate move to Medicare for All. But the political calculus may very well have shifted since the 2000s, as Americans are fed up with a system of unaffordable premiums, rampant claim denials, and byzantine claim administration. Moreover, funding healthcare insurance through taxation would allow for a much more progressive distribution of the cost. That is, compared to the present system, middle-income households would pay less as high-income households would pay more. And the U.S. would stop wasting large sums on pointless administrative costs. So let’s be clear: El-Sayed’s healthcare platform is perfectly reasonable on the merits of cost, fairness and health efficacy. And with private insurers never more hated, while millions of Americans are losing their health insurance, 2026 may be its time. MUSICAL CODA
Patients Wary of Governments, Companies Pushing AI as a Rural Healthcare Solution
The $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program is set to flood rural America with new AI health tools. That’s despite little evidence on whether health-related AI can improve access to care and patient health in those communities.
Same Knee Surgery, Twice the Price: Hospital Monopolies Push Up Healthcare Costs
A federal disclosure rule is offering new insight on the effect of healthcare monopolies on pricing, following a wave of U.S. mergers.
KFF HEALTH NEWS: Medicaid Work Rule Leaves Homeless People in the Cold
By Katheryn Houghton KFF Health News August 6, 2026 MISSOULA, Mont. — Tywon Pugh has seizures that make it hard to find and keep a job. “They called me a ‘liability to the job site,’” Pugh said, recalling the words of his manager when a seizure cost him his last job at a fast-food restaurant
Insurers want to hike small businesses’ premiums by 14% next year: KFF
It’s becoming harder for small employers to offer insurance coverage, and another year of double-digit premium increases won’t help. Insurers say their hands are tied.
Budget Battle Erupts in Nation’s Capital Over Opioid Settlement Money
Washington, D.C.’s 2027 fiscal-year blueprint reflects a debate playing out around the U.S.: whether opioid settlement money should be used to free up taxpayer dollars by paying for existing responsibilities instead of new programs.
How Much and Why Premiums Are Going Up for Small Businesses in 2027
Small businesses that offer health insurance to their employees could see health costs rise in 2027, according to an analysis of preliminary rate filings from all 50 states and DC. Nearly 300 insurers offering small group coverage reported a median proposed premium increase of 14% for next year.
Medicaid Work Rule Leaves Homeless People in the Cold
Conservatives who have long pushed for Medicaid work requirements often said vulnerable people would get a pass. But the federal government’s list of exemptions left off homeless people.
Watch: Democratic Senator Proposes a Fix for American Healthcare — Covering All Kids
Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey wants to offer universal healthcare until age 26. He sat down with KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to answer the question: “How Would You Fix It?”
How much and why premiums are going up for small businesses in 2027 - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker
Each year, health insurers submit rate filings to state regulators outlining their expectations for the coming year and proposing premium changes for Affordable Care Act (ACA)-compliant plans. This analysis examines filings in the small group market, which covers plans offered to small businesses (generally with 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees). Some of this coverage is […]
Pediatricians and Health Departments Sidestep Trump’s CDC on Vaccine Guidance
When the Trump administration upended years of vaccine advice, it left pediatricians in a quandary. Many say they can no longer direct families to the CDC as a trusted source of information. So some are creating their own.
People With Disabilities Fear Service Cuts as Trump’s DOJ Questions Legal Protections
By Stephanie Armour | KFF Health News Amanda DeSimone-Shabrack relies on a home healthcare aide to help her high-needs autistic 12-year-old son. Virginia’s Medicaid program covers the assistance, enabling her to work as both an education technology specialist and a professor, run errands, and keep ...
Earlier Lifeline for Rural Hospitals Faces Test Under ‘Big Beautiful’ Law
A century-old rural Michigan hospital converted to a stripped-down model Congress created to help keep small facilities afloat, then it closed. The emergency hospital model, created a few years ago, is stabilizing some hospitals, arrived too late for others, and now faces major challenges under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Kennedy, Oz Contend Fraud Crackdown, Not Skyrocketing Prices, Led Millions To Leave Obamacare
Rising premiums forced many people in Affordable Care Act plans to give up their coverage. But the Trump administration claims a huge drop in enrollment is almost entirely due to its fraud crackdown.
Does public health *need* MAHA?
Last week, our friend Dr. Craig Spencer sparked an ongoing volatile discussion with his Atlantic article “Public Health Needs MAHA.” Some have come out in strong dissent, others are cheering, and others are simply lamenting that we find ourselves in such a divided world to begin with. We will dare to dip our toes in these controversial waters, too. Does public health need MAHA? We think in some ways yes, and in other ways, no. MAHA leaders versus the everyday MAHA supporter The vitriol in this debate mostly comes from one collapsed distinction: the leadership of MAHA is not necessarily the same as the people who support it. Say “MAHA” and most people picture RFK Jr. Fair enough, as he coined the term and holds most of the power. And, yes, some MAHA followers treat Kennedy as something close to a saint. But talk to the grassroots, and it’s not a monolith. They’re Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. People who distrust vaccines and vaccine supporters. It’s a wide, eclectic coalition. The data backs this too: 4 in 10 Americans support the movement—that’s a lot of people! But according to polls, vaccines and medical choice (the issues most tied to Kennedy personally) are cited by only 4% as their reason for supporting the movement. For many, the motivations are much broader. Many MAHA supporters are signing up for the idea that “something needs to change” with health in this country. They’re asking good-faith questions about corporate influence on our health systems, health care costs, nutrition, chemicals, and clean air and water. These are all questions that plenty of public health professionals recognize as legitimate and also care about very deeply. Blurring the lines between the leadership and grassroots does real damage in two important ways: It hands the 4 in 10 exactly the narrative already fed—that the health ecosystem doesn’t listen, doesn’t care, and paints every critic with the same brush. It gives the actual bad actor more power. RFK Jr. has done irreparable damage and can’t be trusted. What the MAHA movement gets right A healthy population is something the public health field was literally built on, and many of these topics are things we have dedicated our lives to. Yet the MAHA movement has captivated nearly half the country in a way the public health establishment has failed to achieve. So that means MAHA is doing something right. Some of it may be timing (after a Covid-19 pandemic and deep frustration and mistrust with institutions). The movement also does three other things really well: 1. It gives a new, louder voice to system failures. While MAHA is not a monolith, one theme stays consistent across their stories: the system failed them. For some, it was the system that flooded their communities with opioids and then walked away. For others, it was the system that let their business collapse during Covid with no safety net in sight. For others still, it was the system that failed to help them manage a complex chronic illness, bouncing them from physician to physician without any real answers. And in many ways, our health ecosystems are failing Americans. Why are medical bills so incomprehensible? Why do some kids get a healthy school lunch and others don’t? Why do an epidemiologist and a MD/PhD student have to start newsletters in the middle of the biggest public health emergency in a century, just so people can get straight information? Because the systems failed. This deep-seated frustration driving many Americans to search for solutions elsewhere needs to be recognized. 2. MAHA has brilliant comms central to their efforts. MAHA figured out something most health institutions still have not: the information landscape changed. It’s participatory now, not top-down; influence runs through many nodes in a community, not one institution; and storytelling and telling audiences “what you really think” moves people more than data dumps do. MAHA goes where audiences are listening, using podcasts, social media, and memes in ways most health institutions would scoff at—but it works. 3. They are very good at organizing. A MAHA meeting feels like a rally: energy, speakers, music, and most importantly, an action for everyone. Someone’s writing the next policy brief, someone’s seeding a narrative, someone knows the next legislative deadline, someone’s sending the text messages for a campaign. None of this is new (ask the civil rights movement), but MAHA knows it works and has capitalized on it. What MAHA gets wrong This list could be much longer, and this newsletter has spent a lot of time covering it, but here are a few things: Poor use of scientific evidence. This is the fundamental problem with many MAHA policies: the hype outpaces the science, and experts are often villainized for pointing this out. MAHA leadership has traded real solutions for cheap wins. For example, instead of taking on the powerful food industry and passing real reforms, it has celebrated french fries made of beef tallow and taken out artificial dyes from still very sugary children’s cereal. These changes won’t move the needle on America’s diet. MAHA leadership has tried to dismantle vaccine access in the U.S. While many MAHA supporters emphasize other issues, the effort to change vaccine policy has become MAHA’s signature effort. This is not surprising given RFK Jr.’s extensive track record campaigning against vaccines. It has rallied behind the wrong leader. RFK Jr. has a decades-long track record of villifying doctors, scientists, and public health workers, well before he became HHS secretary. He is known for his decades-long work sowing distrust in vaccines as well as life-saving treatments like antiretroviral therapy for HIV. This is not a serious person who can move the needle on health in the U.S, and he has already done serious damage. Public health needs more than defense Defending the evidence is absolutely necessary so health in the U.S. doesn’t move further backward. The public health establishment is very good at defense. The problem is this defense often sounds like defending the status quo, which has failed many people. Public health needs to offer an alternative to RFK Jr.’s MAHA—one that is rooted in evidence, truly listens to and addresses people’s frustrations, and has innovative solutions and the courage to change the systems. How do we get there? Find common ground. Do you know what most people care most about? The abysmal cost of healthcare. Start there. Fight for the human loudly. Too often, communications and engagement center on science with a capital S, funding mechanisms, or the CDC/FDA/NIH. Not the person. So the public doesn’t see themselves in it. Instead, they see people fighting for the very powerful systems that they feel negatively impact their health and well-being. Let the public feel and hear that you see their frustrations, you get it, and you’re fighting for them within the system. Recognize when pro-science messages are alienating people. Facts absolutely matter, but angrily venting only alienates people further. Our friend Elisabeth Marnik recently wrote a New York Times article about her experience growing up unvaccinated and how listening and empathetic conversation are the only ways to reach people that really work (a position backed by communication science). Her comments section was full of hateful comments from pro-vaccine individuals attacking her for daring to suggest we approach vaccine-hesitant individuals with empathy. It is possible to both stand firm behind scientific evidence and empathize with people who don’t trust it. Lean into politics smartly. Often, public health has shied away from politics: Don’t touch it, lest you get burned. But this fails to recognize that the third rail is what fuels the train: who is elected determines our budgets, our priorities, and our authority. Being political means being very savvy in strategy on both sides of the aisle, knowing your audience, and recognizing that political capital is as scarce as financial resources and needs to be allocated accordingly. Bottom line So does public health need MAHA? That’s not really the right question. Public health has a responsibility not to dismiss 40% of the country who feel heard by this movement and are frustrated that the system has failed them. And it has a responsibility to stick to the evidence and recognize MAHA leadership for what it is: a danger to our nation’s health. Both can, and should, be done. Love, YLE and KP A big thanks to Craig Spencer, who had the courage to put his neck out there to start a much-needed discussion at such a critical moment—one that is determining the identity of an entire field. Kristen Panthagani, MD, PhD is completing an emergency medicine residency and research fellowship focusing on health literacy and communication. In her free time, she writes the newsletters You Can Know Things debunking health myths and rumors and The Public Health Roundup. Views expressed belong to KP, not her employer. Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) comprises a team of experts, ranging from physicians to immunologists to epidemiologists to nutritionists, working together with one goal: to “translate” ever-evolving public health science so that people are well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. The YLE suite of newsletters reaches over 475,000 people across more than 132 countries. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: Subscribe
The Newest Federally Recognized Tribe Wants Better Healthcare. It May Be On Its Own.
North Carolina's Robeson County, where most of the tribe’s citizens live, ranks as one of the worst counties in the U.S. for health disparities. After securing federal recognition, Lumbee tribal leaders will have to decide how to address them.
They Worked To Protect Public Health. Now They Want the Public’s Votes.
They’re known for touting pandemic precautions, Affordable Care Act plans, and testing for lead in schools. This year, some former public health officials are touting themselves — for governor or senator.
They Worked To Protect Public Health. Now They Want the Public’s Votes.
By Phil Galewitz, Christine Mai-Duc, and Amanda Seitz | KFF Health News A handful of former public health officials are campaigning for top statewide offices across the country, testing whether their experience with covid and other hot-button health issues will appeal to voters in November. The ...
Health and Health Care Experiences of Uninsured Immigrants
This brief provides data on health and health care experiences of uninsured immigrant adults based on a KFF survey of immigrant adults ages 18 and older conducted in partnership with The New York Times in Fall 2025. The data provide insight into how the projected coverage losses under the 2025 reconciliation law may impact health and health care for immigrant families as more lawfully present immigrants become uninsured.
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Mifepristone and the Midterms
Amid an ongoing FDA re-review of mifepristone, awareness of the safety and prevalence of the abortion pill remains limited. This KFF poll also finds that the voters who say abortion policy is an important issue for 2026 midterm candidates to discuss are disproportionately Democrats.
Pediatricians and health officials are sidestepping Trump's CDC on vaccine advice
The Trump administration's upending of years of vaccine advice puts many pediatricians in a quandary. Some are steering patients away from the CDC to other authoritative websites, including their own.
Cyclospora Boosts Fears That Deadlier Foodborne Outbreaks Are Ahead
By Kate Wells and Stephanie Armour | KFF Health News The next foodborne illness outbreak could be much worse. That’s the concern of food safety leaders across the U.S. who are raising alarms over federal cuts they say have made it harder to detect and stop the spread of foodborne illnesses, such as ...
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Ebola & Pandemic Preparedness
Much of the public has yet to form an opinion on the U.S. government’s response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this poll finds. Four in ten adults say the U.S. is less prepared for a pandemic now than it was in 2020.
Tracking State Rural Health Transformation Plans
KFF Health News is working to collect and post approved plans, by state, here and this database as more states respond to emails and public records requests for their documents.
Trump Administration Demands Hospitals Share Emergency Room Records
The tiny federal agency that tracks consumer product safety is pressuring hospitals to turn over patient records from emergency room visits, including about injuries that have nothing to do with consumer products.
Germany’s Business Outlook Improves Despite Iran Uncertainty
Germany’s business outlook brightened for a third month, a sign of resilience to higher energy prices and geopolitical uncertainty.
New KFF Poll Shows Public Divided When It Comes to Trusting Federal Health Agencies for Reliable Information
KFF’s latest Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds that following large declines in trust in federal health agencies from 2020 through early 2026, trust in the CDC as a source of health information held steady over the last 6 months, while trust in both President Trump and state government officials declined somewhat.
Public Health Improvements Stall Amid Trump’s DEI Crackdown
A year after the Environmental Protection Agency stripped grant money from dozens of communities nationwide during Trump’s DEI crackdown, a small Georgia city is struggling to address environmental health concerns.
American scientists see prosecutions as part of federal campaign against them
Federal officials charged two virologists they stopped en route from an African disease outbreak with violating import rules. But scientists tell KFF Health News the inactivated samples they carried posed no threat to the public, and they characterize the arrests as part of a government harassment campaign.
Trump's CDC Nominee Praises Vaccines, Without Vowing Independence From RFK Jr.
By Rachel Spears and KFF Health News HealthDay ReportersMONDAY, July 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Dr. Erica Schwartz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed support for vaccines — including mRNA-based COVID shots — in a Senate hearing,
Insurers Hedge on Trump-Backed Pledge To Improve Denials Process
By Lauren Sausser and Renuka Rayasam | KFF Health News One year after the Trump administration announced that dozens of health insurers had signed a six-part pledge promising to reduce barriers to doctor-recommended care, some insurers now say they won’t implement all the promised initiatives.
Insurers Hedge on Trump-Backed Pledge To Improve Denials Process
Last year, the Trump administration announced a voluntary commitment by dozens of insurers to improve a process called prior authorization, which often requires patients or their doctors to seek approval before proceeding with treatment. Less than one year later, some insurers chose not to sign the pledge’s update.
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Views on Fraud in Government Health Programs
As the 2026 midterms approach, health care costs remain voters' top health priority, but fraud in government health programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, is resonating with Republican voters, 55% of whom say it's extremely important for candidates to address. Most voters say there is at least “some” fraud in government health programs, but larger shares say there is fraud in the tax system, defense, and foreign aid, while the smallest share sees fraud in the ACA Marketplaces.
Poll: Costs Are the Top Health Care Issue for Voters in the Midterms, But Fraud Tops Republicans' List As Trump Administration Pushes Crackdown
Health care costs top the list of voters’ health care priorities for the midterm elections, though more than half of Republican voters say it is extremely important for candidates to discuss the issue of fraud in government health programs, according to a new KFF Health Tracking Poll. Most voters say there is at least “some” fraud in government health programs, but larger shares of voters see fraud in the tax system, defense, and foreign aid than in federal health programs. The smallest share of voters sees fraud in the ACA marketplaces.
Starlink App Quietly Adds New V5 Dish
The V5 dish's appearance suggests a launch of the new hardware is coming soon.
988 Enters Its Fourth Year as Demand Grows and the Mental Health and Substance Use Landscape Shifts
Data as of March 2026 show that demand for 988 continues to rise, with the volume of calls, texts, and chats 15% higher than a year earlier and nearly 50% higher than two years ago. States are also answering more calls in-state, where counselors are more likely to be familiar with local resources.
Knee Pain? Ragged Cartilage? Research Suggests Surgery’s Not the Best Answer
A Finnish study followed patients for 10 years after they had a popular knee surgery. For many, the pain continued or even worsened.
How Unaffordable is Health Care and What Can We Do About It?
For decades, the cost of medical care, prescription drugs and health insurance has consistently risen faster than general inflation and wage growth, posing financial challenges for government, businesses and people.
2nd PET scan changes treatment for nearly half of prostate cancer patients
Managing recurrent prostate cancer after first-line treatment remains a key clinical challenge, experts write in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
My Search for a Psychiatric Bed in an Overburdened Health System
Over the past 70 years, the number of inpatient psychiatric beds has dropped dramatically, leaving many without critical care when they experience mental health crises. I was one of the lucky ones to get a bed — after 21 hours of waiting.
Ex-Eagles Star Reveals ‘Hurt’ Reaction To A Cowboys Hire
The Philadelphia Eagles lost a key coach during the 2026 NFL offseason. When the 34-year-old defensive backs coach, Christian Parker, received an offer from the Dallas Cowboys, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take on a pay raise with a promotion. The former Eagles cornerback Darius Slay recently recalled his reaction when he heard […] The post Ex-Eagles Star Reveals ‘Hurt’ Reaction To A Cowboys Hire appeared first on HEAVY.
Obamacare insurance costs set to increase again in 2027
Health insurance companies want a median rate hike of 14% for 2027 Affordable Care Act plans, according to KFF, a health policy nonprofit.
In Preliminary Rate Filings, ACA Marketplace Insurers Largely Propose Double-Digit Premium Increase For 2027, Following a Steep Climb This Year
ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 14% for 2027— indicating a likely second consecutive year of double-digit increases, according to a new analysis of preliminary rate filings in 16 states and DC. If these increases hold, typical premiums for insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces would jump by more than one-third between 2025 and 2027.
Patients Face a Thicket of Red Tape Trying To Maintain Consistent Health Coverage
Many Americans are shopping around for affordable options as the cost of health insurance soars. But some who hope to keep the same doctors and medications face a thicket of red tape and disruption after they switch plans.
How much and why ACA Marketplace premiums are going up in 2027 - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker
For 2027, across 77 insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces from the 16 states and DC, the median proposed premium increase is 14%.
Lionel Messi, Argentina vs. Egypt live updates: World Cup Round of 16 continues with Colombia vs. Switzerland
Digital Health Tools and Technologies: An Overview of CMS’ Recent Efforts to Expand Their Use in Medicare
As an increasing share of older adults have adopted digital health technologies over the past several years, and with most expressing interest in using them to manage their health care, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced several initiatives to expand the use of digital health technologies in Medicare. This brief summarizes these initiatives and draws on data from various surveys, including KFF Tracking Polls from September 2025 and March 2026, to highlight facts about recent experiences with and use of digital health tools among Medicare beneficiaries and older adults more generally.
New Medicaid Work Rule Means More Opportunities To Lose Coverage
A work requirement is coming to Medicaid. Sam Whitehead tells WAMU’s “Health Hub” how to keep your coverage — and who’s exempt from the new rule.
Erosion of the common good in our national health care system
I have always felt secure about the role our state and federal governments have in supporting and promoting our health care delivery system…until now.
Supreme Court makes health policy
The Supreme Court handed down its last decisions of its 2025-26 term this week, including in an immigration case that could result in the loss of hundreds
Would Hunters Take A Lyme Disease Vaccine? We Asked
By Bram Sable-Smith and KFF Health News HealthDay ReportersWEDNESDAY, July 1, 2026 (HealthDay News) — It’s tick season, possibly the worst in a decade. More and more Americans are being exposed to these parasites as climate change expands the range where they can survive. That means more people are also exposed to the bevy of health conditions they can ...
Newsom Vowed To Transform Kids’ Mental Health. Many California Schools Are Still Waiting.
Gov. Gavin Newsom launched an ambitious initiative to make public schools the epicenter of mental health services for young people. Five years after he promised transformation, many schools have struggled to get the program up and running, and hundreds more have yet to try.
Affordable Healthcare Emerges as a Voter Priority in Purple Nevada
The Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid and SNAP may complicate Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo’s reelection chances.
Recent Research on How Experiencing Racial Discrimination Impacts Health
This brief provides an overview of the relationship between racial discrimination and health and highlights research examining mechanisms underlying health outcomes linked to experiences of racial discrimination, including biological changes, chronic stress, mental health, substance use, pregnancy-related outcomes, and sleep.
These Church Members Disagree on Politics. Together They’re Wiping Out Medical Debt.
Trinity Moravian Church, a politically diverse congregation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has been raising money to retire medical debt in the surrounding community.
KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: Update on Common Vaccine Myths
This poll looks at exposure to and belief in several vaccine myths and finds that people without a trusted health care provider, and those who regularly use social media or AI for health information, are generally more likely than others to belief the false claims. It also analyzes belief across vaccine myths, showing the share of the public that are consistent myth believers, consistent myth deniers, and those who land in the "mixed middle."
Poll: People Without a Trusted Health Care Provider Are More Likely to Endorse Vaccine Myths, As Are Those Who Often Use Social Media or AI for Health Information
People who don’t have a trusted health care provider are more likely than people with one to believe or lean toward believing several common myths about vaccines, a new KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust reveals.
Cost and utilization of inpatient mental health and substance use treatment - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker
Approximately 1 in 5 people with private health insurance have any mental illness, and 1 in 20 have a serious mental illness. This brief examines inpatient mental health and substance use treatment admissions in 2023 among adults aged 18-64 with large employer-sponsored health insurance plans. Private insurance enrollees constitute roughly a quarter (26%) of mental […]
3 million Americans have dropped Obamacare health coverage over past year, after Republicans let federal subsidies expire
KFF expects the total number of people in the government healthcare program to continue to decline throughout the year, potentially to a low of about 17.5 million from 19.2 million now.
KFF Poll Shows Three in Ten Adults Turn to Social Media or AI for Health Information, with Lower-Income Adults More Likely to Cite Cost and Access Barriers as a Reason
The latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds roughly three in ten adults report turning to social media (31%) or AI chatbots (29%) at least monthly for health information and advice. The top reasons people report turning to social media for health advice are wanting to hear from those with similar experiences or a desire for quick information.