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California is considering expanding financial help for low-income residents struggling to pay high health insurance premiums after losing federal subsidies. But relief for state marketplace customers will be limited. Here鈥檚 who may get help and what it could mean for premiums.
Big cuts to healthcare programs in the 2025 GOP budget law are creating an affordability crunch for many Americans: Higher health insurance premiums. Confusion about who Medicaid will cover under the new rules. 吃瓜不打烊 chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner explains how the changes could leave nearly 2 million children uninsured.
An uptick in people skipping Obamacare premium payments in many states suggests the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 rising costs 鈥 driven partly by lower subsidies to help people buy plans 鈥 are hitting home for 2026 enrollees. The trend adds to voter concerns about affordability ahead of the midterm elections.
Fourteen states now allow health coverage through state farm bureaus. Though they generally share many features of Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, they aren鈥檛 insurance. Neither are they typically subject to federal or state health insurance requirements, and the benefits may be less generous or predictable than those of Obamacare plans.
吃瓜不打烊 journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
Some people find they owe money back for subsidies if their income changed from what they estimated. In 2026, more people may find themselves in this situation 鈥 and face higher repayment amounts 鈥 if they don鈥檛 carefully track their income.
Despite public opposition to the cuts they made to federal health programs in 2025, Republicans reportedly are considering more cuts to help pay for the war in Iran. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled that Colorado cannot ban 鈥渃onversion therapy鈥 for LGBTQ+ minors. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Elisabeth Rosenthal, who wrote the last two 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 stories.
When medical bills started rolling in, a teacher鈥檚 aide in Florida wondered why her insurance suddenly wasn鈥檛 covering them. The answer? She owed a balance of 5 cents, so her insurer canceled her policy.
A sweeping set of regulations issued in February includes Trump administration proposals to curb what Obamacare critics contend are fraud incentives.
The Trump administration faces the challenge of naming a new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who can both satisfy the Make America Healthy Again movement and get confirmed by the Senate. Meanwhile, a new Senate bill to rescind the approval of the abortion pill mifepristone is again elevating the abortion debate, which some Republicans would prefer to stay on the back burner until after the midterms. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss the news. Also this week, Rovner interviews Georgetown University Law Center鈥檚 Katie Keith about the state of the Affordable Care Act on its 16th anniversary.
Two Americans explain how the skyrocketing cost of health insurance influenced their decision to buy 鈥 or skip 鈥 health insurance in 2026.
Adults ages 50 through 64 faced some of the steepest increases in out-of-pocket costs for Obamacare plans after a set of federal subsidies expired at the end of December. Some say they are putting off care or considering dropping health insurance coverage until Medicare picks up the bill.
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A federal judge in Massachusetts this week sided with public health groups to block changes to the federally recommended schedule of childhood vaccines, dealing at least a temporary setback to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 efforts to remake the schedule. Meanwhile, Congress has put its debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act on the back burner, but the issue of rising health care costs is still front and center for the voting public. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman to kick off a new series looking at health care solutions, called 鈥淗ow Would You Fix It?鈥
A KFF poll offers insights into people鈥檚 insurance coverage decisions and how those choices could play into their vote in November鈥檚 midterm elections.
The Affordable Care Act put in place a package of benefits that health insurance plans must cover. Critics contend this mandate has jacked up premiums. Evidence supporting that claim is mixed.
吃瓜不打烊 journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
This month is 40 years since host Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for 吃瓜不打烊, began reporting on health policy in Washington. To mark the anniversary, Rovner is joined by two longtime sources to discuss what has 鈥 and has not 鈥 changed since 1986.
Chaz and Jean Franklin were facing a sevenfold increase in their health premium payments with the expiration of enhanced federal subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans at the end of 2025. Then Jean received a crushing diagnosis that will claim her life but save the couple money.
Questions of fairness came up in last year鈥檚 congressional debate about extending Obamacare鈥檚 enhanced subsidies. Critics wondered why the federal government should underwrite coverage costs for people with ACA coverage. In truth, though, almost all health insurance in the U.S. comes with some federal help.
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