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The anti-fraud efforts highlight a broader political fight ahead of the midterms. Republicans say they’re protecting taxpayer dollars by going after bad actors. Democrats contend the administration is — with insufficient evidence — targeting blue states to cut programs the GOP has long sought to shrink.
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Medi-Cal, the nation’s largest Medicaid program, was in trouble even before the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Rapid expansion, spiraling costs, and billions in federal funding cuts will mean tough challenges for California’s next governor. On the campaign trail, the two men running for the job have offered few answers.
As early voting begins in some states, the Trump administration is working to keep its crackdown on healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse in the headlines. Also, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has unveiled a new initiative to identify vaccine injuries. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law, and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Sun join Թϲ’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more. Also, Թϲ’ Julie Rovner interviews Dan Weissmann, host of the podcast “An Arm and a Leg.”
An initiative on the California ballot would levy the nation’s first wealth tax on billionaires. Supporters say the proceeds would help offset President Donald Trump’s sweeping healthcare cuts. But critics argue that the temporary infusion of cash is a giveaway to politicians.
Amid a decline in youth mental health, momentum builds for a federal crackdown on social media companies over protections for kids.
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A new KFF poll suggests that health costs are still a top concern for voters and that Democrats have the edge over Republicans on the issue. And in an apparent attempt to close the gap, President Donald Trump is sending checks to millions of Medicare and Affordable Care Act enrollees. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Sun join Թϲ’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Michelle Andrews, who wrote the latest Թϲ “Bill of the Month.”
The idea of scrapping the U.S. health insurance system for a massive expansion of government-funded healthcare isn’t new. But voters hit by ballooning private health insurance costs are rallying behind midterm candidates calling for universal coverage.
Many rural voters say immigrants are a key part of their local economy, but views on whether President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has had positive or negative effects on their communities are split.
While Democratic congressional candidates are floating the restoration of federal Affordable Care Act subsidies and Medicaid funding, Oregon officials are crafting a more ambitious plan to implement universal coverage in their state.
The Make America Healthy Again movement held a shindig in Washington, D.C., this week. But rather than moms arguing to get chemicals out of their kids’ food, the room was full of Trump administration officials and industry representatives looking to promote health-related products. Meanwhile, the administration for the second year in a row is refusing to spend money Congress appropriated. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Rachana Pradhan of Թϲ, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join Թϲ’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Aaron Carroll of AcademyHealth.
President Donald Trump has championed sprawling health policy changes under the Make America Healthy Again movement, but a KFF-Associated Press survey of rural voters found people aren’t seeing the initiatives reach their communities.
Recent outbreaks of foodborne illness and high-profile recalls have made this issue a concern of voters.
Four states will vote on abortion-related ballot measures in November, marking the fourth time in five years that millions of Americans will weigh in on their states’ abortion rules. The measures follow the Supreme Court’s “Dobbs” decision, which upended federal abortion protections.
Healthcare in general, and health costs in particular, are a top issue for voters in 2026. But it remains unclear exactly how voters want lawmakers to fix the problem. Meanwhile, the Trump administration doubled down on its fraud-fighting efforts. Tami Luhby of CNN, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Sarah Jane Tribble of Թϲ join Թϲ’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Rural voters rank the cost of living and cost of healthcare as top issues they want to hear about from midterm candidates as they face a tightening pocketbook pinch.
Steep jumps in health insurance premiums and deductibles are top of mind for many voters heading into midterm elections. Թϲ chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner explains how rising costs may shape competitive races. She also distills plans from candidates on both sides of the aisle to bring costs down.
With the expiration of enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans, thousands of Georgians are paying more for coverage or going uninsured. In one of the state's reddest districts, the economic impact is growing faster than the political fallout.
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 Թϲ join Թϲ’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Rovner also interviews Lauren Sausser, who wrote the latest Թϲ “Bill of the Month.”
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