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In Los Angeles County, the nation鈥檚 most populous, a new system could screen hospital patients for financial aid, preventing hundreds of thousands from getting bills they can鈥檛 pay.
It鈥檚 been more than a year since President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and SNAP enrollment is down more than 20% in Louisiana. Anti-hunger groups say far more people could lose access if states are required to cover more of the food program鈥檚 cost.
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.
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鈥檛 seeing the initiatives reach their communities.
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.
The new Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program promises eligible beneficiaries access to popular weight loss drugs for as little as $50 a month. But for some, having the very medical conditions these drugs are approved to treat means they don't qualify for the discount.
About half of U.S. adults say they can鈥檛 afford healthcare. California is among at least eight states that have set spending growth targets for the healthcare sector. It may soon impose enforcement penalties aimed at pushing hospitals and other providers to meet those goals.
A new rule from the Justice Department upends a 25-year-old interpretation of federal disability law. Advocates fear it could result in cuts to services that help many disabled Americans live at home instead of in institutions.
Conservatives who have long pushed for Medicaid work requirements often said vulnerable people would get a pass. But the federal government鈥檚 list of exemptions left off homeless people.
A growing network of home-sharing programs is helping people find compatible housemates. And demand is rising, driven by housing shortages, rising rents, and sales prices that affect both the old and the young.
With the federal Medicaid work requirements looming in January, Democrats are considering state legislation to call out big companies that employ workers enrolled in the safety net health program. Business giants such as Amazon and Walmart said the figures are misleading.
Republicans say California鈥檚 use of Medicaid money for social services amounts to waste, fraud, and abuse. But even as Gov. Gavin Newsom voices concern about losing funding, he says he鈥檚 proud of the state鈥檚 holistic approach to caring for its sickest and most expensive patients.
Starting in July, the government will cap what graduate students may borrow in federal loans, forcing many toward private lenders with higher interest rates. The borrowing limits will affect students pursuing healthcare degrees, and some clinicians and student loan experts worry they may impede efforts to diversify the healthcare workforce.
Congress' decision not to extend enhanced marketplace tax credits has boosted the appeal of alternative health coverage with lower monthly premiums. Consumer advocates dismiss the plans as "junk insurance,鈥 while proponents say patients need alternatives to pricey marketplace options.
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.
Decades of research indicate that interventions that bring down people鈥檚 cost of living, such as ensuring they have access to stable housing and food, are linked to lower suicide rates.
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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.
Health care got barely a mention in President Trump鈥檚 State of the Union address. Ahead of the midterms, the Trump administration has presented few concrete plans to address what Americans say is the biggest problem with health care: its skyrocketing costs. Meanwhile, Trump鈥檚 pick for surgeon general, Casey Means, got her long-delayed nomination hearing in the Senate, where she faced skeptical questions from Democrats and Republicans alike. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.
Programs like Jamboree Housing Corp. have leveraged Medi-Cal funding to offer residents access to social services that experts say are key to keeping them off the streets. California intends to keep it that way, despite federal cuts.
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