Month: August 2026
A coalition of attorneys general from 21 states, along with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, have filed a lawsuit challenging a federal rule that they allege undermines the Affordable Care Act and makes health insurance more expensive and harder to obtain for millions of Americans. The lawsuit seeks to block provisions of the Trump administration’s ACA ...
The Senate voted to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee, Erica Schwartz, to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, ending a nearly yearlong period without a Senate-confirmed director leading the agency. Schwartz was confirmed in a 51-44 vote, with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) joining Republicans in support. All other Democrats opposed the nomination. Despite a ...
Specialty drug trend remains high, although it decreased from 11.2% to 10.8% on a gross cost basis in Pharmacy Strategies Group’s 2026 State of Specialty Spend and Trend Report. Claim utilization is now the dominant driver of specialty drug trend as the percentage of members using specialty drugs rose to 5.5%. “For a decade, this report ...
The Trump administration credits its fraud control efforts for the disappearance of millions of people from Obamacare rolls rather than a sharp rise in premiums — a claim disputed by policy experts that glosses over the reality that many more Americans now find themselves without health insurance. Enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans fell by ...
GLP-1 medications have transformed diabetes and obesity treatment, but emerging research suggests their benefits could extend far beyond those purposes — potentially even aiding in cancer prevention and survival. Dr. Loren Rourke, a Texas-based board-certified breast cancer surgeon, author and speaker, said growing research suggests glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications — including Ozempic and Wegovy — may be associated with ...
California voters will choose between two Democrats for insurance commissioner in November as the state faces growing wildfire risk, skyrocketing insurance prices and some insurers leaving the state. State Sen. Ben Allen and former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim are competing for the office. Allen, who was interviewed in fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades, an area he ...
The Trump administration is now scrutinizing the American Medical Association over the “influence” its medical billing codes have on healthcare nationwide. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes are meant to “provide a uniform nomenclature for coding medical procedures and services,” according to the AMA. However, some Republicans have raised concerns about whether the AMA currently holds too much sway over the medical care ...
Many seniors and disabled people in California who need long-term care will soon face a dramatic reduction in assets they can keep and still qualify for Medi-Cal. Starting in July 2027, the individual limit will fall from $130,000 to $21,000, while the limit for couples will drop from $195,000 to $31,000 when they apply for ...
Familiar hospitals dominated the latest “Best Hospitals” rankings from U.S. News & World Report, which also rolled out several changes this year. There were a couple of newcomers to the 2026-2027 Honor Roll, which for 4 years now, has been ranked alphabetically instead of ordinally. Mayo Clinic–Florida in Jacksonville joined its counterparts in Minnesota and Arizona on the list, and UC ...
Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, on Sunday told American parents that they should get their children vaccinated against measles, as the surge in infections has reached numbers not seen in the past 35 years. Kennedy, a leading vaccination skeptic who has spent years amplifying misinformation about vaccines, including the shot that protects against measles, mumps ...