Across a range of measures, KFF’s latest poll finds significant concern about health care costs. Dig into the findings: https://on.kff.org/49XZyLG

9 in 10 Marketplace enrollees (90%) expect that the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits will have an impact on the amount they pay monthly for their health insurance, including 7 in 10 (69%) who say it will have a “major impact.” More from our latest poll: https://on.kff.org/4ptXoK8

With all the talk about ACA costs being out of control, they are actually quite similar to and slightly less than employer (group) health costs. The problem is health care costs, not the ACA.

Something I think gets lost in the debate over ACA enhanced premium tax credits: 65% of ACA marketplace enrollees have incomes under 200% of the poverty level ($31,300 for a single person). These are folks who make too much for Medicaid but don't have access to employer coverage.

Grantmakers in Health has opened nominations for the 2026 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health Philanthropy and the Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy. More information and a link to submit nominations can be found here: www.gih.org/gih-news/gra...

Translating support for the ACA into support at the ballot box is the challenge...

New, and a big deal: Based on updated data and changes made by the Trump administration, we now estimate that ACA enrollees would see their out-of-pocket premiums increase by 114% if enhanced premium tax credits are allowed to expire. www.kff.org/affordable-c...

Unless Congress acts, health insurance premiums are going up. Way up. missouriindependent.com/2025/09/22/r... @urbaninstitute.bsky.social @missouriindependent.com.web.brid.gy

Georgia's Medicaid work requirement program spends more on administrative costs than on providing care and has enrolled less than 3% of the eligible population. Thanks to HR 1, we'll be rolling it out to the whole country. Senseless. @apnews.com apnews.com/article/geor...

The Republican tax and spending law cuts federal Medicaid spending in rural areas by $137 billion over a decade, much more than the temporary $50 billion rural health relief fund.

As many as 200,000 Missourians will lose their health insurance as a result of federal policies.

As Medicaid Turns 60, Its Future Hangs in the Balance: mffh.org/news/as-medi...

Medicaid cuts affect all: "The cuts to federal funding would likely damage state economies, lowering revenue for providers and then impacting other businesses in their supply chains — as well as the jobs and incomes of their workers..." @commonwealthfund.org www.healthcaredive.com/news/medicai...

Not to diminish the other harmful provisions in OBBB, but the coverage losses are what will cause the most damage to providers and (obviously) patients.

I wrote about the cruel farce that is Josh Hawley pretending to defend Medicaid & SNAP. Missouri’s failure to administer SNAP under *current* law is the subject of a 3 year lawsuit. Medicaid is also a mess. Hawley knows we can’t handle more red tape w/o dropping many more eligible people:

Americans can expect higher premiums, deductibles, & out-of-pocket costs across Medicaid, Medicare, ACA, and employer coverage if House Republicans' recon bill is enacted. The latest from @andreaducas.bsky.social & @groundwork.bsky.social Andrés Arguello: www.americanprogress.org/article/hous...

"It is hard to articulate a comprehensible justification for ballooning the federal debt in service of saving fewer lives." www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Bottom line...

The original House bill would have led to about 10 million more uninsured people, according to CBO. The amended version that passed would lead to more people losing health insurance. If this bill gets enacted, it would represent the biggest rollback in federal support for health care ever.

More red tape and bureaucratic hassles. People who qualify for coverage falling through the cracks. Now Congress wants to expand failed programs like Georgia Pathways to all 50 states. We already know this doesn't work. Why is it even on the table? www.propublica.org/article/geor... @propublica.org

Medicaid plays a vital role in rural Missouri, covering nearly a quarter of residents. Cuts will disproportionally harm rural communities, resulting in higher uninsurance and larger disparities with urban areas. #equity sites.wustl.edu/cahsper/item... @cahsperiph.bsky.social @mcbridetd.bsky.social

Medicaid cuts won't make America healthy again. They will make millions of Americans uninsured again.

Medicaid cuts = loss of these benefits.

New research shows that many choose coverage through Medicaid expansion rather than disability, offsetting more than half of Missouri's expansion costs. Cuts would increase the state's cost of covering these enrollees. sites.wustl.edu/cahsper/item... @mcbridetd.bsky.social @cahsperiph.bsky.social

The cost and burden to state eligibility and enrollment systems is a huge barrier. Some states can't effectively carry out their current work, much less adding more frequent reviews and (perhaps) work requirements to the mix.

Legislators who vote for Medicaid cuts are shooting their states in the foot. Coverage and job losses, hospital closures, loss of tax dollars, and budget crises are the result. In Missouri, billions of dollars and coverage for hundreds of thousands of people are at stake. mffh.org/news/cuts-to...

Majorities of Americans oppose cuts to Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, public health, and other programs. So why is Congress moving forward anyway with these cuts? www.kff.org/health-costs... @kff.org

Federal cuts could reduce Missouri's #Medicaid budget by nearly $4 billion per year and leave 350,000 uninsured. This will destabilize the health care system and reduce access for everybody. mffh.org/news/cuts-to... #MOHealthNet

"This is not the time for party-line votes or political calculation. This is the time to stand up and lead -- for families, for workers, for the values we claim to represent. Senators: You have the power to stop this. You can protect Medicaid." More: tinyurl.com/3mc9ndas #Medicaid #ProtectMedicaid

Cuts to Medicaid Affect All Missourians. Our analysis of the impact of potential Medicaid cuts in Missouri: mffh.org/news/cuts-to...

Medicaid cuts will deeply impact rural communities and turn this progress around.

Reduced federal support from program cuts, but especially from Medicaid, which is the largest source of federal funds for most states, will make a recession deeper and last longer.

Loss of coverage leads to more uncompensated care and lower revenue for providers leads to rural hospital closures leads to loss of jobs and economic development leads to the end of many rural communities. It's not just about health care, it's about the damage caused by the economic ripple effects.

“It puts further pressure on a system that already has a financial toxicity that is pervasive." Health care is already unaffordable for many. Medicaid cuts will make it much worse. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/h... @reedabelson.bsky.social @nytimes.com

Medicaid work requirements ration care by creating unnecessary administrative complexity. They are a lose-lose proposition: they don't lead to jobs, but they do result in loss of coverage. missouriindependent.com/2025/04/01/m... @missouriindependent.com.web.brid.gy

This is how you cut Medicare without "cutting" Medicare.

Medicaid pays for the majority of nursing home and other long-term care. Big Medicaid cuts will make this problem worse. Much worse.

Some states, like Missouri, have so restricted the raising of new revenues (e.g., taxes) that huge cuts in Medicaid and other state programs will be the only options.

Work requirements don't work. "People would not lose healthcare coverage because they are ineligible. They would lose coverage because of the bureaucratic burden the program would put on people." www.healthcaredive.com/news/medicai... @khemp.bsky.social @urbaninstitute.bsky.social @rwjf.bsky.social

This is how you cut Social Security without "cutting" Social Security.

Missouri nursing homes are understaffed. Billions in Medicaid cuts won't help. www.stltoday.com/news/local/g... @stltoday.com

Cuts in Medicaid spending will crater state budgets, increase uninsurance and unemployment, and close rural hospitals. Reform should be done carefully, not with an axe. www.healthcaredive.com/news/medicai... @urbaninstitute.bsky.social @rwjf.bsky.social @khemp.bsky.social

A5: Medicaid cuts would make access to needed health care even more difficult for pregnant women and new moms in rural areas. Rural pregnant women already experience higher risk of maternal morbidity and mortality compared to their urban peers. #WellnessWed ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/01/14/m...

The Congressional Budget Office confirms that the only way to cut $880B is by cutting Medicaid. And the only way to cut that much from Medicaid is by stripping coverage & access from millions of older adults & other low-income Americans. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

NYT fronts potential cuts to #Medicaid — and the areas of the US with “the most to lose.” @nytimes.com

Proposed Medicaid cuts could result in nearly 62,000 Missouri seniors losing coverage. nationalpartnership.org/report/trump... @npwf.bsky.social

During his confirmation hearing, RFK, Jr. promised "radical transparency." Just a few weeks later, he's eliminating a 50+ year old requirement for public comment on much of what HHS does. www.axios.com/2025/03/03/r...

Missouri lawmakers are quickly pushing through a cut to the capital gains tax that will blow a $300M hole in the state budget. That will jeopardize funding for health care, education, and more. missouriindependent.com/briefs/misso... @missouriindependent.com

Enhanced tax credits make health insurance affordable for thousands in Missouri. If they're discontinued, not only will the uninsurance rate rise, but local economies will be affected. Missouri could lose more than 3,600 jobs. www.commonwealthfund.org/publications... @commonwealthfund.org