All reporting about the Republicans' HSA plan should be followed with the line, “a proposal which will not improve premium affordability.” www.politico.com/live-updates...

I sense Presidential pardons on the way www.beckerspayer.com/legal/2-conv...

How concerned are people about rising health insurance premiums? With premium tax credit enhancements about to expire and ACA marketplace open enrollment underway, search volumes for terms like “health premium increase” are (almost) off the charts.

USDA Quietly Deletes Its Contingency Plan for Funding SNAP - NOTUS www.notus.org/trump-white-...

Not only will we see that carriers are dropping catastrophic plans, but they'll also be raising rates.

There is misleading, and in some cases, flat-out false, information being spread about immigrant health care coverage. This blog explains how immigration status affects access to ACA Marketplace coverage and the federal changes that will skyrocket premiums. chir.georgetown.edu/recent-feder...

NEW — I dug into the story of ICE abducting a 13-year-old boy in Massachusetts and moving him 500 miles across state lines without notifying his mother, local cop's complicity, and how the federal government's justification for such cruelty is already falling apart:

High health care costs strain families. If Congress can ensure that a family of three earning $27K–$40K a year can access $0-premium silver-tier plans with lower out-of-pocket costs, why wouldn’t we support making life easier? chir.georgetown.edu/the-crucial-...

Just what the health care system needs, more hurdles to access affordable coverage www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2025/co...

"During an often chaotic and tense two days of meetings, where members often did not seem to understand what they were voting on or the parameters of the authority that ACIP has," chir.georgetown.edu/preventive-s...

1st Census survey CPS is out -- uninsured rate did not change overall or for kids in 2024. ACS coming Thurs will have lots more info. Top line is that Medicaid for kids declined; offset by ⬆️ in kids in the Marketplace with enhanced APTCs. www.census.gov/library/publ...

The president’s domestic policy law and new regulations will impose a host of administrative barriers to marketplace enrollment, causing millions of people to lose their health coverage @commonwealthfund.org www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2025/co...

"While the proposed rate increases indicate gross premiums will be much higher in 2026...the expiration of enhancements to the premium tax credit will impose proportionally larger net premium increases on nearly all Marketplace enrollees." georgetown.app.box.com/v/2026Market...

A federal District Court judge stayed, on a nationwide basis, the implementation of several provisions the “Marketplace Integrity” final rule. A review of the ruling and what it means for states: chirblog.org/ruling-in-ch...

This piece captures something I've been mulling: The marketplace integrity rule was purportedly about "bad broker" behavior (though it primarily intervened on enrollees, not brokers). But in codifying parts of the rule, the House abandoned that pretense; zero broker-focused policies are included.

CMS claims new proposed policies will reduce fraudulent and improper enrollments. Instead, these policies will create a thicket of red tape that will make it hard or impossible for millions of people to access Marketplace coverage. chirblog.org/federal-effo...

Does the House GOP reconciliation bill take health insurance away from newborn babies? Why yes, yes it does. If you read nothing else today, read this post from CHIRblog guest authors @jasonlevitis.bsky.social and @clinkeyoung.bsky.social chirblog.org/the-sleeper-...

After a mass bird collision in Oct 2023, Chicago’s McCormick Place Lakeside took action, installing bird-friendly dots on nearly 2 football fields of glass. Collisions have dropped dramatically. Real change is possible. Learn more: bit.ly/stopbirdcoll... #StopBirdCollisions #BirdSafeStructures

*NEW* Provider organizations' comments on the proposed Marketplace Integrity rule highlighted opposition to the exclusion of gender-affirming care in EHB, proposals limiting access (shortening of OE/ removal of 150% FPL SEP), and the changes in methodology increasing OOP costs. shorturl.at/prNST

The Trump Administration intends to strip DACA recipients of marketplace coverage, premium subsidies, and cost-sharing assistance. If enacted, this policy will increase their vulnerability to medical debt, leading to higher amounts of uncompensated care for healthcare providers. shorturl.at/WBKmm

Great work here. And a great reminder that the ocean is astonishingly (and terrifyingly) deep.

How to “determine the cause of autism by September”: Step 1: decide you already know the cause. Step 2: skip all the typical study design, ethics review, and data collection steps. Step 3: cherry-pick, p-hack, and fudge your way to data that declare “success”.

Updated just now. Six pages so far. The breadth of destruction is staggering.

To quote Senator Raphael Warnock this morning, "Thank you for praying not just with your lips but with your legs."

Booker: 17 hours now

Cory Booker is STILL going!

Happy Trans Day of Visibility 🏳️‍⚧️ Gender-affirming care is health care! Over 5,000 comments have been submitted opposing the ban on gender-affirming care as an essential health benefit. As @them notes, you can submit a comment too! The comment period ends on April 11. www.them.us/story/alarmi...

From CHIR, Stacey Pogue provides an excellent overview of Section 1333 waivers, the political push behind this bygone topic, and the associated risks. chirblog.org/a-blast-from...

*NEW* The Trump administration claims that cuts in the Navigator funding will lower premiums, but the Navigator program uses less than 5% of total user fees, making it unlikely that cuts will lead to significant (or any) premium savings. @commonwealthfund.org www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2025/ne...

Roses are red Violets are blue

"If consumer choice and market power cannot achieve meaningful price controls, then comprehensive rate regulation may be in order."

apnews.com/live/latest-... updates: More than 400 Palestinians killed in surprise Israeli airstrikes across Gaza

*NEW* Broker misconduct is an issue, but cutting premium tax credits harms more than helps consumers. #GtownCHIR @commonwealthfund.org doi.org/10.26099/nq5...

An underrated part of this video is you can watch the Dow go down in real time in the bottom right

Worth tracking these data closely.

This is the BEST daily game Minute Cryptic - 28 February 2025 "Hacker is transparent about wiping contents of videotape" (7) 🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣🟣 I scored: 3 under par www.minutecryptic.com?utm_source=s...

More of this, please! We need law professors with integrity and backbone to call out colleagues who attempt to launder Trump’s unconstitutional cruelty through bullshit originalism. And to do so in blunt terms without the cloak of polite formalisms that obscure the depths of hackery on display.

Does Bezos know the Washington Times exists?

It was an absolute honor speaking with Dr. Nicole Rochester about the history of health insurance, the impact of the ACA, and equity-based designs for the Immune Deficiency Foundation: Bold Conversations podcast. You can listen to our full conversation here: primaryimmune.org/resources/po...

Our new guide examines Trump Admin executive actions that could have a direct impact on #LGBTQ+ people’s health. It includes an overview of key provisions, their known/potential impact, and related litigation and will be updated as needed. w @jenkatesdc.bsky.social www.kff.org/other/fact-s...

"President Donald Trump moved at a blistering pace in his first month back in the White House. He lied fast and furious, too." www.cnn.com/2025/02/20/p...

As Congress considers very large cuts to Medicaid did you know that ten percent of children in active duty military families who are covered by TriCare are also covered by Medicaid? #LearnAboutMedicaid

It’s not a “savings” if you’re getting fewer services in exchange. I’m still paying the same taxes!

Say when open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

Despite the US spending $33.6 billion on uncompensated care, the Trump administration has decided to cut funding for the Navigator program, which enrolls Americans in health insurance coverage, to save 0.1% of what the government spends on health care services for the uninsured.

Thread. Today CMS announced it would slash funding for Marketplace Navigators by 90%. www.cms.gov/newsroom/pre...

Don't miss Georgetown CHIR's webinar tomorrow - the 2nd in our 3-part series on the Corporate Transformation of Healthcare. All-star line up of speakers answer WHY it's happening and what YOU can do about it. Register now! burness.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Every once in a while, @mfcannon.bsky.social and I agree on something

Between the Braidwood case at SCOTUS & likely HHS Sec. Kennedy, lots of concern about preventive services. @tarastraw.bsky.social and I outline ways states can help preserve access to this lifesaving care. @rwjf.bsky.social www.shvs.org/protecting-a...