States talk to front-line workers, leaders from large health systems, venture capital funds, and technology companies in an effort to win some of a national $50 billion rural health fund. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/states-competing-rural-health-transformation-program-cms/

In this special episode of “What the Health?” from KFF Health News and WAMU, host @julierovner.bsky.social talks to @cynthiaccox.bsky.social of @kff.org about the state of the Affordable Care Act. https://bit.ly/4813Bad

The Trump administration’s quiet constraints on public health funds have usurped efforts to provide medical care, respond to measles, and prevent HIV. @amymaxmen.bsky.social reports ⤵️ ⤵️ https://bit.ly/4qMABKL

Before states turned in their Rural Health Transformation apps on Wed, providers+patients shared their ideas in public meetings+online comments. Behind the scenes, large health systems+tech companies met w/ state+federal leaders By me+ @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social www.cbsnews.com/news/states-...

🔔 When Trump posted a video of budget director Russell Vought as the grim reaper, public health workers recognized a kernel of truth. My latest piece @kffhealthnews.org couldn't be more important. Art by the incredible @oonazenda.bsky.social 🧵 kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Everybody wants a piece of the $50 billion rural health transformation pie. But who is in the room talking to states? My latest from @kffhealthnews.org w/ @ajzionts.bsky.social www.cbsnews.com/news/states-...

BREAKING: Common health conditions such as obesity and diabetes could prevent immigrants from obtaining U.S. visas under guidance the Trump administration issued Nov. 6. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Small-business owners and their employees, who make up nearly half of the Obamacare marketplace, are worried about their health care and their livelihoods as insurance prices surge. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/aca-obamacare-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-subsidies-expiring-small-businesses/

New Webinar: How Medical Debt Is Pummeling Americans, Mon., 11/10, 10 am PST. Medical #debt is crushing 100M+ Americans — many insured. Hear reporting tips, insights & story ideas from @raelnb.bsky.social & @jessicaglenza.bsky.social on the U.S. medical debt crisis. Register: bit.ly/MedicalDebtReg

States from California to Texas say they rely on tens of millions in federal funding to help them prepare for the next pandemic, cyberattack, or mass-casualty catastrophe. The Trump administration wants to cut it. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

🧵My latest: An inside look at how the Trump admin has deployed shrouded budgetary maneuvers to undercut outbreak response, HIV treatment, dementia care & more across America. “No one thought this was possible or legal, but that is what’s happening." abcnews.go.com/Health/red-t...

“Sixty-three thousand dollars for a broken ankle and a cut to the knee, with no head injury or internal damage... just to stay there overnight.” @kffhealthnews.org 

Clinicians and researchers are starting to embrace an effort to develop what’s known as “shame competence” in physicians to combat burnout and prevent that uncomfortable emotion from being passed along to patients. @charlottehuff.bsky.social reports ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Massachusetts researchers examine how growth and learning are subtly shaped among children whose mothers had covid while pregnant. @celinegounder.com reports ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

After a whooping cough outbreak killed two babies, Louisiana health officials appear to have deviated from the typical playbook for public health, waiting two months to warn the public. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

I got to speak with @cbsnews.com about a recent investigation by @kffhealthnews.org @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social & @shatterproofhq.bsky.social into how states & localities are spending billions in opioid settlements. Hint: The words tasers, drones, & sock hop come up. www.cbsnews.com/video/invest...

Don’t count on the marketplace or your insurer to notify you about what you should expect to pay for Affordable Care Act plans this year. Here's what you should know ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

The Trump administration has ordered states to investigate thousands of Medicaid enrollees to determine whether they’re ineligible because of their immigration status. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

🧵Is opioid settlement $ living up to its promise? @kffhealthnews.org @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social & @shatterproofhq.bsky.social built a database showing 10,500+ ways it was spent—or not—last year, from treatment & housing to police drones & a drug awareness magician kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Quite the lede on this Arthur Allen @kffhealthnews.org story on the medical freedom movement in Florida kffhealthnews.org/news/article... "...several hundred gathered to honor state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, his wife, and an unlicensed Canadian radiologist who treats cancer with horse paste."

A new investigation shows how billions in opioid settlement money is being spent. While much goes to critical treatment and housing, some is paying for drones and MMA exhibitions. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

The federal government is making sweeping changes to SNAP, the program that helped feed about 42 million people in the U.S. last year. Here’s a breakdown of the changes to come and potential impacts ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

This year’s most spirited Halloween haikus were inspired by tick migration, Medicaid work requirements, and rising copays. 👻 #HealthCareScare #Halloween2025 Take a look if you dare ... ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Florida’s surgeon general, spiritual healers, and Trump allies push their cures in a swampy outpost of anti-government absolutism and mystical belief. @arthurallen202.bsky.social kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

“On average, patients see their primary doctor three times before being accurately diagnosed,” one multiple myeloma researcher says. “The delay from symptom onset to diagnosis is even longer for Black Americans.” kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Refugees who have fled persecution will now lose federal dollars that have helped them stabilize their lives in the U.S. “It doesn’t get much more basic than food,” one advocate says. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Legal experts say California can’t stop federal immigration authorities from carrying out actions in hospital lobbies and health facility parking lots — places where recent ICE activities have sparked outrage and fear. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

To help walk through open enrollment, Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Elisabeth Rosenthal, senior contributing editor at KFF Health News, who has made it her mission to demystify the process. Here's what you need to know ⤵️ www.cnn.com/audio/podcas...

Skipped appointments or worried about being judged? You’re not alone. For a future Health Care Helpline, @NPR & @KFFHealthNews are reporting on the hurdles to getting affirming care when you’re LGBTQ+. Share your story or question ➡️ kffhealthnews.org/health-care-...

A doctor in Colorado owed nearly $64,000 for surgery and a hospital stay after a car accident — because her insurer determined she didn’t need a night in the hospital. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/doctor-ankle-surgery-hospital-stay-surprise-bill-of-the-month-october-2025/

When hospitals and insurers fight, patients can get caught in the middle. Here are five things to know if it happens to you: kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new “interpretive rule” says that only the federal government has the authority to restrict medical debts from credit reports — not states. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Federal student loan caps will take effect in July. Critics say that will scare potential students away from medical school. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/medical-school-federal-loan-caps-doctor-shortage-trump-law/

One family’s deductible will jump to $20K. Another will pay $500 more a month. Americans are starting to get their insurance bills for next year, and any subsidy deal from Congress could still mean a big mess for insurers and consumers alike. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Some advocates and lawmakers want to impose national regulations on the gambling industry but would settle for reining in excessive betting at the state level. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Florida embarks on a risky experiment — ending nearly five decades of mandatory vaccination. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Here’s what happened in health care this week: - If the government remains closed, millions could lose food stamps starting November first. - ICE is hiring more health care providers to work in its detention centers to fight a surge in deaths. - Bird flu has infected dozens of poultry flocks

KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” to discuss how the government shutdown is affecting food benefits and the help many Americans get to offset their health insurance premiums. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Are Affordable Care Act marketplaces being haunted by phantom enrollments? A GOP talking point uses this argument to allege program fraud. But health policy experts don’t all agree. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

CMS head Mehmet Oz said new technology will allow Medicaid enrollees to verify their incomes “within seven minutes” for upcoming work mandates. What have two pilot tests of the tech in Arizona and Louisiana shown so far? Not much. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

For $27K, you could buy a new car — or insure a family of four for a year. New survey shows cost of job-based coverage jumps again. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/workplace-health-insurance-premiums-family-plans-kff-survey/

Twenty-one states and D.C. have adopted vaccine recommendations that are broader than those of the federal government, according to KFF. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Several GOP lawmakers and leaders in the Trump administration are convinced that planes’ contrails are a legitimate public health concern, even though scientists have sought to discredit “chemtrail” claims. @hannahnorman.bsky.social explains ⤵️ youtube.com/shorts/Mn84Z...

Washington politicians are at one another’s throats. But these advocates have found common ground around their support for cancer research and funding. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

A federal probe of Medicare and Medicaid plans run by private insurance companies found that the plan operators often overstated how many mental health providers were available in their networks. In some cases, investigators found providers had never had contracts with plans they were listed on.

“I’m not used to my science being politicized.” @uclacollege.bsky.social lung cancer researcher David Shackelford on government funds for his work being frozen. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/ucla-california-universities-funding-trump-biomedical-research/

A federal program is promising $50B to reshape rural health care, sparking fierce state competition. Will rural hospitals or new technology companies get the money? #DigitalDivide #Rural https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/rural-health-fund-medicaid-cuts-hospitals-cms-maha/

Here’s what happened in health care this week: federal shutdown continues to be centered on the ACA, judge halts federal employee layoffs, lead in protein powder. KFF Health News will be back with a weekly recap of the news you need to know about. Follow for more!

A fed program is promising $50B to reshape rural health care, sparking fierce state competition. Will rural hospitals or new tech companies get the money? #DigitalDivide #Rural @sjtribble-reports.bsky.social#DigitalDivide#Ruralttps://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/rural-health-fund-medicaid-cuts-hospitals-cms-maha/

Even as @gavinnewsom.bsky.social signs trans privacy bills, advocates are “deeply disappointed” by his veto of a measure to expand hormone therapy coverage. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...